Nobody Said It’d be Easy

by Patty Blount

  “I told him I read all about it at the library so he asked all the other girls in my class if any of them heard about ionization and none of them did. He said that’s because normal girls like shopping instead of science.”

  Yep. The picture was crystal clear now.

  “Cassidy calls me Olivia Ions instead of Ivers.”

  “And that hurts you?”

  Olivia’s little face puckered up.

  That did it. He and Mr. Kress needed to have a chat.

  Right frigging now.

  “Okay, Liv. Here’s what I think we should do. I think Mr. Kress is the wrong teacher for you. I’ll talk to your principal and ask that you be moved into another teacher’s class.”

  She nodded and scrambled onto his lap. Gabe went still while his daughter wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m really sorry, Daddy. I just…you know…wanted to learn actual stuff instead of being called names, but Lia ruined everything.”

  Lia. Understanding dawned. “If Lia hadn’t told me you were in the library, that Amber Alert would have frightened a lot of people, Liv. Grandma and Grandpa. Uncle Mike. Your sisters. You made the wrong decision here and shouldn’t blame Lia for that.”

  She clammed up and shifted off his lap.

  “Olivia.”

  She crossed her arms and shook her head.

  “Olivia.” His tone held a warning.

  She blew out a loud sigh. “You said you’d never send me away. Ever. No matter what?”

  He drew his finger over his heart. “Promise. I love you. You’re part of me, Olivia. I will never send you away. Ever.”

  She only stared at him, arms still crossed.

  “You don’t believe me?” The words sent that ball of ice avalanching down his whole body.

  “Daddy, Zoe has two parents and both of them don’t want her! Her mom got married again and her husband doesn’t like Zoe and he wants her to go live with her dad, but her dad has a new girlfriend and said no. Nobody wants Zoe, Daddy. Not her mom or her dad!”

  “Liv.” His voice broke so he drew her against his heart and held her tight enough to make her squeal. “I love you and I want you. I will always want you and nothing and nobody will ever change that. I swear. I swear this to you.”

  The dam finally burst and she cried in his arms while he repeated the words until his voice faded.

  Chapter Twelve

  Lia sat at her kitchen table, an untouched cup of coffee in front of her. The look in Gabriel’s eyes today would haunt her until she died. She’d thought he’d looked sad the day they’d met. But this? This wasn’t sadness.

  This was so much worse. For a moment, she’d been genuinely afraid he was gone and couldn’t ever be brought back.

  And it was her fault. Olivia knew. She knew Gabriel and she were…circling each other like animals in heat. God in heaven, Olivia was nine years old and knew her father wanted sex with a woman he hardly knew, a woman who was not her mother. What if that child hadn’t gone to the library? What if she’d hopped on the train that stopped hardly four blocks away? She could have ended up—

  A knock on the kitchen door sounded. She fumbled the coffee, spilling it down her front. At least it wasn’t hot anymore.

  She flung the door open to Gabriel, his face tight. “Liv’s okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah. She’s eating lunch.” He jerked a thumb toward his place.

  Lia swallowed back tears. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Gabriel. She knows. This is my fault. She knows.”

  Frowning, he put his hands on her shoulders. “Knows what, Lia?”

  “Us. You and me. She…she saw us kiss, Gabriel. She knows.”

  His curse was vicious and self-directed. He dropped his hands only to raise them, tearing at his hair. “That explains a lot. Lia, I’m sorry.”

  She braced herself. She knew what was coming. And the kicker was she couldn’t fault him for wanting to dump her. He had children to protect. “You don’t have to say anything. I understand. But if you could please give me a couple of weeks to find a new place—”

  He moved so fast, she gasped out loud when his hands clutched her shoulders. “A new place? No. No, Lia. I don’t want you to leave. I’m sorry I didn’t pick up on the clues. And I’m sorry I bit your head off before. But I am not sorry about wanting to be with you. Not one bit.”

  “You’re not?”

  He shook his head, stepping closer. “Lia, this last week with you…you have to know it’s been amazing. Incredible.” His lips lifted a bit. “I…like you, Amelia. I know I shouldn’t. But I do. You…unsettle me.”

  Wow. She wasn’t sure that was flattering and she really didn’t like the way he grimaced when he said it. “Well, get over it. Your daughter doesn’t like me.”

  His eyes lifted at that and she could see the determination in them. “But I do. Lia, do you have any idea what you’ve done for me? You’ve brought me back to life.”

  The tears that had been choking her found a way out. “I…what?”

  He tugged her into his arms, kissed the tears falling down one cheek. “I thought this was gone for me, Lia. Attraction. Chemistry. Sex. I thought that part of me died with my wife. But you showed me I’ve still got love to give.”

  Oh God. Love?

  “We’ll talk more about this later.” He put her firmly away from him when her arms snaked around his waist. “Can you stay with Emmy and Liv? I have to go back to the school and kick some ass.”

  “But Olivia… She…”

  “We’ll all talk when I get back.”

  Lia nodded. “Okay. Go kick some ass.”

  She followed him out through her front door, walking up the courtyard steps while he ran for his SUV. Outside the Ivers’ apartment, Lia took a deep breath and knocked.

  “Who’s there?”

  “It’s Lia from next door. Your dad asked me to come sit with you.” When the door opened, Lia put up a hand. “Okay. Let’s get this over and done with. I know you don’t like me and that’s okay. You don’t have to. But you do have to mind what I say while I’m in charge. Deal?”

  Olivia nodded once. “Deal.”

  Lia stepped inside. “Emmy’s still sleeping?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Is there anything you’re supposed to be doing right now? Chores or homework?”

  She shook her head and grabbed the TV remote, slanting Lia a look. Lia bit back a smile. She was pretty sure Gabe wouldn’t permit television after what happened today, but since he hadn’t left her any instructions, she said nothing. So, she sat down on the sofa and watched the little girl surf through channels before finally settling on a sitcom rerun.

  They watched in silence until the commercial break. Lia turned to Olivia and cleared her throat. “So…I’m not sure if this will help or not, but I’m a good listener and I like to help people. If you want…”

  Olivia ignored her.

  Okay, then. She’d tried. She took out her phone and checked her messages, then her email. Dr. Abbott was thrilled with the research notes Lia had sent and left her a voice mail. Lia decided to call her back.

  “Dr. Abbott? It’s Lia Blake. I just got your message. I’m so happy to hear you like the work I did.”

  “Like it? It’s inspired a whole new direction for this book. If you’re willing, I’m going to keep you extremely busy.”

  “Absolutely. Tell me what you need.” Lia glanced around, wondering where Gabe kept paper and pens. “Hold on one moment. Olivia, is there a pen and paper handy?” To Lia’s astonishment, Olivia got up and fetched her both. Lia smiled. “Thanks. Okay. I’m ready.” She jotted down some notes as Dr. Abbott spoke. “More on the Cox-Zucker machine, Gabriel’s Horn, and the Ada computer language.”

  Lia took careful notes. When she hung up, she found Olivia staring at her.

  “I know all about Ada Lovelace,” she said and took back her notebook. “See?”

  Lia read the notes Gabe’s daughter pointed out. “I’ve heard of Ada Lovelace, but I had no idea ther
e was an entire computer language named for her. Thank you, Olivia. You’ve just given me a head start on my research.”

  “You do research?”

  “Yes, that’s my job. People hire me to do research for projects they’re working on. The doctor I was just talking to? She’s writing a new math textbook and wants my help on several sections.”

  “I know about Gabriel’s Horn, too. It’s a paradox,” she explained.

  “No kidding?”

  “Uh-huh. Look.”

  Lia watched in awe as Olivia drew a simple XY graph and carefully plotted a shape.

  “It’s one over x to infinity, rotated around the X axis. And it looks just like a trumpet.”

  Lia was speechless and not sure she’d understood a word of what the little girl just said. “That’s impressive.”

  Olivia shrugged. “I learned that last year because it has my dad’s name.” She shut her book and her dark eyes met Lia’s. “You like him.”

  Lia shut her eyes. “I do. Very much. I know that upsets you so your dad and I will talk when he gets back.”

  “He likes you back. A lot. He…sings now.” Those intense brown eyes rolled skyward. “He’s pretty bad at it, but he sings.” She shrugged. “I guess that means he’s happy.”

  They both jumped when a loud knock sounded at the door. Heart pounding, Lia called out, “Who is it?”

  “It’s Uncle Mike, Olivia.”

  Olivia ran to the door.

  “Wait, I—”

  “It’s okay, Lia. He’s my dad’s best friend.”

  But Olivia had already opened the door.

  “Livvie, munchkin, what the hell were you thinking? You nearly killed us today.” The man in the doorway bent down and hauled Olivia into his arms.

  “I’m sorry, Uncle Mike.” She wriggled free. “This is Lia. She lives next door.”

  “Oh, right. You’re Amelia? I’m Mike Kinsella, Vince’s nephew.”

  “Yes, of course. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

  Lia shook his hand and stood aside. He stepped into Gabe’s living room and shut the door. He was a tall man, as tall as Gabe. Dark hair and dark eyes gave him a mysterious air but it was his smile that made Lia sit up a little straighter. He wore work boots and jeans with a tape measure clipped to his belt. Across the left side of his windbreaker, a logo for Kinsella Properties was embroidered in white thread.

  “Where’s your dad?” he asked Olivia.

  “He went to my school.”

  “Ah. Gonna tell me why?”

  Olivia shrugged. “He said Mr. Kress shouldn’t be my teacher anymore.”

  Mike’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Why not?”

  “He’s not a very good teacher. He lets the other kids call me stupid and I’m not.”

  Oh, she definitely was not—Lia could attest to that. Relief was obvious in the way Mike nodded, all the tension leaving his body. Lia had no doubt he’d have turned around and fought at Gabe’s side had Olivia’s answer verified the horrible thought that had clearly struck them both.

  “And Emmy?”

  “Still napping,” Lia replied.

  “I’ll be right back. I’ve been in the car for hours and need to use the potty.”

  “It’s okay, Uncle Mike. You can say you have to piss. I’m not a baby.”

  “Oh, I see.” His eyebrows rose. “Well, if it’s all the same time you, I like saying potty.”

  Olivia laughed. Mike winked at Lia as he strode down the hall to Gabe’s bathroom. Lia wondered if she should leave now, since Gabe’s friend was here. But Gabe hadn’t mentioned Mike coming over when he asked her to babysit, so perhaps she’d better stay.

  Mike rejoined them just as Emmy called out, “Dad-dee!”

  “Oh, good! The littlest munchkin is up.”

  Lia glanced at her watch. “I’ll get her. Why don’t you get yourself something to drink, since you’ve been driving so long?”

  “Great. Thanks, Lia.”

  Lia opened the bedroom door, found Emmy standing up in her crib, hair standing on end. “Hi, Emmy.”

  “Eeee-ah!”

  “Yes, baby. I came to see you. Did you have a nice nap?”

  “Where Dad-dee?”

  “He went to Olivia’s school. But Olivia is here and so is your Uncle Mike.”

  “Un-co Mike? Yay!” Emmy clapped. Lia lifted her out of the crib, surprised to find no extra padding on her little bottom. “No diaper, Emmy? Do you need to potty?”

  “Potty.”

  Lia hurried across the hall, carefully balanced the baby on the bowl and lavished praise on her when she finished. “Oh, great job, Emmy. Let’s wash our hands and go see Uncle Mike.” She carefully straightened the child’s clothes, helped her wash her hands so she could take off like a bullet to see her father’s friend.

  “Un-co Mike!”

  “Hey, there’s my sweet girl.” He lifted her high into his arms and pressed a noisy kiss to her cheek, making the baby giggle.

  Lia went to the kitchen, found Emmy’s favorite cup and poured milk into it. She wasn’t sure what the routine was but figured a little snack after a nap couldn’t hurt. She found cookies, plated two, put the cup and plate on the coffee table for the toddler and then offered the package to Mike.

  “So how do you like the apartment?” Mike asked as he put Emmy down and took a cookie.

  “Oh, it’s lovely. Really lovely. I work from home so the extra rooms are a help.”

  “Yeah? What do you do?”

  “I’m a virtual assistant. I do research, social media, and other time-consuming things people don’t have time for themselves.”

  Mike’s dark eyes widened. “Wow. I didn’t know that was even a thing. I should hire you myself.”

  “For?”

  “I’m in the family business,” he said, waving a hand around Gabe’s apartment. “Property investment. Flipping houses. That kind of thing. Finding out all the codes, laws, and rules about a particular property takes forever. I bought a place right across the street from another place I’d just sold. Figured I knew everything about the neighborhood, about the town and county.”

  Olivia, sitting on the floor with Emmy, cut in. “Oh, I remember! Daddy said you almost lost your shirt.”

  “Got that right. Turns out the street was the border from one town to another. Different tax structure, different codes. Everything I’d learned on the first house was moot on the second.”

  “Uncle Mike? How could you lose your shirt if it’s buttoned?”

  Laughing, Mike leaned over and touched her nose. “It’s an expression, Newton. Goes back to gambling. You should look it up.”

  Olivia’s dark eyes sparkled and she hopped up, disappeared down the hall into Gabriel’s bedroom and returned a minute later holding a tablet.

  “Me! Me!” Emmy scrambled up when she saw what was in her sister’s hands.

  “Emmy, where’s your cup and your cookie?” Lia tried to distract her.

  “Cook-ee.” She looked around, found her snack on the coffee table and grabbed it.

  “Liv, maybe you should use that in your dad’s room so she doesn’t break it.”

  “Okay.”

  When Olivia left the room, Lia turned to Mike. “If you’re serious, that’s exactly the sort of work I can help you with. I’ll give you my contact info and rates and you can decide.”

  “Sounds great.”

  He smiled and Lia melted a little. He really did have the most amazing grin. It transformed his entire face.

  A long silence filled the space while both adults watched Emmy dance with a cookie in her hand.

  “Uh, so how do you know Gabriel?” Lia finally asked.

  “We go way back. All the way to grade school. Met in first grade and been buds ever since.”

  Lia nodded. She and Roseann went that far back, too. She met Vivian in college but even though they didn’t have the benefit of time, they were just as close. When you find someone who gets you, understands your particular level
of weird, it just works. She’d thought she’d found that with Jared.

  “What?”

  She looked up, found Mike looking at her with concern. “Oh. Sorry. Just thought about something.”

  “Well, whatever it was that made you that sad? Never think about it again.”

  She had to laugh at that. “I was thinking of my ex-husband.”

  “There you go. Exes don’t deserve neuron activity.”

  She laughed again. “You sound like you’ve had some experience in the area yourself.”

  “Oh, don’t get me started. I was about to walk down the aisle with a woman who thought I was some kind of down-to-earth billionaire. Gabe tried to warn me but I was too far gone over her to listen. Three weeks before the wedding, we sit down to go over finances and stuff and she gives me this look. I ask her what’s wrong and she asks me where the rest is.”

  “The rest?”

  “The rest of the money.” He rolled his dark eyes and shook his head. “When I explained to her that there was no ‘more’, she actually suggested I liquidate all the properties, so we’d have a, quote, nice foundation to build on.”

  “But…what would you do?”

  Mike clapped his hands, which made Emmy clap hers, too. “Exactly! She expected me to get a real job after I liquidated everything.”

  Entertained, Lia leaned over. “What did you do?”

  “I demanded back my ring and told her to cancel all the plans, took Gabe and few other guys on the honeymoon that we turned into a fishing expedition, and never gave her a thought.”

  “Until now.”

  “Until now,” he conceded.

  Lia studied him. “You’ve stayed single all this time?”

  He shrugged. “I like my life. I don’t need to change it and I sure as hell don’t want to change it for someone who thinks money is more important than purpose. I enjoy taking old buildings and restoring them, filling them with families and people who’ll make homes out of them. I guess I’m like you that way.”

  Shock sent Lia’s eyebrows climbing. “Me? You just met me.”

  “True, but I can tell you love what you do. Assisting people. You like to help. You wouldn’t be sitting here in Gabe’s apartment if you didn’t.”