Page 19 of The Layover

I was impressed. It was rare to see a question dodged so masterfully, especially when it came to our persistent little girl. I should probably come clean about who Carly really was, though. “Carly works with us, Eloise. She heard you were sad, and wanted to make sure you were okay before she went to her hotel.”

Eloise hugged me again. “I’m okay now that you’re home.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Carly’s tone was always kind, never condescending, when she spoke to Eloise. Carly turned to us. “Since this crisis is averted, I’m going to check into my hotel. Catch up on a little work…”

I didn’t want her to go. The flash came out of nowhere, and would be an odd thing to say aloud, given all the circumstances. “That’s a good idea.”

“I’ll grab you a taxi,” Diego said.

“Is Carly coming to dinner tonight?” Eloise looked at her. “Are you coming to dinner tonight?”

Diego glanced up from his phone. “It’s been a long few days. Maybe dinner should be moved.”

Eloise whipped out a pout without hesitation. “You promised.”

I never yielded to her just because she looked cute, but in this case Diego and I had promised, and Eloise had been marking the days off her calendar in anticipation. Besides, this particular outing wouldn’t be an option for much longer.

“Dinner where?” Carly asked.

“Raul was going to make one last meal in the new building, in the original kitchen, before reconstruction.”

“We need to get demo started within the week to stay on schedule.” Carly’s voice was apologetic and soft, as it was meant for only my ears.

“Please, Daddy. Please, please, pleeeeaaase?” Eloise seemed to hear anyway.

I glanced at Diego, whose shrug said I’m up for it if you are.

I was tired. I wanted to sleep in my own bed. But this was a worthwhile detour. “All right,” I relented. “We’ll have dinner at the church tonight, and Carly is welcome to join us, but she didn’t promise you, so she doesn’t have to if she’s not interested.”

“I’d love to see the place one last time before we gut it. And I’m dying to see you make that kitchen work as-is.” Carly had appraised the building before our investors agreed to put their money into this project, so she had a better idea than most what condition it was in.

We made arrangements for later in the day. It was just after three, so I said we’d send a car for Carly at seven, and we’d eat at eight.

I hated to see Carly go, and wasn’t sure why. She was randomly abrasive and had the power to make our professional lives hell. But there was something about her…

None of that mattered.

We gave Ariana the rest of the day off, and took Eloise upstairs, where our loft apartment took up the entire third floor of the building, and looked up at the world through vast skylights that covered the entire ceiling.

Diego had found this place for us when we first decided to take that big step and move in together, years ago. There were things in my past that I regretted, but the apartment, Diego, and Eloise were nowhere near that list.

We gave Eloise the LOVE T-shirt we’d bought for her in Philadelphia, along with a rainbow stuffed monkey wearing a matching top. She had to change immediately, to match her new friend, and then regaled us with stories of what she’d done when we were gone.

The nightmare seemed to have vanished from her thoughts. Thank Christ.

As she spun tales about her trips to the park, I couldn’t help but see Diego’s seriousness and creativity in her. I adored watching her play, tell stories, and just be a kid.

When it was time to head to the church where we planned to build our restaurant, Eloise wanted to help. The three of us decided to walk. We stopped at the various shops along the way to buy ingredients. When we got to the building, Diego took Eloise to go explore, while I dove into dinner prep.

A short while later, Eloise was back to help, so I pulled up a step stool and let her stir the soup, while I kept a close eye on her. It didn’t take long for her to decide she was bored, and she ran off to find Diego again.

As I worked, a pleasant breeze blew in through the open kitchen door, and Eloise’s happy squeals floated in from random places in the building.

A new voice drifted in, causing me to pause. American. Male. I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but something about his tone made me pause.

“Curtis.” That was Carly, and if I thought I’d heard her speak coolly, it was nothing compared to the ice in her voice now.

Dinner was at a good point where I could walk away for a few, and I had a feeling I should be out there. I followed the voices to find Carly standing between the kitchen door and the street, her back to the wall, her arms crossed, and flowers clutched in one fist. The man across from her was Curtis Webb, who I’d met on a few occasions and didn’t care for at all.

---