Page 32 of Bonus Daddy
It gave me time to ponder all the shit I’d have to figure out. Who I was and what I wanted and how to open myself up to more.
Dr. Johnson had forced me to say out loud the truths I’d been hiding from myself for years.
That I wanted a partner.
That I wanted to build a life with someone.
And that I wanted to be a father.
Facts I’d never dared to admit to anyone.
Now that I’d put them out into the universe, there was no denying them. Already, I could see how stubborn and closed off I’d been. Giving everything I had to my work, never even stopping to feed myself. I needed to do better. I would do better.
So I walked, soaking in the beautiful day, just existing in this world before I got sucked back into the vortex of work and the never-ending tasks awaiting me. Lo was probably foaming at the mouth, waiting with a stack of filings for me to review.
I’d review them happily. The girls wouldn’t be dropped off at our place after school, since Jess didn’t work on Wednesdays, so I’d bury myself in work, put in some time in the basement gym, and think about the strange turn this day had taken. The more I accomplished today, the earlier I could finish up tomorrow, when Jess would be stopping by to pick up Kit and Greta.
By the time I reached the office, it was after lunch, and I’d fought the urge to check my phone only about nine hundred times.
“Brian,” a familiar voice trilled. “Haven’t seen you in ages. Have you been avoiding me?”
I smiled at Madame E as she sashayed toward me on the sidewalk. Today, she was wearing an orange caftan covered with jewels. It looked like it weighed more than she did.
“Why don’t you come up?” she suggested. “I have time for a quick reading.”
I looked at my watch, not actually registering the time. “I’m so sorry. I have a client call in a few minutes.”
She arched a brow, those nearly purple eyes pinning me to the spot, making it impossible to look away. “I’ve been seeing a lot lately.”
My heart skipped, and I reconsidered her offer. For months, even after Cal and Lo swore she had psychic abilities and Sully, of all people, began to believe in her foretelling abilities, I was sureMadame E was full of shit. Now? I had to admit she had some eerily accurate predictions.
“Genaro’s,” she said, tapping her chin. “I can smell it.”
I grunted. What the hell was she talking about? Genaro’s? I thought she wanted to do a reading.
“Give me your hands.”
I offered them to her, and she closed her eyes, humming softly to herself, making her large, beaded earrings vibrate in her ears.
“I’m feeling music, beautiful music. And passion. And a barn with big ceiling beams and the faint smell of manure.”
I had no earthly idea what she was talking about. “Let’s go upstairs. I’ll get my tarot cards.”
“Thank you, Madame E,” I said politely as I stepped around her to get into the building. “But I have a client call in five minutes.”
She shrugged. “Tomorrow. Come up and see me.” I wasn’t sure how my friends had fallen under her spell. Granted, she’d been pretty helpful in managing Sebastian.
Jesus, I was thinking about the ghost like another roommate again. I ran my hands through my hair. I definitely needed to sleep more.
“I’m proud of you for going to therapy,” she said as I walked away. “We’re never too old to grow.”
I froze, suddenly curious about just how powerful her sight was. “Did you see that when you held my hands?” Maybe I had underestimated her.
“No.” She laughed. “Cal told me. We go to Katz’s for Reubens on Wednesdays.”
Fucking Cal, sharing my personal business.
“I’d need my crystal ball to go that deep. But I’ve got a busy afternoon. That CEO kid is coming back to talk about his crypto investments. I keep telling him the bubble’s gonna burst.”
