Page 33 of One Night With the Devil Next Door

“How’d you two meet?” She leans in, running her fingers up and down the stem of her wine glass.

“Um, actually we met in the city when we were both out with friends. It wasn’t until the next day when we bumped into one another that we realized we were neighbors.”

Her face is pinched. “Isn’t that cute. It’s almost like destiny put you two together.”

I shrug. “I guess you could look at it like that.”

She sips her wine. The moment her glass is back on the table, she brushes her hair behind her shoulder and narrows her eyes on mine. “I’ll cut to the chase here and save us both some time. I messed up all those years ago and now I’m back to fix it. I’m here to take my husband and daughter back and I’ll stop at nothing until we’re a family again. I understand you’ve been in their lives for a little while now, but that’s nothing compared to my history with them. Woman to woman, I’m giving you the heads up. Don’t make this get ugly because ultimately…I think we both know who he’ll choose. The mother of his child or the convenient screw next door?” She snorts. “It’s obvious, isn’t it?”

My heart sinks to my stomach. I feel dizzy and my heart is pounding—I can hear it in my ears. My mouth starts to water and I know what’s about to happen. The food that smelled delicious only moments ago now smells too greasy.

“Excuse me,” I mutter, pushing out of my chair as I cover my mouth. I don’t run but I walk quickly from the kitchen, through the living room, and out the front door. I double my pace into a jog as I rush across the yard to my house. I’ve barely reached my front yard when I’m forced to bend and throw up.

18

LINC

“Are you hungry?” I ask Ava as the two of us walk back into the kitchen.

She’s skipping along beside me, nodding.

Stepping into the kitchen, my eyes land on Allison who’s sitting alone at the table. “Where’d Emery go?”

Allison offers a smile as she holds her hand out for Ava who immediately goes to her. “Oh, she got a call and said she needed to run off. Said she’d reach out later.” She picks Ava up. “Are you ready for dinner?” She turns to seat her at the table.

Taking a deep breath, I turn and head for the stove to plate up the food. I wonder why she ran off so quickly or why she didn’t bother saying goodbye. Who could have called that caused her to rush off? It seems like an excuse, especially after the weirdness between us after the last few days. I didn’t see her at all yesterday and today when I pulled her over, it felt like she was trying to think up an excuse to not join us for dinner. Something is going on between us, but what?

I try not to think about it while I plate up dinner for three. Right now, I have enough to think about with Allison being here. After she leaves, I’ll give Emery a call, ask her to come back over so we can sort all this out.

The three of us sit around the table eating. I watch Allison and Ava. Ava doesn’t usually warm up to people so quickly but maybe deep down, she knows she has a connection to Allison. She doesn’t know she’s talking to her mom, but something inside of her must be telling her she can trust Allison. I, however, am not convinced.

Allison has always been flakey and I find it hard to believe that she’s changed that much. My biggest concern is that she’s going to weasel her way back into our lives, Ava will get attached, and then she’ll realize once again that this isn’t the life she wants. She’ll take off on a dime and disappear like she did last time and while I won’t mind, Ava will. Ava will be the one to get hurt this time. But it’s a hard call to make because I’m either the asshole father who won’t let his Ex see their child or I’m the idiot putting his daughter in danger of being hurt. Maybe this is something I should talk with Emery about—if she isn’t trying to pull away from me that is.

The three of us eat dinner and while Allison and I don’t talk much, she keeps the conversation going with Ava. Suddenly, I realize where Ava gets her talking abilities from. When dinner is over, I take Ava upstairs and get her cleaned up for the night. When we come back down, I find that Allison has cleaned up the kitchen. She has the light turned off and she’s in the living room with her wine. The lights are low and the TV is already on Ava’s favorite cartoon channel.

“Thanks for cleaning up. You didn’t have to do that.”

She follows me into the kitchen. “It wasn’t a problem. You cooked. The least I could do was clean up.”

I make Ava’s snack and take it to the living room so she can pick at it as she plays before bed. I have a seat on the couch and Allison sits on the other end, keeping plenty of space between us.

“So, what have you been doing all this time?”

She shrugs, watching Ava play. “You know, a little of this and a little of that. Basically, just moving around and trying to find my place in the world.”

“How’d you afford it? I mean…what kind of work have you been doing?”

She presses her lips together. “Whatever I could find really. I worked in a few bars, clubs, restaurants, retail. I worked at a car dealership, working for commission. That’s how I got my car.”

“And you thought all of that was better than being a stay-at-home mom?”

She looks at me and I can see the guilt in her eyes. “I thought it was, at first.” She sighs and shakes her head. “I was looking at all this all wrong. I looked at these walls like it was a jail cell. You were the warden and Ava was the guard that was keeping me tied down. I was young. I just wanted to live my best life. I wanted to drink and party. I wanted my life to be glamorous like something I’d see on TV. Then I left. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the glitz and glamor that I always dreamed about isn’t real. I wanted to come back sooner, but my pride wouldn’t let me. So I stayed away. I kept working, trying to climb my way up the ladder.”

“And now you’re back?”

She shrugs. “I’m staying at my mom’s for the time being, but I still have my apartment in Phoenix.”

“Arizona? That’s where you’ve been?”

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