Scalding Hot Chocolate

by Jaliza A. Burwell

  My eyes widened as I gaped at them. “But… that’s… I don’t know. That’s wrong! So wrong!” What if they dug through all my private stuff? I didn’t need them to see what I planned to buy for Christmas, or the porn sites I liked, or where I liked to get my adult toys from. Or my tulle skirts. I shuddered at the thought of them finding that website saved on my browser. I only bought my clothes from her; she got my style. Madam Cera had very specific tastes in her clothing styles, and those who enjoyed a little extra in their bedrooms liked to buy from her.

  That was not something I broadcasted to anyone.

  “Calm down,” Lauren said. “We’ll get this program downloaded for you. Rick will go over and get it all set up. The only thing you’ll need to do is keep it up to date. We release an update every few months unless there are any emergency fixes needed.”

  “You’ll do that for me?” I asked, feeling vulnerable.

  “Of course. You do so much for us, and you never ask for anything. You haven’t even raised your price. I know we were one of your first clients when you started up and your prices have changed since then. If you asked, we’d match your new prices, but you didn’t. Let us help you now. Let us do this for you.”

  I nodded. “Thank you.”

  “Of course.” Lauren’s smile was so kind that it stole my breath.

  Knowing Lauren and Rick were going to stick by me through this mess made me feel lighter by the time I left the meeting. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. I had to pause at my car and remember how to breathe.

  Someone got my client list somehow and were calling them. Someone was trying to ruin my career. People talked. Those who were quick to drop me wouldn’t hesitate to say why. I couldn’t blame them either. They’d want to protect each other from me if I truly were a piranha.

  My car blurred as the tears came. I wiped at my face and took in a shuddering breath.

  It was okay. I’d be okay. I needed to talk to Koen. Maybe Dr. Adam.

  I really wanted to talk to Dr. Adam. It was Monday. I could make it to Wednesday. While I enjoyed my sessions with him and they helped, I didn’t want to be too much of a bother. He had been so patient and accommodating with me. I didn’t want to lose that.

  Instead, I texted Koen.

  Can I call you?

  It didn’t take him long to respond. Yes. Is everything okay?

  I’ll call.

  I was sure I had his number dialing before he received the text message.

  “Maddie? Is everything okay?” His concern warmed me to the core, bubbles of relief popping through the tense muscles that had stiffened up since Lauren told me about the phone call.

  “What does it mean to be slandered? How do I protect myself? What are my options?” All the questions poured out, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to stop. A constant scream had been filling my head since Rick told me to find a lawyer to protect myself. I now had an outlet and was determined to let it all out. “How does one go about hunting his butt down? How do I make him pay? Can I return the favor? What about my clients that I lost?”

  “Maddie.” The sharpness in his voice cut through my rant and had me shutting up. “Take a deep breath and try again. When you speak, it better be the reason for all these questions. I can’t help you without knowing the problem.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “That’s okay. Now, deep breath.”

  I did it.

  “Release it slowly.”

  I did that too.

  “Now tell me what is going on. Keep it two sentences max.”

  My world was ending and he wanted me to keep it to two sentences? “I met with a client of mine and they told me of an interesting conversation they had with someone else.” One sentence, one more left. “The man who had called told them that I was a thief, stealing from them, possibly laundering money.”

  There. Did it.

  Koen was quiet for a moment. I had to glance at my phone to make sure he hadn’t hung up. He hadn’t.

  “I’m assuming this has been going on for a while. Have you lost clients?”

  “Yes. I also have a copy of the phone conversation if that helps.”

  “Okay. That helps a lot. Email it to me. I have a friend in law enforcement. After I hang up with you, I’ll contact them.”

  That eased the fear that had been gripping my lungs. Breathing became easier at Koen’s steady determination. “Keep going as you are. When I have details, I’ll contact you later. You’ll have to meet with my contact so he understands everything that is going on.”

  “Okay.”

  “Everything will be okay, Maddie. You aren’t alone.”

  My throat tightened at his niceness and my voice was deep and croaky when I said, “Thank you.”

  “Of course. I need to go, but I’ll check in with you later when I have more information. We won’t let whoever is doing this get away with it. But first, we need to know who is doing it. I have ideas why this is happening, but I don’t want to say anything until I know for sure.”

  “Okay.” I nodded, not caring that he couldn’t see it. “Okay. Thank you.”

  “I’ll talk to you later.” He hung up, and I stared at the phone, trying to wrap my head around the fact that someone wanted to damage my reputation in such a brutal way.

  An alarm on my phone went off, and I jumped, dropping the phone.

  “Shoot.” I dove for the phone, picking it up. I closed my eyes as I turned it over, afraid to see any kind of damage to it. When I got brave enough to look, I sighed in relief. Not a scratch.

  Good.

  I turned off the alarm and sighed.

  I was going to be late in picking up the twins from school.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The plan was solid. If Lawson and Lee were still in the bickering mood, I had the ropes ready for the roof. I’d put Lawson there. Lee would get the trunk. Maybe some distance would do them some good.

  Keeping my mind on the next steps and what I needed to get done in that moment, I walked to the classroom. Kids were all too happy to shed their school day and get into trouble at home. The twins had better not be thinking the same thing. I didn’t have it in me today.

  I paused outside the door, took in a deep breath, and went inside. Most of the kids were already gone, led outside to catch the bus. Only a handful of them were inside, waiting for their parents.

  Thankfully, I wasn’t that late.

  “Maddie,” Dayton called out as he came over, a frown etched into his pretty face. The way he looked at me made me shuffle on my feet nervously.

  “What’s wrong?” I glanced around for the twins but didn’t see them. Did they get into trouble? Were they too much for him? Maybe instead of a mental warning, I should have sent him a text.

  Recognizing the growing panic, his stern expression softened. “Oh, they’re okay. They’re in the bathroom cleaning up after helping me put the art supplies away.”

  “Okay.” Then what made him look like he wanted to scold me? I didn’t do well with scolding.

  Dayton sighed and handed me a piece of paper. “They were given this before I began and it seems you haven’t signed it.”

  “What is it?” I glanced at it and frowned at the words as they formed sentences. A field trip?

  “Is there a reason they can’t go? Are you concerned about something?” he asked, making it difficult to absorb what the paper even said. “Everyone else is signed up. If you have any concerns, I am more than willing to go over them with you.”

  I shook my head, trying to wrap my head around what was going on. “I didn’t realize,” I whispered. Something tightened in my chest as it dawned on me that the munchkins never even brought up the field trip. They hid it from me. “They didn’t even ask me about this.” My face heated with embarrassment. Dayton must have thought I was a bad parent, not willing to let her kiddies have any fun. “I’m so sorry. I’ll sign this tonight and give it back to you tomorrow.”

  His frown deepened. “They didn’t tel
l you?”

  I shook my head. “I’ll have a talk with them.”

  “It’d be great if they can go. They’re too serious in class. Today they were closed off from the rest of the class. Quiet. They’re good kids, always willing to help, and they have their moments of fun, but they’re holding back.”

  My expression went blank. “What aren’t you saying?” I asked.

  He blinked, eyes widening slightly at the change in my mood.

  “You’re hinting at something,” I said, a challenge slipping into my tone. “I know you are. But I don’t know you well enough, and I need bluntness in my life if you want to make a point. If you have something to say, say it.”

  “I don’t want to step on any toes. It isn’t my place to say.”

  “You already are,” I snapped. Pressing my lips tightly together, I glanced around and took in a deep breath, calming myself down. Dayton was just being a good teacher. I had no right to take my bad mood out on him.

  Dayton nodded, coming to a decision in his head. “Okay then. Sign the paper. Let them come. They need to be children, but they aren’t. They’re polite, they always volunteer to help. But sometimes, they separate themselves from the other children. This could be good for them.”

  I gaped at him and had to force my mouth closed. “You don’t think I’ll sign this?”

  He shrugged, mouth thinning. “I’ve seen it enough times, parents putting too much pressure on their kids. I don’t want that for them. I think that even if you don’t say or ask them to do anything, they’re doing it anyways because they’re scared.”

  “They’re mourning the best way they know how,” I said in a low voice, aware of the kids still in the classroom. “They lost their mother only a few months ago and are still coming to terms with the fact that she isn’t coming back.” My own bitterness at that reality slipped into my words. At that last word, my voice cracked. I took in a shuddering breath, trying to hold back the tears. “They still stare out the window, hoping to see her. They still call out to her at night. They still ask about her. And I have to repeatedly break their little hearts and tell them that she isn’t coming back. And I get to watch them mourn her all over again. They won’t feel like kids for a while still.”

  Dayton’s skin was pale as I talked. He licked his lips. “All the more reason to let them come.”

  “And I will, after I talk to them tonight, Mr. Killison.”

  He flinched at the way I said his name, keeping it formal.

  “What I need to do is find out why they didn’t tell me. If they want to come, after I listen to their concerns, I’ll sign the paper. I will not sign it and expect them to go if they don’t want to. I’m not going to force that on them. I do agree that they need to be kids, but right now, it’s an uphill battle. Thank you for bringing this issue to me.”

  When he went to say something else, Lee’s voice interrupted us. “Sissy!”

  He came over and hugged me, soon followed by Lawson.

  “Ready to go?” I asked them.

  They nodded, their bags already on their backs.

  “Have your homework?” I asked, giving Lawson a knowing look.

  He nodded enthusiastically. “Of course!”

  I smiled. “Then let’s go.”

  I looked at Dayton, who looked like he’d eaten something sour. Or rotten. Or both.

  “Thank you for looking after them.” I softened my voice. “And for the recommendation. Koen has been a tremendous help already.”

  His expression softened. “If you ever need anything, please let me know.”

  I nodded and herded the kids out the door.

  The two of them were still being brats as I drove us home.

  “Are you sure we can’t get ice cream?” Lawson asked.

  “Yes,” I said and glared through the mirror at them. “You guys weren’t very good today and I don’t appreciate people yelling in my ear. So no, no ice cream today. We’ll go home, you’ll do your homework and read. We’ll eat dinner, then you guys will get ready for bed.”

  “That’s not fair. We were good,” Lee said, crossing his arms over his chest, pouting. He glowered out the window.

  I snorted. “No, you weren’t. Ever since this morning, you guys have been arguing and continued to do so nearly all the way home. Only good boys get ice cream, and I only see troublemakers in my car right now.” I parked in our spot and got out. They didn’t say anything to me as they climbed out of the car and remained silent as they stomped into our apartment.

  “Dinner table, now. Do your homework.”

  “I’m hungry,” Lawson said.

  “I’ll give you a snack.” I grabbed an apple and sliced it, paired it with peanut butter and gave it to them. As they did their homework, I got dinner going. I kept a close eye on them, but they stayed away from each other, heads down as they worked on their spelling assignment.

  I sighed, wondering what was going on with the two of them. This was the first time I’d seen the bickering with each other so badly. This wasn’t a “we’ll laugh it off later” kind of bickering either. It felt like a cold war between the two of them.

  Chewing on my lip, I ended up paying more attention to the two of them than to the food I was trying to cook. I was even being nice and making one of their favorites—pizza stuffed shells. I was burning too much food lately, and I really didn’t want to add to the list of my burnt offerings.

  I sighed, set the timer on the oven, and plopped down in front of them. Like the boss that I was, I leaned back, crossed my arms over my chest, and gave them my best “I’m the adult and you’re the children, so you have to pay attention to me” look.

  They looked at me, blinked, and tried to go back to work. Their eyes kept flickering back up at me though, and I refused to back down on my challenge to them.

  “Stop that, Sissy. You’re distracting me,” Lee said, the first to break the silence.

  “Oh? Really? I’m distracting you?” I asked and leaned forward, propping my chin on my hand. “I’m not doing anything.”

  “You’re staring at us,” Lawson said.

  “I’m not saying anything, I’m not touching you. I’m sitting here.”

  “You’re mad at us,” Lee challenged.

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Are too.”

  “Are not.”

  Lee rolled his eyes and tried to write. Lawson nudged him and leaned over, whispering loud enough for me to hear. “Make her stop.”

  “No, you do it.”

  “She’s being scary.”

  They bickered back and forth again.

  “Okay, stop,” I said and leaned back. “What is going on?”

  “Nothing,” Lee answered.

  “Nothing is what adults are allowed to say when they don’t want to answer. The two of you are being brats, so as the only adult in the room, that is not a viable answer. I’m going to ask one more time. I hope you’re smart enough to answer. What is going on?”

  They pressed their lips together and looked away, doing the twinsie thing again of acting exactly the same. A headache threatened to attack my frontal lobe. I got up and went to my purse and dug through it until I pulled out the permission slip Dayton had given me.

  “Does this have to do with a certain trip on Friday that everyone in class is going on, except for the two of you?”

  Their heads moved so fast, I thought they were going to give themselves whiplash when they looked at me.

  “How do you know about that?” Lawson asked.

  I lifted the sheet of paper. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find out? Why did you hide this? My feelings are hurt, you know.”

  They glanced at each other and then back at me.

  “We didn’t want to bother you about it,” Lee answered.

  “I really don’t understand where this is coming from.” I sighed dramatically, ignoring the pang in my chest at their response. “Where did I go wrong? Why do they think they’d ever been a bother to me?” I looked
skyward as if begging God for an answer. “Am I a bad parent?”

  “No!”

  “No, Sissy!”

  I looked at them. “Are you sure? I must be doing something wrong. At some point, I put you two under the impression that you’re a bother.” I bit my lip. “Where did I go so wrong? Where did I fail you?”

  They shoved their chairs back as best as their forty pounds allowed them. Once they were free, they came running around the table and nearly tackled me.

  “No, you’re good. You’re nice. You play with us and read to us and talk to us. You’re nice, Sissy.”

  I rubbed both their backs as they buried their heads into my lap and stomach.

  “Then why did you hide this from me?” I asked softly.

  “It cost money,” Lee answered.

  I looked down at the sheet. “Ten dollars each kid. Oh, you’re right. This is going to break my bank,” I said. “We could do so much with twenty dollars. Like… letting my munchkins go on a field trip with their friends.”

  The two of them froze and slowly pulled away, blinking up at me in confusion. “You are only six. You don’t need to worry about money or what it means to do something that you want to do. Ask me. Since I’m older and I’m the adult, I’m the one in charge of weighing the pros and cons to doing something. You don’t need to worry about it.”

  They pulled away and went back to their seat, still looking unsure.

  I sighed. “We’re okay. We are more than okay. I may not be able to afford to buy the world for you, but I can afford for you guys to go on a little field trip to play with your friends. Do you want that?”

  They nodded.

  I grinned. “Perfect.” I reached over and grabbed Lee’s pencil and signed the form. “I’ll give this to your teacher tomorrow when I drop you off.”

  “Can you come?” Lee asked.

  I smiled. “Thank you for asking, but I can’t. I need to work and this is for you and your classmates.”

  His expression fell, and I felt bad. “But,” I said, “we’ll have our own adventures in the future. So many of them you won’t know what to do with all of them.”