Chapter 28

Renee’s POV

I throw my planner, my wallet, and the loose scraps of paper on my desk into my bag. I’m late, I’m late, I’m so late.

I didn’t even realize that it was time to pick up Debbie from school. Ever since Mia and I came to an understanding I’ve been getting a ton of projects that I apply for which is great because the bonuses are certainly paying off, but there just simply aren’t enough hours in a workday for me to get everything done.

Especially not now that I don’t have Jasper picking up Debbie from school anymore. I think I got too comfortable with that.

I’m just about to step into the hallway when I hear someone shout my name. I hesitate for a minute, I can pretend that I just didn’t hear it. “Renee!” Great.

I slowly turn around and try not to have my annoyance plastered on my face

I’m met with a frantic Bella, my co-designer on our fall line. “Yes, Bella?” I probably ask a bit too impatiently. Bella doesn’t seem to care, she shoves a folder in my hand.

“You need to approve these designs,”

I groan. “Can’t this wait until tomorrow?”

“No, we’re already behind. These designs are late,”

If I put these off then I could risk getting in trouble, by Eric and I don’t want that, ntot to mention it’ll signal to the design manager that I can’t handle the projects and I definitely don’t want that.

“Fine,”

By the time I finish, approving these designs and make it to Debbie's school it’s dark.

I run up to the front doors and yank them open, but they don’t budge. They're locked. I start to panic and bang on the doors. Where is Debbie? I called and said that I would be late. Someone should still be here with her.

I yell for someone to open up, and Mrs. Hazel comes to the door with a petrified look on her face. “Renee,” she says like she is surprised to see me.

“Where is Debbie?” I ask breathlessly.

“I think there must have been some miscommunication,” Mrs. Hazel says, her eyes growing wide. My heart thumbs against my chest. “Eric said you approved him to take Debbie home,” Alarm bells sound in my head.

“Why wouldn’t you call and check with me first?“ For how much the school cost you think they would least put their money towards their security.

“We tried to, but you didn’t answer and well the schools have certain hours, and I know you and Eric work together, I just figured” She either trails off or I stop listening, I’m too busy digging in my purse for my phone only to see that she’s right. I have two missed calls from the school.

“When did he get her?” I ask trying to call myself down, at least Debbie is safe. It’s myself that I’m worried about now. If Debbie transforms in front of Eric, then he’ll know for sure that she is his daughter and I am who he suspects that I am.

“It was probably just about 30 minutes ago,” Hazel says checking her watch. I walk away from the building and punch Eric‘s number into my phone. He picks up on the first ring.

“This is Eric, who am I speaking to?” He’s toying with me.

“Where is she?” I cut right to the chase.

“I’m sorry who?” Eric says keeping up with this joke. I wrap my sweater tighter around me, it’s getting cold.

“Eric, I’m not playing around. You can’t just take people's kids,”

“And you can’t just leave children behind exactly for that reason, someone could just take them.” Anger floods me. There’s no way Eric is giving me a lesson on parenting.

“I’ll have you know I was stuck at work, finishing the designs for your company,” I hiss.

“I didn’t tell you to do that,” I hear Debbie say something in the background. The sound of her voice tugs at my heart, my parental instinct kicks into overdrive. I need to be with her. I don’t trust her to be with Eric.

“I’ll tell you what,” Eric says. “Were at an ice cream parlor that my ex-wife used to come and doodle at,”

It’s like I’ve been slapped in the face.

I didn’t think Eric knew that I used to draw at this place. I wasn’t even sure if Eric knew that I liked to draw at all. The fact that he knows I used to do my artwork here shows that maybe he paid more attention to me than I had ever realized.

I know exactly what he is talking about, but I have to pretend that I have no idea.

The silence stretches out for a beat too long.

“You do know that place, don’t you?” Eric says, baiting me.

I re-orient myself. “No,” I spit out. “I don’t,”

“Well then I guess Debbie and Nilo will just be having a sleepover tonight,” Eric says. I hear Debbie cheering in the background and then the line goes dead.

I pull the phone away from my ear and look at the screen. He hung up. I try to call him back immediately, but it goes straight to voicemail.

This isn’t good.

If I show up at the ice cream parlor, then Eric will know that I know about this spot and this ice cream place isn’t just some chain restaurant.

This ice cream shop is owned by an elderly couple with odd hours. It’s quaint and unique, tucked away on the outskirts of town, overlooking a nice lake. It’s why I like it, it’s like a hidden gem with an intimate feel to it. Or at least that’s what I always tried to convey in my drawings.

But I have to go. I have to get my daughter.

I come up to the ice cream shop. I haven’t been here since before I was with Eric. It looks just the same and it makes me happy to see so.

String lights hang from the old roof which casts a twinkling glow on the lake that flows right behind the building.

From my car, I see Debbie and Eric sitting at a table that is shaped like an ice cream cone. I watch them for a minute and take in the scene, pretending that this is the life that could have been.

Debbie kicks her legs as she sits, her feet not reaching the floor, and Eric is hunched over in his seat, giving her his full attention. It’s a completely different site than his usual upright posture at work. Debbie has ice cream all over her face and Eric hands her a napkin.

I close my door loud enough so that both Eric and Debbie look up and see me. My attention should be on Debbie and Debbie alone, but I can’t help but notice how the string lights accentuate Eric’s sharp features, most distinguishably a yearning in Eric's eyes.

“I had a feeling you would be here soon,” Eric says. I used the drive over here to think of an excuse as to how I knew they would be at this ice cream shop, but that excuse seems so weak now. Still, I give it a shot.

“It’s the only ice cream shop that was open and in a close enough radius from the school,” I lie. A Dairy Queen is open just a couple of miles back. I’m sure that Eric knows this, but he doesn’t press on the matter. Instead, he stays quiet and stares at me, and I realize his silence is so much worse than his berating questions.

“They have the best ice cream, ever!” Debbie says with ice cream, dripping down her hands.

I glare at Eric. “Thanks for giving her all this sugar bedtime,” I tell him knowing damn well I give her ice cream this time of night all the time, but I still don’t like the fact that Eric was giving me parenting lessons earlier.

“Do you want some?” Eric asks. I look past him at the ice cream parlor, which is really more like a hut. It’s been years since I’ve had this ice cream, and I do really want some.

“Fine,” I say and try to sound like I’m not happy about it.

Eric buys me my ice cream even though I tell him not to, but he says it’s a reward for working so hard. When he puts it like that, I allow it. I put the spoon in my mouth, and a moan escapes me. It’s like taking a bite right out of a cherished memory.

“You know, it’s pretty irresponsible for Jasper to not have picked up Debbie,” Eric nonchalantly comments.

Just like that, that ice cream turns to sand in my mouth. “Yeah well,” I swallow my bite and then look Eric in the eye. “He’s busy, saving lives and everything,” I say in Jasper's defense.

Eric looks away from me, taking his empty paper cup in his hands, and closes his palm around it, crushing the cup into a ball. “You really love him, don’t you?”

There’s a pain in my chest when he asks that, but I think finally he’s gotten the point.

“Yes,” I tell him. “I do.”