Impact (Iron Orchids Book 3)

by Danielle Norman

  “Not sure. I want to sit up front so I can get some pictures or make a fast escape, depending on Ringo’s magic, his word not mine.”

  “Yeah, good plan.” Leo snapped her fingers and then flicked them into a gun shape. Yep, she got it—this could be a public execution if I wasn’t careful.

  “Awesome.” Leo stood, moved down, and then dropped her purse in the seat next to her just as Piper, Everly, and Vivian came through the doors. “Looks like the girls all came.”

  Piper was in uniform, which had a few of the parents watching our group with cautious eyes. “Sorry, just got off.”

  I waved off her apology. “Don’t worry about it. Bee will be happy that you’re here.” They each took a seat, and we chatted as more people started strolling in. “I see dead people.” The girls all turned to where I was looking. “Well, actually they are just bitches, but give me a few minutes.”

  Stella let out a snort at my words. “That’s her?”

  “Yep. Oh, I forgot to tell you. I made a comment about her hair today. It seemed to bother her. Perhaps ad targeting works.” I stopped talking as the clacking of heels got closer.

  “Umm, there’s no saving of seats. If you could please scoot to the center and allow room for others, I’m sure everyone would appreciate it.” I stood and faced her fully. There was no way she was going to be rude to me in front of my friends.

  Stella stood, ready to fight my battle, but I held out my hand, letting her know that I had this.

  “Thanks for letting us know. As soon as they make that announcement or post the sign, we’ll be sure to do as directed. Until then, carry on.” I swept my fingers toward her like she was a speck of dust.

  “This is the front row; there’s nothing blocking you. Look, wide open space between me and the stage, it’s called an aisle, it’s meant for walking.” I waved my hands around like I was Sir Mix-a-Lot. “You can move along . . . any day now.”

  “Bee, isn’t it?” Soccer mom Suzy lifted one perfectly plucked brow.

  “Yes.” She was asking a question, but I wasn’t going there.

  “Her voice. It’s . . . what’s the word I’m looking for?”

  “Precious?” I was a fucking thesaurus.

  “Heavenly?” Stella joined the thesaurus club.

  “Quaint,” Tits Magee replied with a giggle.

  I almost punched her. Almost. I was fully capable of containing my homicidal tendencies. I had been a stuck-up bitch in high school, but I grew up and out of the bullshit. This was just karma finding me, and I could only hope that my dues were almost paid.

  “Gee, thanks, just what I’d want to do as an adult, talk mean about a child. You must feel mighty big,” Piper interrupted for the first time. “I think it’s time for you two to find a seat or I’ll ask you to leave. Harassment is harassment, regardless of location.”

  “They’re definitely harassing me.” Stella waved her hand.

  Everly was shaking her head, fighting back the laughter. “She doesn’t have much of a personality, does she?” I totally caught on to Everly’s subtle ad reference.

  “Well, I’m glad that Bee has some people to cheer her on. It must be hard not having a family.”

  The door opened, and we all turned, and even though I was pissed to high heaven about this woman’s gall, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh. He was gorgeous . . . well, they all were, but he was the most handsome of them all.

  “Holy shit, those men are hot,” Manday whispered.

  “Hey, that’s the guy from work, the one I was telling you about. I’ll get them to sit with us.”

  I looked at her in shock, suddenly feeling dowdy and cheap in my used clothing and size twelve jeans when they were both a size zero soaking wet.

  “What was it you were saying about no family?” Stella asked.

  Damon came up behind me and placed a hand around my waist. “Is that my seat?” He pointed to the one next to me.

  “Uh huh.” He sent chills down my spine, which in turn made me forget how to talk. Damn it, he always did that to me.

  “Hi, Ian. What are you doing here?” Tits Magee said, sliding up next to him and resting her arm on his shoulder.

  Leo let out a soft whimper, and I turned to see her face turn five different shades of red.

  “Here to see Bee.” Ian let out a slow, calculated breath as if he needed to restrain himself around this woman. I tried to catch someone’s attention, anyone’s, but they were all busy watching this play out.

  “I’m here with my sister. We could sit with you. You’ll have to point Bee out.”

  I wanted to rip her tongue out. They’d just insulted my daughter and suddenly expected us to let them sit here? No freaking way.

  “You already know Bee. Remember? You said her voice was ‘quaint.’” Leo used air quotes when she said the last word.

  “Thanks, Taylor, but I’m with my family. See you at work.” Ian sat next to Leo and pulled Kayson down next to him, ensuring that Taylor couldn’t find her way back to our group and take a seat next to him. “Don’t say a word. She’s a fucking nightmare.”

  “Ian Nickolas Christakos.” We all turned at Christine’s voice, having not realized that the rest of our group had arrived.

  “Sorry, Mana.”

  I snickered. It was funny seeing grown ass men get disciplined.

  We all took our seats, and Damon linked his fingers through mine as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Tawney’s mother, who ended up sitting somewhere in the same row as us, kept getting up and going backstage. I wasn’t sure if she was actually helping, trying to pretend that she was helping, or trying to show off how in shape she was when she walked because she always glanced around.

  The show began, and I tried to spy Bee, but I had no luck. The children performed as magicians, ballerinas, pianists, and there were lots and lots of singers. Tawney walked out and was dressed to the nines holding a cell phone. She had a great voice, but as I listened to her sing “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen, I cringed. This little girl was singing a song about dating and giving her number to guys, looking like she’d just walked off Toddlers and Tiaras. My heart raced as I second-guessed my parental judgment at allowing my daughter to surprise me with her costume and song.

  The curtain closed, I clapped, they announced Bee’s name as the last performer of the evening. The curtain reopened. Ringo snuck out from behind the stage and squatted in the aisle next to me. The first few notes filled the auditorium, and a tear rolled down my cheek. Damon squeezed my hand as the second tear rolled. The audience let out a collective gasp when Bee opened her mouth to sing, because her voice was absolutely enchanting. Ringo had channeled Katherine McPhee from American Idol. Bee was in a long, flowy blue dress, sitting on mounds of rainbow striped silk, singing “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.” Her outfit was age appropriate and this was my all-time favorite song.

  “Thank you.” I grasped ahold of Ringo’s hand and wished I had stronger words, better words, to tell him just how thankful I actually was.

  He just beamed at me and handed me a tissue before turning back to watch as Bee finished the song and hung the final note.

  I jumped to my feet with the rest of our group.

  The curtains closed, and a second later the whiney voice of a spoiled girl shouted, “My mom said I was better.”

  “Bye, Felicia,” Bee’s voice rang through the microphone.

  I threw my hand over my face, great, another RuPaul idiom straight from Bee’s mouth.

  “Don’t get mad, Mom, just think, Michelle Obama and Beyoncé say the same thing.” Ringo patted my hand as he let out a loud guffaw, pleased with his little protégé.

  Bee came out from behind the stage, and I wrapped her in my arms. “You were awesome, kid.”

  Bee was passed around from person to person as they hugged her and congratulated her. Even strangers in the rows told her what a great job she’d done. She was on cloud nine.

  I was happy to see that all the kid
s received a ribbon for participating and there were no real winners or losers. I figured if they were brave enough to get up in front of strangers and perform, then they were way ahead of me.

  “See you at home.” Damon leaned forward and gave me a soft kiss before he planted one on Bee’s head. “Meet you there?”

  “Yeah.” We were doing this, he’d just kissed me in public, there was no going back. I turned around and met several smiling faces that all wore the same I told you so expression.

  Bee and I ended up talking with Ringo and the girls for a bit before heading to the car.

  “Can we get ice cream?” Bee asked as she bounced in her seat, her adrenaline still pumping.

  “Absolutely.” I smiled as I headed toward Kelly’s Ice Cream, which was packed. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones who’d decided to stop in after the talent show. As they left, they stopped to tell Bee what a great job she’d done. She was basking in the praise. She was seldom in the spotlight since we tried to fade into the background. But tonight, this was perfect. I loved seeing her shine.

  By the time we’d finished and got back to Tristan’s, I couldn’t believe the time. It was after eleven. God, I hadn’t realized how long I had stayed and talked with the girls.

  “Go on upstairs and get your bath. I’ll be up in a second with some makeup remover”—the door crashed open—“Ringo caked that stuff on your face.”

  Damon was standing in the doorway, shoulders heaving. “Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick. I was worried that you’d been in a wreck or broken down on the side of the road or . . . that fucking Charger. Why didn’t you answer your phone?”

  “First of all, you don’t own me, and last time I checked, I was an adult and didn’t have to get permission to do things. I’m sorry that you were worried, but that does not give you any right to come at me like you just did. If I want to take Bee out for ice cream, I can. As far as my phone”—I dug into my purse and pulled it out—“it’s on vibrate. I forgot to turn it back on after the talent show.”

  Damon’s jaw clenched, and he didn’t look even the least bit satisfied with my answer.

  “What the fuck, Damon? I took my daughter to get ice cream. Calm down, will you?”

  Still, he stood there, hands on his hips.

  “What? I’m here.” I waved my hands in his face for emphasis. “Fine, if you aren’t going to say anything else, then I’m going upstairs.”

  “Did it ever cross your mind to . . . I don’t know, call me and tell me that you’d be later than expected?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “I’m an adult, Bee’s my daughter. She wanted ice cream, and I was capable of getting it. You think just because I’ve agreed to go out on a date with you that I owe you a minute-by-minute report of my actions?”

  “No. But I think you owed me the courtesy of a phone call.” His breathing had slowed, we just talked the other day about seeing where this goes, I thought after last night, we…I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me.

  “Never mind, I was worried, that’s all.” He rubbed his hands across his face.

  “I have to go take care of Bee.”

  “You do that.” Damon turned and headed out.

  As much as I wanted to feel a bit of guilt for not thinking to call him, I refused to let it in. I was a big girl and didn’t need anyone—not even a hot man who made my damn toes curl with just a look—to tell me what I could and couldn’t do.

  Chapter 22

  Damon

  I poured a glass of bourbon and sat staring at it until one in the morning before I finally broke down and picked up my phone.

  “Miss me already?”

  “Fuck you, Tristan.”

  “No thanks. How’s the house?”

  “The house is fine.”

  There was a long stretch of silence while I sipped my drink.

  “How’s the family?” I could hear the damn smile in my brother’s voice.

  “Everyone is fine.”

  “Brother, that’s twice now you’ve used the word ‘fine’ in under a minute. Since it’s the ass crack of dawn and my house hasn’t burned down and the family is okay, do you want to tell me why you called?”

  “Can’t I just want to say hi?”

  “No. Talk.”

  I had no fucking clue what to say. I wasn’t even sure why I’d actually called him. Yes, I was; I needed to vent to someone and have them tell me that I was right, that I hadn’t overreacted.

  “Damon, does this have anything to do with your new secretary, my house-sitter?”

  “Who have you talked to?”

  Tristan let out a low chuckle. “Really, you need to ask?”

  “Sophie,” we both said at the same time.

  I didn’t answer his original question, though; I wasn’t sure what to say.

  “Soph says that you’re in love with her.”

  “I don’t know. Yes, and at the same time, I can’t see myself with her because we are so fucking different. Have you ever wanted to shake someone so hard. and at the same time you still had feelings for them?”

  “I know that feeling very well.”

  I pulled the phone away from my face to look at the name. I was shocked to hear Tristan of all people say that. For all I knew, he’d never been in a serious relationship and had the patience of Job, which is what made him a great doctor.

  “Want to tell me what happened?”

  “What do you mean?” I shoved one hand through my hair.

  “Don’t act like a dumbass. Something’s happened, that’s why you’re calling me. What’s happened?”

  “I got pissed at her because she disappeared for a few hours. No phone call, no text, nothing. She has some crazy ass person following her and even tried to run her down.”

  “I’m guessing you lost your shit?”

  “Yeah, sort of.” I bent down and picked up my drink and took a long gulp of the bourbon.

  “How’d she handle it?”

  “Not well. She doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with what she did.”

  “Was there anything wrong? Or were you just hurt?”

  “Stop being such a fucking doctor and just be a brother.” I paced back and forth through my living room. Tristan laughed, he fucking laughed at me. “It’s a respect thing.”

  “I get that. But did she do it on purpose because of lack of respect or was there another reason?”

  “What’s your point? I was calling because I needed someone to talk to.”

  “No, you were calling because you wanted me to tell you that you were right. I can’t do that unless you can tell me that she deliberately made you worry. Was there an accident on the side of the road and she was helping people and couldn’t get to her phone? Was she with her kid and didn’t realize that they didn’t have service? I mean, Damon, come on, step back and look.”

  “Fuck you.”

  “Yep. Love you too. See you soon.”

  “Yeah, whatever.” I disconnected from Tristan angrier than I had been before I’d picked up the phone, but not at Katy, at me. I’d totally overreacted.

  Friday morning, I headed into the office early, needing to get some stuff done before a ten o'clock meeting with a pompous rental property developer that gave us a lot of business but had an air of entitlement that drove me up the wall. When his dad was in charge, we loved working with the company, but now that the son took over, I was seriously thinking of cutting ties, but shit, we made a quarter of a million in pure profit from them alone every year.

  "Good morning, Damon." Katy stood in my doorway. "I wanted to remind you that you have Mr. Archer at ten. I'll get the conference room set up."

  "Thanks." I stared at her. “Katy.” I was desperate for some sign that she was going to let me apologize. When she didn’t walk off, I took it as my sign.

  “I’m sorry. I overreacted, I was worried, I know none of that is an excuse but all I could see was that fucking black Charger.”

&n
bsp; “I know. I’m sorry that I didn’t call. I truly hadn’t realized it had been so long. I stood with the girls talking for most of the time.”

  I gave her a slight smile before she walked off. I dropped my attention back to my computer but was shocked when she spoke.

  "Got a second?"

  I slid my chair back and pulled my glasses off to set them on the desk. "Sure." My heart picked up its pace when she closed my office door and then walked to me. She didn't sit but came to stand next to me.

  She rested her butt on the edge of my desk and looked off and out the windows. "I'm sorry too. This is all new to me, I'm not used to any of this. Bee will be nine at the end of the month, and I've been on my own since I was six months pregnant with her. I like you, I really like you. I just don't know how to be a couple. Maybe I'm not good at it."

  I slid my chair over so that my knees were spread on either side of her legs and I could bring my face into her stomach. I placed kisses against her light green shirt, feeling the rise and fall of her abdomen as she breathed. "Maybe we will learn this together, okay?"

  She nodded. "I'd better go get stuff together for Archer, he's such an easy client." Katy rolled her eyes, and I let out a laugh.

  "Well, he seems to like you. At least he's a lot nicer to you than he is to me."

  Chapter 23

  Damon

  After Archer left I’d stopped by Katy’s office to thank her for keeping him calm, but she was on the phone. I could hear the person on the other line asking what time she got home with Bee.

  “I don’t get off until five, so by the time I make it back, it is usually six. I can meet you all wherever you’re going. Don’t wait for me.”

  The person on the other line said something, and I heard my name.

  “I can’t do that.”

  “Do what?” I whispered as I moved to sit on the edge of her desk so I could hear the person on the other line. It was Sophie, and she was going through all the reasons why Katy should leave and let me get Bee. I whispered, “Is that Sophie?”