Page 188 of Embracing the Change

“Nope,” Darryn denied.

“Honey,” she whispered.

Darryn’s mouth grew tight, then he said into the phone, “Allegra wants to talk to you.”

He handed over the phone, but he didn’t move an inch out of his wife’s space.

And Jamie was reminded just how much he liked Nora’s son-in-law.

“Dad?” she said. She listened. She listened longer. Finally, she went on, “Okay. I’m hanging up the apartment phone. I’ll call you if they say it’s all right. I’ll text if it’s not, and then you have to promise to go.”

Jamie blew out a sigh which corresponded with Nico mumbling, “Fucking shit,” and Archie grousing, “Fuck me.”

Allegra hung up the phone, turned to the room at large, but homed in on her mother.

“Dad’s downstairs,” she told them something they all knew.

“God! Did you tell him again we’re having our family lunch and that’s why he’s here, messing up our family lunch?” Val accused her sister through a question.

“It shits me to say this,” Nico put in. “But that was me.”

“For fuck’s sake, why? And when?” Val demanded of her brother.

“He called. He’s been calling,” Nico shared. “I’ve been ignoring him or answering and telling him to fuck off. It was stupid, I see that now, because a couple of days ago, in the middle of telling him to fuck off, I told him about lunch. But I did it to rub it in we’re all good when he’s not around.”

“Actually, a boss play,” Archie approved under his breath.

“He says he has something to tell us,” Allegra announced. She turned uncertainly to Jamie. “I’m sorry, Jamie. He said it’s something about AJ Oakley and some woman.”

Fantastic.

Nico stood. “I’ll go down and tell him to kiss off.”

Val stood. “No, I will.”

Nora stood. “No. Allegra will buzz him up, and we’ll hear what he has to say.”

Jamie got an acid taste in his mouth, but he said nothing.

“Mom,” Valentina snapped.

“He’s your father,” Nora reminded her gently.

“You’re too nice to him,” Val returned.

“I love you, my darling girl, so it’s with love when I say, maybe you’re not nice enough,” Nora replied, still going gently.

Val shut her mouth.

Allegra was on her phone.

Seconds later, the apartment phone buzzed again, and she hit the button to let her father in the building.

Jamie got up and moved to Nora.

“I’m all right,” she told him the minute he was at her side.

“I know. Me being at your side is about me staking my claim.”

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