Page 14 of Broken Halo

There’s an innocence about her I find pleasing. If I’m honest with myself, I’m even envious of it.

I tip my head. “I’m sure this is against some employment law, but how old are you?”

She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. “Are you going to renege the job offer?”

“Wow. That would be a shitty thing to do, huh? Nope, I’m just nosy.”

Her shoulders relax. “I’ll be twenty-four.”

“Soon?”

She raises her thick, arched brow and bites down on her lip. “Well, not that soon.”

I look down where Griffin’s whole body has sunk into mine and I pry the sippy cup out of his little hands. I glance back up and give my first employee a ghost of a smile. “I feel an eternity older than you. Even so, I know nothing about running a business, so thank you for taking a chance on me.”

For the first time since she walked into my building, she takes a deep breath and is wearing a look of satisfaction mixed with a weird happiness. She levels her eyes on me and promises, “I’m so excited. You won’t regret it. I swear.”

I can’t start talking about regrets with this sweet, young girl or she’ll run for the hills—as she should—if she knew anything about me. Classes begin in a little over a month and I already have students signed up. I need real help—the kind that calls for getting your hands dirty and putting in some long hours. When Quinn promises to be a hard worker, I need that to be true more than she knows.

Instead, I try not to look desperate and act like I’ve got a little bit of my shit together. “It’s gonna be great—I promise.”

4

Out of Body Experience

Be brave. Just when I thought life was bad, God went and gifted me with the biggest problem I could imagine, right on my doorstep.

Ellie

I pull through the gates to my neighborhood after a long day at the studio trying to juggle Griffin, a slew of interviews, and my contractors. Had I known my life was going to flip topsy-turvy, upside-down, I never would’ve bought the damn building to begin with. There are days I don’t want to leave my house. And I hate that house so that’s saying something. But I have students enrolled and Eli just sublet the entire upstairs of my studio as office space for his new PI company. There’s no backing out now—I’m a real estate investor, a business owner, a dance instructor, and, now, a landlord.

And since dance is the only thing I know, I’m screwed.

Griffin finally fell into a deep sleep this afternoon and now he’s back to his chipper little self—the only being on earth right now who makes me happy. He squeals from his car seat as he plays with a toy.

“I need to start shopping for your birthday, baby. Do you want to have your party at the ranch with the horses?”

Griffin doesn’t answer, but he does gurgle, “Da-da.”

I groan internally and turn into my neighborhood.

“Mama,” I correct him and go on. “I’m going to throw you the biggest party and you’ll have your own cake and your grandparents will spoil you with all kinds of stuff you don’t need.”

“Ball.”

“You want a ball? What about a basketball? A football?” I’m about to chatter on, but when I make the last turn onto my street, my breath catches.

Shit.

They’re back?

I’ve decided to make it my life’s mission to do everything I can to avoid Trig Barrett. I made Jen fill me in this morning on my case and she told me that Trig had been in touch with the officers who showed up at my house and tried to reach out to CPS on my behalf. Jen told me nothing was happening and I shouldn’t worry.

I grab my phone and dial my sister, creeping down my street to buy myself a few precious seconds.

She finally answers. “Hey, what’s up? I’m about to go into a dinner meeting, can I call—”

“They’re back,” I snap, watching them watch me pull into my drive. My heart is racing all over again.

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