by Lia Lee
He’d meant the last bit as a joke, but Anne only felt her chest grow tighter. If only her anxiety had to do with the gala. She had been able to come off so strong with him until now, mostly because she’d been on the job. It was easy to put on a façade of brusque indifference when the case was between them. Now, nothing stood between them but a thin bit of luxurious fabric.
“Anne?” William tilted his head.
“It’s a nice dress.”
“Nice? It’s Zuhair Murad.”
“When do you have time to know all these designers between your felonies?”
William’s hand moved down her back. “I was also quite the lothario before my time in the clink.”
“So I’m not the first woman you’ve dazzled with a selection of ugly and expensive dresses.”
“I’ve bought dresses for dates before, but you, my dear, are the only one I’ve allowed a private fitting in my bedroom.” William gave the back of her hair a teasing pull. She touched her head and fought a smile in return. He continued, “However, I’ve never in my life had a woman as unimpressed as you are by fine evening wear.”
“Just not that kind of girl, I guess. God knows I tried to be, but it wasn’t in the cards for us.” Anne shrugged and walked away from the mirror, holding the sides of her dress.
“I suppose I do understand what it’s like to take on adult roles too early.” William shrugged and put his hands in his pockets. “I’ve never had the responsibility of raising anyone, though. It’s a difficult job, but you are allowed to enjoy things sometimes. Are you uncomfortable wearing dresses like these? I think they suit you more than you know.”
“Maybe this one will do. I don’t have to be the most beautiful woman at the ball. I just need to fit in well enough to have your back.” Anne didn’t want to turn again. It would be too tempting to let him close to her again.
“Lucky for us, you’ll both have my back, and be the most beautiful. I guarantee it.”
“You’re such a liar. Why did I ever get involved with a grifter?” Anne flounced onto the bed and crossed her arms. “Go, so I can change back into a pumpkin and get back to work?”
“As you wish.” William strolled out but took one last look back at her.
It was anyone’s guess what he was thinking, but Anne knew her thoughts were running wild to places they should never go again. It wasn’t just that he flattered her by telling her she was beautiful, or that he threatened to spoil her with nice things. It was that her body seemed to remember him and react without her permission. It wanted him, and she too had to admit that she’d missed their back and forth. She’d missed his teasing. His humor. His passion. She missed William. In spite of all her trepidations, she was about to walk into a lavish party on his arm.
A gun wasn’t close to the kind of protection she needed in this situation.
Chapter Nine
There was no reason for William to be driving up to Anne’s house. He could’ve easily had her dress sent to her once his tailor had finished with it. Regardless, there was the house. The tall tree in the front yard under which they’d kissed, trying to avoid waking Michelle. The swing on the porch where they had talked about losing their mothers and nodded in complicit silence about their fathers. If there was one thing they had in common, it was complicated family.
That was the thing about Anne. She was smart and competitive, but she was going nowhere until her little sister had everything she needed. William sighed and exited the car with the dress and a bouquet of flowers. It was likely that Anne wasn’t there, and he knew it. But if he could convince Michelle to let him wait, then maybe he could come up with a good reason to be here.
Seeing Anne in those lovely dresses had only reminded him of what he truly wanted with her. He wanted her on his arm, and not just for a night. Things hadn’t changed between them though. She was too stubborn to give up her job, and he didn’t think she was willing to openly date William Spencer. Before Anne, he hadn’t minded the occasional tabloid coverage of his potential illicit behaviors and torrid affairs. Something about being notorious appealed to him. He had never reached the heights (or depths) of the business his father did, but he still didn’t qualify for a white hat, and it was well-known.
William pressed the doorbell and listened. He wondered if Anne had gotten it fixed yet, and then gave a rap on the hard wooden frame.
When a plump young woman appeared at the door, William almost took a step back. Did he have the wrong house?
“Good afternoon. Is Anne in?” he asked politely.
“No. Are you here to fill in? I need to get going…” The woman turned around. “Evie! Put that down!”
William cocked his head to the side. “I’m not entirely sure I have the right house.”
“Anne Sutton, yeah. I’m Kristie. You can come in and put that down, if you want.” Kristie disappeared, leaving the door open.
William walked inside. At once everything was both familiar and foreign. He noticed the pictures on the walls. Same pictures, different places. They’d moved the sofa and coffee table around. Colorful toys were strewn around the living room.
“Evie! Where are you?”
“Are you a friend of Anne’s?” William asked. He hung the dress carefully by the door and went into the kitchen to put the flowers in water. They were really a pretense, in case anyone had decided to follow him. No one could say it was odd for William to be courting a woman, even if she worked for the police.
“A friend? No. I’m the babysitter.”
William was in mid-reach when he spotted a small head of golden curls peeking out from under the kitchen table.
“Babysitter,” he echoed.
Peals of tiny laughter came from under the table. William set the flowers on the counter and crouched down.
“Hullo, there.”
The child looked up at him with wide gray eyes. Her giggling stopped, and she stared at him with an intense curiosity.
“I’m William. Who are you? Are you Evie?”
Doubtless, she was, but she said nothing. William surmised that it was strange, maybe even frightening for some strange man to be in her house, towering over her. He sat on the floor, hoping someone had cleaned the tiles this year, crossed his legs, and folded his hands between them.
“Are you hiding from Kristie? Promise I won’t tell,” William said gently. “I’m not much for the authorities myself.”
Evie sat up, and her little brow furrowed as she looked up at him. Finally, she said, “You talk funny!”
William grinned. “I do, don’t I? I’m from England. Grew up there, anyway. Did you grow up here?”
“’S my house!” She pursed her lips and made a stubborn expression.
At that moment, there was absolutely no doubt that this was Anne’s daughter. Anne Sutton had a daughter. And Anne had not said a word. Well, why would she? She’d been keeping him at a distance. Why tell your ex about your family if you mean for him to disappear from your life the moment the case is over?
William swallowed hard. “You live here with you mum and sis?”
“Mum?”
“Your mommy?” William clarified, putting emphasis on the American “O” sound.
Evie bobbed her head and pushed herself up. She was so small she could stand upright under the table and still have room to reach her arms up.
“Oh, there you are! God, Evie! Every day!” Kristie huffed and went down to grab her.
“’S Willum,” Evie declared, pointing at William.
“Right. That’s a friend of your mom’s, and you’re gonna stay with him for a little while until your aunt gets home, okay?” Kristie set Evie down in a chair.
“She is?” William rose.
“I really have to go, and Michelle is late. Can you please watch her?” Kristie begged. “I’m sure it won’t be more than twenty minutes more, but if I don’t get going, my son is never going to forgive me for not picking him up.”
“Well. All right then.” William looked at E
vie like she were a bomb about to go off. “Is there anything I need to do?”
“No, not really. She’s had lunch and a nap. If she gets hungry, there are some carrot and apple sticks in the fridge. She probably won’t though. It’s practically an act of war to get her to put things in her mouth that are food.” Kristie chuckled. “Just play with her a little. And make sure she doesn’t climb on anything. That’s her favorite game.”
Kristie narrowed her eyes at Evie, who giggled.
Then, Kristie was gone, and William was alone. Babysitting.
William stared at Evie for a few minutes. Then, she started giggling, looking away, and then giggling again.
“Lord, you’re just a ball of sunshine, aren’t you?” William went to crouch by her again, so he was on eye level with her. “What would you like to do? What would you do if your Auntie Michelle were home?”
Evie scrunched her face up like she was thinking. “Um... Um, um, um…”
William fought a smile. He offered her a hand, and she blinked at it for a moment before taking it. She hopped off the chair and followed him back into the living room, where William scanned the debris on the floor for something toddler appropriate. He had about as much experience with small children as he had with flying to Mars, but it couldn’t be terribly complicated, keeping a child occupied for twenty minutes, and Anne would appreciate the save.
He couldn’t imagine how difficult it was for her to raise Evie on her own, with no one but a teenager for help.
“Well, if you hadn’t got yourself arrested,” William muttered as he spotted Evie reaching for a ball. He picked it up for her and set them both on the ground. He rolled the ball to her, causing another peal of laughter.
There. He could do this.
Twenty minutes turned into forty, and Evie and William moved onto rolling fat toy cars around. Evie lay on her stomach, wiggling her little legs in the air. William found himself looking around at the pictures scattered around the living room. Anne, Michelle, Evie. Some pictures still with Anne, Michelle, and their mom. But no man featured in any of these family pictures. He looked at Evie’s blonde curls and started to wonder.
Where had this sweet girl come from?
As Evie played, she babbled a long stream of amiable vocalizations that could more or less be called words, but apart from some very direct sentences, William could only understand about every tenth “word.” He found himself replying with non-committal, but positive-sounding, “Yes” or “Is that right?” and smiling at her encouragingly.
Then, he lost her. He’d been scouring the room for signs of some paternal presence, and when he looked back, no Evie. A stab of panic paralyzed him for a moment. He pushed it away, got up, and gently began calling, “Where’s Evie?”
Giggles. William smiled, warmth spreading out from his chest through his entire body, and he followed the sound. Every so often, he’d call, “Where’s Evie?” and her giggles would guide him.
He drew the game out as long as he could. She obviously enjoyed tricking adults into looking for her. She probably enjoyed other tricks, too. He was glad that they’d stayed in the house.
“Where’s Evie?” William called into the bedroom. The bed giggled, and he grinned at the lump under the covers. Instead of grabbing her right away, he looked in the closet, and under the dresser, and in some of Anne’s books. Of course, as he did so, he looked to see if there were leavings of any boyfriend type in here, as well. There weren’t.
When he finally grabbed the girl, he cried, “There she is!” and Evie practically exploded with delighted squeals as he hugged her and tickled her sides.
***
The twenty minutes had turned into two hours when the door burst open, and Michelle appeared. William looked up at her from where Evie was creating abstract art with crayons and some blank paper.
“Well, look who showed up,” William said.
“Tantie Mishul!” Evie said.
“What the he-uh, heck, are you doing here?” Michelle demanded. She dropped her bags and hurried over to Evie, who didn’t move but just stared at her aunt curiously.
“I came with a delivery for your sis and got recruited to cover for your extreme lateness.” William touched Evie’s back. “Kristie had to go pick up her boy.”
“Oh, sh-crap, I forgot this was her day to do that.” Michelle reached for Evie’s hand. “I had to talk to my professor after class, and he talked forever, and then there was a car wreck on the highway. It was a whole thing.”
“Good thing I was here then, eh?” William smirked.
“Anne doesn’t want you around. She told me not to let you in,” Michelle said bluntly.
“Ouch. Well, your conscience is clear. You didn’t let me in. And you’ve been properly rude when all I’ve done is keep an eye on Anne’s little girl all afternoon, so if you don’t mind, peanut, I think you’ve done your due diligence concerning Anne’s wishes.”
Michelle pinched her mouth to the side and leaned back against the couch. “You have a good afternoon with William?”
“We payed balls and tucks and coloring,” Evie said with near perfect unintelligibility.
Michelle smiled. “Good. I’m glad you got to ‘pay.’ ”
“Got her own language, doesn’t she? And she said I talked funny.”
Michelle shook her head. “That’s just a toddler thing. She knows more words than she can say properly right now. She absorbs everything like a sponge, so you gotta be careful.”
Michelle petted Evie’s hair. “Okay, seriously. Why did you really come? A man like you can’t send somebody with a package? Even the scrubs I go to school with can order something on Amazon.”
“Your sis told you that we’re working together now?”
“No. But I had to pull it out of her that you were under investigation to begin with. She’s not too chatty with the investigation details on a good day.” Michelle ran her eyes over William. “You’re really gonna work with her? You’re not going to hurt her this time?”
“You’re misremembering, peanut. I’m not the one who broke things off.”
“Oh my God, no one has called me peanut in years. I’m not a little kid anymore.” Michelle rolled her eyes. “And yeah, she dumped you, but you went to prison.”
“Not on purpose. I got out as soon as I could.”
“Yeah, well, she hated having to break it off with you anyway. It really hurt her that you weren’t what she thought you were.”
“I understand that.” William repositioned his legs and fetched a red crayon that Evie was reaching for. “I’ve been understanding that for three years. Not a lot else to do in a prison cell. Read, when they let you. Push-ups, sit-ups, chin-ups. Stew in your own bad decisions.”
Michelle went quiet and, for a while, they just watched Evie adding layer after layer to the “picture” she was drawing.
“She has amazing artistic sense,” William said.
“Don’t be a jerk,” Michelle laughed.
“I’m not. Much. I’ve moved a lot of art in my time. Some of it doesn’t look as good as this. Some of it looked quite so literally like trash that it’s gotten tossed in the bin by the cleaning crew at the museum.”
“Yeah, I feel that. We have to take a lot of art history and contemporary art classes just to do graphic design, and not all of it is worth the paper or whatever it’s made from.” Michelle shrugged. “Okay, are you sticking around? It’s my turn to make dinner, so…”
“I’ll stay so you can do that. I’ve committed this much time.” William brushed his fingers against Evie’s hair. “Peanut? Is her…” He tilted his head to Evie. “Is he around?”
Michelle sucked in her cheeks. “I mean, I guess you could say he’s around. There’s no ring on Anne’s finger though.”
William didn’t have to look for a tell to know that Michelle was hiding something. Michelle didn’t have tells; she didn’t have any compulsion about lying her face off. At any given moment, she could be hedging her words, tel
ling you the cold hard facts, or boldfaced lying. He didn’t envy the person who fell in love with Michelle. Things were complicated enough with Anne and her strict code of ethics.
“That must be difficult, without a fellow around to help out,” William said.
Michelle shrugged. “Mom managed.”
Then she disappeared into the kitchen without further comment. William thought, though, that the memories of Anne’s absent father probably made it harder regarding Evie’s father not being in their lives. He doubted Anne was looking for a substitute like William, unfortunately.
***
Anne entered the house to the sounds of pounding steps and delighted screams. She shut the door just as Evie came squealing past, and then, her heart jumped into her throat when William came up behind Evie, swept her into his arms, and blew a raspberry on her cheek.
Anne would have sooner expected to see proof of alien life than William running around in his undershirt and wrinkled trousers, hugging a wriggly toddler and making rude noises against her cheek. The sight made it hard for Anne to breathe. As odd as it was, Evie fit perfectly in William’s arms, and Anne had never seen him smile so widely. Never.
“Mommy!” Evie yelled.
“Hullo, mummy,” William said. He shifted Evie, so she rested on his hip.
“Hello,” Anne said stiffly. “Where’s Michelle? Why are you here?”
“Michelle’s in her room studying,” William answered. “Everyone’s had dinner. Laundry is done. Michelle’s doing, not mine, and this one is, I hope, getting worn down a bit before you have to put her to bed. I wasn’t sure what your schedule was.”
Anne set her bag down, the strange feeling in her chest seeming to expand. Her hands and feet were beginning to tingle. He was inside her house, playing with her daughter, and it was fine. Evie looked happy.
“Look, Anne,” William said quietly. “I came by to drop off your dress and maybe talk. This sort of happened, and I thought I’d stick around until you got home, just in case anyone needed anything. It’s always easier to have another set of hands around, yeah? She’s fine.”
Anne didn’t know what to say. She was grateful, of course. She’d gotten Kristie’s texts after getting out of a meeting with all of the detectives discussing their case and how they were to proceed, but she had assumed from the last text, “it’s covered,” that Michelle had made it home. Not that Kristie had left Evie with a stranger.
