Page 49 of Sinner's Fury

“Tennessee, I think.”

Drew shrugged, turning his attention back to his Nintendo Switch.

Looking at my watch, I was about to call Christian when the elevator doors opened and two very rambunctious girls ran intothe lobby, followed by the very man I remembered talking to at Halloween in Central Park. Loaded down with bags, strollers, a playpen, and with a small toddler strapped to his chest, the man looked harried as he grunted, removing all his belongings while he tried to keep the elevator door open.

“Andi, come help me,” he groaned, reaching for a bag.

“Can’t, Daddy!” a little girl with dark hair shouted while she chased her little sister around the lobby.

Showing the man some mercy, I walked over and held the door open for him. “You said to pack light.”

Turning to look at me, the man gave me a megawatt smile and said, “Carly?”

“The one and only.” I smirked, reaching for a bag and asking, “Do you really need all this stuff?”

“It’s the girls’. My bag is on my back.”

Looking at everything, I started sifting through the multitude of items, throwing the playpen, the swing, and the stroller off to the side.

“What’s in this bag?” I asked, holding it up.

“Uh, books and toys for the girls.”

Shaking my head, I whistled, getting his daughters’ attention. “Girls, please come over here for a minute.”

Within seconds, both girls ran over and stood waiting.

Opening the case, I said, “Alright, young ladies. You can have two items. Only pick what you absolutely can’t live without.”

The girls looked in the bag and quickly grabbed the items they wanted.

“How did you do that?” Christian asked, astounded. “I said the same damn thing, and the next thing I know, I had to sit on that case to close it.”

“It’s called positive parenting. Giving a child boundaries but allowing them to make their own decisions. Works on Drew all the time.”

“Drew?”

“My son,” I said, looking over near the lobby desk to where Drew was still playing his game.

Standing, Christian furrowed his brows as he stared at my son and whispered, “You are full of surprises, aren’t you? He’s the spitting image of his father. Do they know?”

Stiffening, I slowly stared at the man but said nothing.

Shaking his head, Christian groaned and headed for the lobby door, muttering something incoherent under his breath.

Chapter Sixteen

Fury

Driving past the New York state line sign and into Pennsylvania, I looked over at Carly and asked, “How did you meet him?”

“Who?”

“Drew’s father.”

Closing her eyes, she whispered, “We met by chance in the city. I was here doing some research, and he was meeting with an art promoter. I knew of him, but had never officially met him before. We started talking and the next thing I knew, we spent the next few days together, forgetting about everything and everyone. For a brief moment in time, we were free. Free to be ourselves and be who we wanted to be. But like most things, life got in the way. When we said goodbye, we promised each other we would keep in touch, only that never happened.”

Looking in my rearview mirror at Drew, I knew why.

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