Page 48 of Who's Your Daddy
“But we were never unified to begin with.” A rush of anger works its way through me. I missed out on so much.
Lola nods. “Yes. You have nothing to worry about though. You’re doing everything you’re supposed to, dead plants aside.”
A chuckle escapes me. This woman has an uncanny ability to make even the most anxious of people feel at ease.
She returns to the kitchen for another glass of water. “They’ll come in, chat with you, look at Murphy’s room, and do a quick check of the house, than ask about his schedule,” she says as she plucks dead leaves from another plant. “They’ll watch you interact with Murphy for a bit, and then they’ll leave. We’ll hear nothing for about two months and then we’ll get a letter saying the case is closed. No services recommended.”
“That’s it?”
She nods, focusing on me. “That’s it. Everything will be all hunky-dory.”
I break into a smile. “Are you doing my walkie-talkie thing?”
She shakes her head, laughing. “Probably failing, but yes. Did it work?”
“You called me a hunk?”
“No. Saying that something is hunky-dory means it’s fine.”
Tongue in my cheek, I tilt my head. “Nah, I think you just called me a hunk.”
“You’re—” She puffs out a breath and shakes her head.
“A hunk, I know. You just told me.”
With a snort she strides back for another glass of water.
“Careful, Lola, you keep smiling at me like that, I’ll think you like me.”
She tucks her chin as she stands at the sink, trying to hide her smile. “I don’t.”
Twenty-four hours later, Lola’s prediction comes true. The meeting with DCPP is uneventful. Now we just wait for that little letter.
At least two months, Lola reminds me.
Sixty days.
And she promised Brian ninety.
I can’t let that happen. Lola can’t leave. Not when she’s finally smiling at me. So I’ll use the next sixty days to not only get to know my son, but to convince Lola to stay.
Chapter 15
Lola
“Lo.”
The walkie-talkie crackles, pulling my attention away from the risk assessment Sully asked me to read over.
Though I’m not sure the Jersey intercom system is any better than yelling—it makes it easier for them to dump more on me—the way Cal defended me to them? Yeah, that was sweet. Which is not typical for Cal.
Maybe that was the old Cal. This new Cal, the one who’s taken over since we moved to Jersey, is sweet. And I kind of like it.
“Lo. Ya there?” Brian repeats. “I need you to pull exhibits A through U for Kambrano.”
The lightness that had taken over wheezes out of me. Twenty-one exhibits.No problem.
I grit my teeth. So far today, I’ve been tasked with sending out three letters, putting together a notice of motion, and finishing this risk assessment. And it’s not even lunchtime.
