by King, Imani
Of course, given I had no way of traveling outside calling for another cab, there wasn’t going to be any way for me to get away with the loot.
Alone in his house, though, it was an opportunity to go do what I was hired to do. Snoop around. Find something. Go home.
Only my heart wasn’t in it. He was too nice a guy. I needed to see more of him. I wanted to see more of him.
So I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and enjoyed the…
Silence.
Actual, true to God silence.
Sure, I had quiet in the city. There was something always going on though, something making noise, be it people talking or an air conditioner blaring. Topeka hadn’t been much quieter than Vegas.
This was peaceful. I yawned. I had a long trip to get here and I felt tired as hell. I went to the guest room, because I knew with my intentions, it would never be ‘my’ room, even if Miles called it that. I laid down, thinking of a world where I could actually live in such peace. Have someone I care so deeply about like Miles did Ashley.
I knew that wasn’t for me though. Strippers didn’t get peaceful lives in the country. Strippers lived under the gun, doing what they were told for another day of survival. Why was I struggling so hard to survive?
I had less of an idea of why by the day.
Chapter 2
Miles
Half the week without my daughter was simply too much for me to bear. I really didn’t know how fathers in other situations did it. I couldn’t imagine how painful it would be to divorce someone I once loved. Then again, my situation wasn’t so different. I hadn’t loved Vivian, but I’d wanted to make it work. I wanted our daughter to grow up with both parents in her life. But it had soon become obvious that Vivian had other plans I just couldn’t get behind.
Still, that had nothing to do with Ashley. I wished I could protect her from all of it. Someday I would. For now she was just visiting, but soon I wanted to make this her home, just as it had been mine.
This ranch had been in my family for generations. Maybe since my ancestors first set out westward. In today’s society, where everyone is essentially a nomad, it was something special. So I wanted to keep it in my family. No matter how big the ludicrous offers got, the Corbett Ranch would be Ashley’s one day, God willing.
But first, cookies. I’d picked up all the ingredients. Every time she came over, we made them together. Ashley loved cooking and I loved spending time with her. And, well, we both loved the cookies because who doesn’t love cookies?
Actually, I could think of one person. Ashley’s mother, Vivian. She was something, alright.
The bell rung. I went to answer it, hoping it would be Ashley.
It was.
“Daddy!” she cried out, and I swept her up with a massive bear hug, squeezing the life out of her. Or damn near to it, anyway. She hugged me back, the best she could. It was really the thought that counted when your arms couldn’t reach all the way around.
Behind her, though, was something a whole lot less sweet and a whole lot more sour.
Vivian.
“Miles,” she said, with clear disdain in her tone. “Are you ready to negotiate yet?”
I shook my head. “Negotiate?” Vivian’s idea of negotiation was a temper tantrum when things didn’t go her way.
She crossed her arms over her chest, pushing up her ample cleavage. “Yes, Miles. Negotiation. Or have you forgotten my offer?”
Offer? I fought the urge not to laugh.
Someone else stepped out of the hallway. She was dressed in a t-shirt, and shorts... shorts that very much showed me something I wanted.
Destiny. Outside the whole Vivian mess, she had been dominating my thoughts. Let’s just say that yesterday my eyes hadn’t been on the paperwork she slapped down on my desk in my office. That ass looked even finer this morning. Nice one, Miles. There’d never been any real love between me and Vivian, but still…checking out a woman in front of one’s ex was never a good move.
Vivian though glared at her and rolled her eyes. “You must be the new ‘help’.” There was so much venom in the tone. “Don’t you try to get your talons in this one, he’s too greedy.”
“Vivian, if you want to discuss this, we don’t need to do it in front of Ashley.”
She made a face at me. She was more immature than Ashley at times, all things considered.
I set my daughter down, and gestured toward Destiny. “Could you take her to her room?”
“Who’s her?” my daughter asked.
“She’ll be helping me look after you when you’re here.”
She scowled at Destiny, who didn’t really know how to take the child’s disapproval.
“Come on, let’s go to your room, Ashley.”
“Because Daddy told me too.” She said, crossing her arms.
I hated when I was watching her turn into Vivian’s daughter. She needed a better feminine role model in her life. No one should act like Vivian.
The two disappeared in the distance, and left me with my ex.
Ex-girlfriend, I reminded myself. I never fell for the pitfalls of marriage with her.
The door closed behind her, and I looked right at her. “Why do you insist on doing this, Vivian?”
“Insist on doing what?”
“Dragging out this custody nonsense.”
“Well clearly I love my daughter and feel she needs my supervision.”
“And my money. You’re just trying to use her for a bigger payout.”
“Raising a child is expensive, Miles.”
“I’ve offered you twice what the court would expect me to pay you if they did award you custody. You’re just being difficult for no apparent reason.”
“I just want what I’m owed, Miles.” She smirked. “You could easily sell this land and give me my fair share of the proceeds.”
“Your fair share? We were never married, Viv.”
She laughed. “Yes, but I gave up five years of my life. Five years of work, and you want me to just walk away for a pittance?”
“You could live ten lifetimes on my offer.”
“I know you have a standing deal, Miles. Just accept it. Move on. Go buy a nice McMansion in Beverly Hills. You can send Ashley to a nice school and everything.”
I grit my teeth. This woman was impossible. She seemed open to me buying her out of my life once, but that quickly changed. I never knew why, but she decided that a few million wasn’t enough and she wanted half of the whole pie, which included my land and its resources. “You’re just angry I didn’t buy into your sugar daddy game,” I said, thoughtlessly allowing my real thoughts coming through.
She laughed, but in a much more offended way. “You’re one to talk about greed. We were effectively married, Miles. I just want what’s rightfully mine, just because you were too much of a coward to put a ring on it.”
“Think of your daughter for once, you insufferable woman-child. You continue to torture her like this, drag her around and put her through all of this nonsense.”
“If you truly cared, you would have sold off your land in a heartbeat. You’re using her like a pawn just as much as I am.”
I gritted my jaw. Vivian was trying to provoke me. Even though I’d never raised my voice or done anything to demonstrate violent behavior, she’d tried to provoke me. She’d even been suggesting it at court in an attempt to sway the judge to her favor. Of course she hadn’t said anything outright, not yet anyway. But the threat was there. This custody battle was going to get ugly, and if Vivian had her way, it would be an all-out war.
Too bad for her my success was due to my reason, not to my brawn. “What’s your angle, Vivian? Why do you need so much? How much do you need? What’s plaguing you that you want to tear my home and my daughter away from me?”
She smirked. “You act like I should just accept. How about you? You’re one call from making everything go away, Miles.”
A scream echoed outward from Ashley’s room. It was either Ashley, or D
estiny screamed like a five-year-old girl.
Vivian folded her arms over her chest smugly. “Well, she’s your problem right now. You better go check on what your ‘help’ has done now, Miles.”
“We’re getting nowhere. Show yourself out, Vivian.”
“Times ticking away, love.” She turned and swaggered her way out. To think I fell for that once. Tall, skinny, blonde, she looked like a model. Then it turned out she was. When that didn’t work out for her, she tried to take me as her new career.
There was a good part of me that just wanted to roll with it. There was a generous offer from a regional mining company on the table. I have no idea how Vivian learned about it though. If I sold my ranch and the acres my land was on, well, my net worth would increase, even with having to cut that woman half of it.
It would get her out of my life, and I wouldn’t have to worry about her neglecting my daughter. I would be able to see her everyday for the rest of her short childhood.
Then, though, I’d just be a nomad like everyone else. All I would have to give to Ashley in twenty years or whatever would be money. Meaningless money, all there to help enforce that money is the only thing that matters in the world.
Maybe I was just being old fashioned, and just didn’t want to accept that people just didn’t call one place home anymore. Maybe she was right, and I was just foolishly sentimental for the wrong things.
I cringed at the thought of her being right. But hey, a broken clock was right twice a day, right? Maybe I was blinded by my anger towards Vivian and she was right this time.
Enough of this self-reflection and or pity, I turned and realized I needed to rescue Destiny from Ashley’s wrath.
I walked to the door, and saw Destiny on her knees behind Ashley. “You don’t need to hold your breath. That’s not going to do anything sweetie.”
“I’m not your sweetie,” Ashley’s small voice whined as she declared, refusing to face Destiny.
“You know you had to breathe to say that.” Destiny smiled and turned to face me. “Your daughter is wonderful.”
I could tell the sarcasm was there, but I couldn’t be upset with Destiny. I walked in and picked up Ashley, and held her close again. “Ashley, you seem tired. Did you want a nap?”
She nodded to me, her demeanor softening already.
“Good. Why don’t you take a nap, and let Destiny settle in? We got cookies tomorrow. But only good girls get cookies.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
I held her close, rubbed her back. Destiny stood up, and I did as well. Ashley didn’t waste much time climbing into her bed and falling asleep. Travel always tired the girl out, but that wasn’t the whole reason she was worn out.
Gesturing toward the slim figure in her big bed, Destiny followed me out of Ashley’s bedroom and I quietly closed the door. “I really have to apologize for that.”
“You don’t. She’s five. Kids that age get pouty sometimes. It’s a fact of life.”
“It’s not that. Most of the time she’s my sweet baby girl, the happiest girl on the planet. Then she goes off to Vivian’s and she comes back crabby and hateful.”
Destiny let out a sigh. “Your ex is a character if I want to be nice about it.”
“You don’t have to be nice about it.”
“She’s a bitch then?”
“That’s about right.” We shared a laugh. “Ashley comes home from her mother’s and she’s always in such a sour mood. I know Vivian is no fun to be around, but even her own daughter can’t stand her.”
“She wants love from her mother. She’s not getting it.” Her tone was too matter of fact, as if she was talking from her own experience. “She gets so much love from you, then she goes to her mother and feels hated. It’s enough to turn someone antisocial.”
She followed me as I led her down the hall. “I know. Her mother insists on using her as a tool though, and to use her as a tool, it’s all about appearances. I truly think she views Ashley as a failure to get me to marry her.”
“Some people will do anything for money,” she said wistfully. “I hope it all works out for you. I see a lot of myself in her, and I don’t mean that in the best of ways.”
“Have your own Mommy issues?”
“Yeah.”
“Hopefully you can be a better feminine example for her. She needs to learn she’s not expected to become her mother.”
“Wait,” she stopped. “You want me to be a role model? You sure that doesn’t disqualify me right out?”
“Why would it?” I raised an eyebrow, trying to read her. “So far I’ve seen nothing that makes you a bad person. Even with Ashley screaming in your face, you were trying to calm her down, controlling yourself. She’s had preschool teachers yell back when she’s thrown her tantrums.”
“A role model? Me?” She shook her head.
“What, you don’t want the job?”
She paused, taking her time responding. “No, I want it. I just didn’t expect so much stock to be put in my character.”
“Fantastic. Just be understanding and loving, and that’s all a parent needs to be.”
“What, you want me to be her mother outright?”
I laughed. “Let’s not rush ahead of ourselves.”
“Excuse me?”
“You catch where people’s eyes drift sometimes, especially when so much of your work depends on reading body language like mine does.”
We had reached the guest room. I patted her on the back, and walked away, leaving her alone to consider my subtle flirtation.
Chapter 3
Destiny
I never expected that the first day would be even more exhausting than the travel day, but there it was. I got what Ashley was going through, but she was still a bit of a handful. How was I going to convince her I wasn’t such a bad person?
As I closed my eyes I thought back to my own childhood. Mom was…well, never there, actually. Whenever I walked into the room, her shoulders would slump and her smile would falter. That was on a good day. On bad days, she’d get mad. Violent. But that wasn’t as bad as her cruel words.
I wish I’d never had you. I should have never listened to mom and had gone through with the abortion. My life would be so much better if you weren’t in it.
Absently, my fingers move up to my throat, and I’m surprised to find it’s tight. I’d thought I’d gotten past all this, but maybe I’d just been kidding myself. Even after all this time, mom’s words still hurt. At least now I had perspective. It was hard being a young, single mother. Mom had been beautiful and was used to getting male attention. After she had me, guys started looking at her differently—as a woman who was looking for a new daddy for her baby instead of a girl looking for a good time. She was a mother first even though “mother” was never something she wanted to be.
Did I forgive her? I don’t know. She’d caused me so much pain. But most of that pain was because I wanted her love so bad. I would have done anything to get it, but the only thing she wanted from me was for me to disappear.
Luckily, Grammy had been there as much as she could. She knew mom’s behavior hurt me, and she knew that the only cure for that kind of pain was love. Though she hadn’t been around for long, she’d done her best to show me that I was worth something. That I could be somebody. And that I was still worthy of love.
That’s what Ashley needed. Maybe Vivian would realize her errors and change, or maybe she won’t. Either way, Ashley didn’t deserve to deal with her mother’s bullshit. She was a beautiful little girl who didn’t understand why mommy didn’t love her. No child should ever have to learn such a cruel lesson. Ashley had no choice.
But I did have a choice.
No one was as awesome as my Grammy, but I’d try. Love came in many forms. Laughter. Conversations. Hugs. And…cookies.
I wasn’t a kitchen wizard by any stretch of the imagination, but I knew a few recipes by heart. Like my favorite—Grammy’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Sugar Cookies.
Have to counter the cinnamon with a good dose of nutmeg, and then add vanilla extract, and before all that, I have to do this....
I had to let myself go on automatic. If I actually thought about what I was doing, well, that might screw up the power of my muscle memory. Slowly but surely I got to the point where I was putting lumps of brown dough on some parchment paper and sliding them into a pre-heated oven.
Damn, I’d forgotten how exhausting baking could be. It wasn’t even noon yet. Slumping down onto a stool, I watched the cookies as they rose.
Little footsteps came trampling down the stairs. The little princess had awakened, and I was all alone with her.
My heart started hammering in my chest. Miles had business to take care of this morning. Things hadn’t exactly gone well between me and Ashley yesterday, but at least I’d convinced him I wasn’t a psycho and could be trusted alone with a child for a few hours. Besides, Miles thought Ashley probably wouldn’t even get out of bed before he got back.
Oh, he was so wrong. I looked at the cookies in the oven and prayed that a wall of sugar would help shield me from Ashley’s judgment.
The moment she bounded into the kitchen, her eyes narrowed into slits. “Oh, it’s you.”
This is so not going well. “Good morning, Ashley.”
She just glared at me. For a moment I thought she’d turn around and march right back up those stairs, but then her nose started to twitch.
“What’s that smell?” she asked. “It smells like…cookies?”
Okay, it’s go time. I had only a few hours to convince Ashley I was worth keeping around; I hoped my cookies would be enough. “Yep. It’s a special recipe from my grandmother,” I replied.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I thought Daddy was going to make cookies with me.”
