“You’re not going to see Mick again until Dr. V. and I decide how to deal with what you did today. And don’t get too excited. You’re in trouble, remember?”
Her eyes stayed wide, her mouth forming a flat line.
Maddie nodded. As upset with her as I might’ve been, I had to admit it was really freaking cute how much of a shine she was taking to Valentino.
“Alright then, get to work. I’ll check back with you in a little bit to see how it’s going, OK?”
“OK.”
With that, I left her to it. As I walked out of the room, however, something hit me—something so stupidly obvious—of course, she was taking a shine to Valentino. He was her father.
The reality of the situation came rushing back. It was so easy to forget about what was really going on—the dynamic between the three of us seemed so easy, so effortless. I sighed, realizing that I needed to talk to someone about it.
I took my phone out of my pocket, pulled up Britt and began typing up a text.
Hey! What’s up?
The response came when I reached the kitchen and poured myself a fresh mug of coffee. I leaned against the counter, took a sip, and read.
I’m in your area, actually, doing a little errand-running. Mind if I come by?
I grinned, already eager to see my friend. On top of that, I had tons of tension boiling up inside of me from both the situation with Maddie and everything that was going on with Valentino. There was so much happening that I felt like I was going to explode.
Of course! Get your butt over here ASAP.
She hearted the message, followed by a text that read,give me fifteen.
I cleaned up the pancake breakfast and started the dishwasher. Once that was done, I put on a fresh pot of coffee before hurrying upstairs to check on Maddie. Thankfully, she was obeying and in the process of picking up her stuffed animals, having quiet conversations with them as she placed the little toys here and there in her room.
I was relieved to see it. The last thing I wanted was to get upset with Maddie again if she didn’t want to follow her punishment. So far, so good.
After checking on her, I hurried down to my laptop and pulled up Instacart. Normally, I preferred doing my own grocery shopping but with everything that was going on, I wanted one less thing to worry about. One of my favorite dishes to make was spaghetti Bolognese, and since today felt like an unseasonably cool summer day, a hearty pasta sounded about right. I pulled up the recipe on my phone and set it next to my laptop as I picked out all that I’d need.
“Hey! Anyone home?” Britt’s voice carried through the house at the same time I clicked “OK” completing the order.
“In the kitchen! Get your butt in here!”
“Coming, coming!” Her quick footfalls sounded through the house, and she appeared at the threshold to the kitchen moments later dressed in her usual athleisurewear.
“Looking good in here,” she said, as she stepped into the kitchen and glanced around. “You’re kinda-sorta getting the place unpacked.”
I laughed, shaking my head as I stepped over to the box of coffee mugs, taking one out for Britt and running it under the faucet.
“Did you take a look at the rest of the house?” I asked. “The less said about it, the better.”
Britt waved her hand dismissively, shaking her head as she set her purse down on the kitchen bar and came over to me.
“Cut yourself some slack. You’ve got this huge house to worry about now. Hell, I’d say give yourself a month before you can even wrap your head around all the space you have to deal with.”
Her words made me feel a great deal better. Britt was awesome like that.
I hugged her then handed her the clean mug. “The house is one thing. Handling what Maddie just did is another.”
“What happened?” Britt asked with concern. “Mads do something bad?”
I sighed. “Where to even begin…”
The two of us sat down at the kitchen bar, the room filled with bright, late morning sun. I told her everything that happened—how Maddie had snuck out and shimmied underneath the gate to see Mick and how I’d ran out of the house in nothing but a towel.
