Page 13 of Smoke and Mirrors

“Okay,” I reply softly.

He turns back to face me, and his nostrils flare. “I’m sure you’re staying overnight. And I trust Molly will drive you home in the morning. But if you need me, you can call.”

“Okay,” is all I can reply.

Just when I think I’m beginning to get to know him, he throws another curveball.

He’s so hot and cold. I can’t figure out if I have third-degree burns or frostbite?

“I guess I’ll see you later, then?”

“You will. Bye, Molly.” He turns and heads for the door.

“Bye, Kace,” Molly whispers as he walks out of the door. The sound of wood is harsh making me jump as it hits the door jamb when it closes.

“So… that was intense,” Molly says, swiveling on her heels and heading for the kitchen. I take a deep breath and follow her, still holding the baby and wondering why she’s even here.

Sighing, I look down at the sleeping child and smile. “Yeah, Kace was weird all right. It’s like he knew I was coming out of my apartment to see you and that I’d be walking, and he was there to stop me.”

She turns around stopping in front of the fridge and raises an eyebrow. “What does that even mean?”

“It’s like he has ESP or something. Maybe he’s psychic. He seems to know things. Like I swear I didn’t tell him I was coming to your place, and yet we got in the car and ended up here. How the hell did he know your address?”

She purses her lips and shrugs, then turns to open the fridge in search of something. “Well, from what I can tell, the man is an enigma, a baby whisperer, and a fucking sex machine,” her muffled voice echoes out from inside the fridge.

“Wait! What? A sex machine?” My stomach flips. “Have you and Kace…” I pause hoping like hell he doesn’t know her address because they’ve been intimate with each other. Here. Probably where I’m standing. A shudder runs through me as I picture them banging against the wall next to me. I have to shut my eyes to try and rid the thoughts and stop myself from overthinking.

“Pfft, a girl can dream. I said he’s a sex machine because of the way he looks. Keep up, woman, and open your damn eyes, you’re holding my niece.”

I open my eyes to see Molly out of the fridge and looking at me holding two bottles of wine with a giant grin on her face.

I chuckle. “Umm… Molly, babysitting and wine don’t really go together.”

She shrugs. “Fine, you babysit. I’ll drink. And where’s my chocolate?”

Shaking my head, I roll my eyes. “On a serious note, why is she even here?”

Molly twists the cap off the wine bottle and takes a long drink right from the bottle. A little drop of red wine drips from her mouth, she swallows and takes a deep breath. “Holly’s husband was in a car accident and is in the hospital in critical care. She needed to get there and didn’t want to take Ava to the hospital, especially since Jared’s all banged up like that.”

I wince. “Oh, crap! I’m sorry, Molly. I know you like your brother-in-law. Is he gonna be okay?”

She takes another giant gulp from her wine bottle. “Yes, fine. They had to remove part of his liver or something, but he’ll make a full recovery. Holly is picking up Ava in the morning, but I have to deal with it until then.”

I giggle. “Seriously, she’s your niece, and you’re calling her it?”

“Meh… she’s one of them.”

“Them?”

“The devil spawn. Satan’s child. The evil incarnate.”

I can’t help but laugh as I shake my head looking down at Ava, who’s sound asleep looking perfectly delightful with her little button nose and curly blonde locks. “I don’t know, she’s kinda cute to me.”

“Don’t be fooled, Lily. It’s their powers, their evil childlike persuasion. They’re all masters of deception. They make you think they’re cute, then bam, they start screaming and puking and spitting… and it’s disgusting. Hell on earth. Why I work with them is beyond me. Actually, I’m sending in my resignation right now.” She walks over to her laptop and opens it up, taking another drink from her wine bottle.

Laughing, I shake my head. “Molly, do not resign. You need the money to get into the job you really want. Dancing in film clips… remember? The kids are only a means to an end.”

She groans, slumping in the chair. “Fuck.” She guzzles down more wine.

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