“Just focus on that,” she said, laughing. “I’m adaptable.”
When the hose was replaced, he went to the utility room and turned it back on and it seemed to be fine. But the minute he walked into the kitchen, the hose blew off and water was spraying everywhere.
“Damn it!”
He ran back and shut the water off and she started to clean up the mess right there.
She heard the phone ringing and found it on the counter. “It’s Electra.”
He let out a sigh. “Figures.” He picked it up. “Hi, what’s going on?” She sat there and watched his face turn red. “I’m in the middle of a mess here in the house. Can you just give me a bit to come get him?”
“I can do it if you want,” Kelly whispered. She wasn’t sure why she volunteered that, but she could see he was stressed over the water situation and it’s not like she could handle that. He could just leave the water off, but she also knew he wanted this done.
He nodded his head at her. “I’m sending Kelly over to get him,” he said. “Is that going to be an issue? I’ve got a water leak here in the house and I can’t leave until I get it under control.”
He hung up a minute later. “She’s fine with it?”
“It’s not her decision to make,” he said.
“You asked her if that was going to be an issue,” she said.
“I meant more if she was going to make it into an issue. Are you sure you want to do this? I could leave and come back but...” His eyes went back to the mess on the floor and behind the fridge. Water was even dripping off the wall where it sprayed everywhere.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “Ty shouldn’t have a problem going with me, right?”
“Not at all. Just take my SUV because of the booster seat.”
“Can you tell me what is going on?” she asked.
“She has a stomachache and headache and he’s driving her nuts.”
“That’s the reason he has to come home?” she asked. Talk about crazy. “Unless she thinks she’s contagious?”
“It’s that time of the month,” he said. “She’s always like this. She’s a pretty happy person, but she gets cranky and whiny and she was crying and didn’t know what to do and her head hurt.”
Kelly wasn’t sure she liked that he gave in so easily over something like that.
It felt in her mind like maybe Michael enabled Electra to continue to do these things.
She knew he didn’t like Ty being there but then would say he wanted his son to have a relationship with his mother too. How many parents out there had a bad day or headache and couldn’t call someone to get their child?
Rather than argue or say anything about it, she asked, “What’s the address and I’ll just put it into my phone.”
He gave it to her and she left to get Ty. It was about ten minutes away, she parked and went to the apartment number and knocked.
The door was opened and Kelly wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but it wasn’t the brassy blonde with her hair in a ponytail pulled back tight enough that the skin on her face was yanked some. That alone would give her a headache.
Electra had more makeup on than Kelly ever wore and it looked freshly applied. Tiny jean shorts barely covering her ass and a crop top with a lot of cleavage hanging out.
Jesus. Was that what Michael liked?
Here she was in a pair of black shorts that were mid-thigh and a purple T-shirt fitted and resting on her hips. Everything was covered on her and she felt a little plain.
Not that she’d want to look anything like Electra, but talk about night and day.
“Hi,” she said, “I’m Kelly.”
“Kelly!” Ty yelled. “I didn’t know you were coming.”