“Well, considering that you came into my house uninvited and threw yourself at me, I’m going to say that it’s better for us to part ways now,” I say. “Plus, just for clarification, it didn’t matter who else I was interested in. This”—I point at her and then to me—“would never happen. I wanted you to take care of my daughter, and that’s it.”
“I have never ever been fired before.” She glares at me, walking closer to me. “Ever,” she hisses. “And it’s all your fault.” She yanks her bag from the table and then looks back at me angrily. “Don’t even think about calling me and begging me to come back because the answer is going to be no.” Her voice rises now. “It’ll be a fucking NO!” she yells and storms out of the house, the front door slamming after her.
I stand here in shock and then look around. The pot on the stove is starting to sizzle, and the smell of burning food fills the air. Walking over, I see that she was frying stuff, but it’s now sizzling and black, so I take it to the sink and turn on the water. The sound of hissing fills the room along with a huge cloud of smoke. I dump the pan in the sink and then go to my phone and dial Candace, who answers right away.
“Hey.” I sit on the couch.
“I just paid for the food, and I’m walking out. What color is the brown bear?” she asks, and I can tell that she is rushing to the car.
I want to laugh, but I know that if it were me, I’d be worried, too. “Purple.”
“I’m not going to lie,” she says, now quietly. “I almost called 911 anyway.”
“Are you on your way?” I ask, my voice serious. I’m not sure that sounded good or not, but I know I want to say things, and I’ve learned that time is something you can’t control. “We need to talk.”Chapter 19CandaceThe way he says we need to talk, I don’t question him. I’m actually too afraid to question him. The whole thing with Miranda threw me for a loop, especially when she showed up in some skank clothes. And trust me, she was all skank.
“Are you ready, baby girl?” I ask her when I buckle her into her car seat as she smiles at me. Kicking her feet, she’s babbling about I don’t know what. “Is that so?” I kiss her before I close the door and get into the truck to make my way back over to Ralph’s house.
The minute I park the truck, I look around to make sure Miranda isn’t lurking in the trees anywhere or hiding in some bushes. I don’t have to wait long before the garage door opens, and Ralph comes out. He walks toward the truck, opening my door first and then opening the back door and grabbing Ariella.
“Did you have a good time?” he asks Ari, kissing her neck. “You smell like Candace,” he says. She’s babbling, and I try to control the way my heart is beating. This whole thing is uncharted territory, and I don’t know how to navigate.
“Are you okay?” I ask him, getting out of the truck and closing the door. Walking to the back, I take out the bags as he waits for me.
“What did you buy?” he asks, looking at the bags in my hands.“Well, I bought the stuff for tonight, plus I bought some things for Ariella,” I say, picking up the bag full of stuff for her. “I had to waste time.” I shrug and walk with him inside the house.
He opens the door for me, and I notice the burnt smell right away. “What happened?”He puts Ariella in the high chair that he must have just got because I didn’t see it before. “When I came in, she was cooking stir-fry.” I stand here with my mouth open in shock, and he chuckles. “I know. She had a knife in her hand.”“Ralph,” I say his name, and put my hands down on the counter. “I’m going to say this the best way I can.” He looks at me, waiting. “Bitches be crazy.” He throws his head back and laughs, then Ari copies him while putting her hands together. “I’m not kidding, Ralph.”He walks over to me and puts his hands on my arms, and my eyes drop to where his hands are on me. “I promise you I kept a safe distance.” I look up at him, and I get lost in his eyes. “Needless to say, we got some wires crossed, and I fired her,” he says softly, and I wonder what it would be like to hug him, to put my arms around his waist and lay my head on his chest.