One Year Later
Loren Tate sat in the middle of her now empty New York apartment, looking around at what the last eight years of her life had resulted in. An empty accumulation of broken dreams, crushed hopes and wounded pride that all seemed to slip through her fingers as quickly and as easily as sand runs through the hour glass. It wasn't supposed to end like this. She wasn't supposed to feel like this.
The sound of her taxi honking outside her apartment window shook her from her thoughts and she adjusted the strap of her purse on her shoulder before making her way to the door. For a moment, her eyes lingered back inside the room, taking in the sight one last time but then the taxi honked again and she pulled herself away from the tiny Brooklyn apartment. Closing the door on the place she had just begun to call home.
Seeing that Loren had no luggage, the taxi driver opened the backseat door for her, closing it only after she had slid inside. As he made his way to the driver's seat, Loren pulled her phone out pressing number one on her speed dial.
"Hello?" The familiar voice sent an instant wave of comfort through Loren's otherwise unnerved self.
"Hey mom, it's me."
Nora's breath of relief rang out like a church bell, loud and all too obvious "Are you on your way to the airport?"
Reaching across her person, Loren grabbed the seatbelt and clicked it into place. "Yeah, I'm in the taxi now. I just wanted to call and let you know."
Across the country, sitting on a bar stool with a calculator and expense books laid out in front of her, Nora Tate held her phone with one hand, the other resting its fingertips on her forehead. Finally, her baby was coming home but instead of the bright eyed and hopeful girl that had left eight years ago, she was coming home broken and battered and bruised. Her hard work seemingly for nothing and regardless of Nora's relentless questions, Loren stayed mute. Whatever had happened was staying in New York. 'It's for the best' Loren had assured Nora in regards to her ignorance. Nora strongly disagreed.
"Did all of your furniture sell?" Nora inquired.
"Yeah" Loren replied, her voice a little distant and not just because of the thousands of miles between them. "That guy came for the television this morning." There were some muffled voices on Loren's end before her voice once again filled the receiver "I've got to get going mom but I'll call as soon as I touch down in L.A."
Dropping her hand from her forehead, Nora rested it on the bar counter "Is Mel still getting you?"
"Yup, I talked to her this morning. Apparently she has some important news to tell me anyway, she was practically jumping through the phone with excitement."
Nora let out an amused laugh "Well don't get your hopes up, Mel gets excited whenever she gets to push a button."
Loren laughed as well "She seemed pretty sincere this time but I promise not to throw confetti until I know what the news is. I've got to go though, Mom."
"Alright, be safe."
"I will, I love you."
"I love you too." And with that, both women hung up their phones.
Nora let out an unsteady breath as someone rested a hand on her shoulder "Everything alright?"
Turning her head in the direction of the familiar voice belonging to her new boss, Nora allowed an easy smile to spread onto her lips "Yeah, my daughter's flying home today actually, so everything's great."
Pulling his brows together, Max eyed Nora curiously "You don't sound overly enthusiastic. Is she just coming for a visit? She lives in New York right?" Max asked as he took a seat on the bar stool next to Nora.
Nodding, Nora wrung her hands together anxiously "She did but umm…I guess some things didn't work out so she's moving back here."
"And this is bad?" Max concluded unsurely.
Nora let out an unsteady sigh "No, it's just that she won't tell me what went wrong and-" Nora stopped suddenly, meeting Max's eyes "I'm sorry, I shouldn't going on about personal things here at work."
Waving his hand around, Max smiled comfortingly at Nora "It's a bar. It's what it's for."
Shaking her head, Nora returned the smile "Before I start spilling my guts to the bartender I may need a few glasses of red wine." She joked.
Shrugging slightly he looked around the club for a moment before setting his sights back on the brunette beauty, gracing his presence. "Well for what it's worth, you're doing a great job here. I know you've only been working here for a few weeks but the place is already running so much smoother and I finally know where all of my money is going. So thank you."
Blushing from the kind compliment, Nora tucked some hair behind her ear "Just doing my job."
"Very well" Max added, refusing to allow Nora to undermine herself.
Suddenly, a quick moving pair of tiny feet echoed against the hardwood floors and Max turned to see his young granddaughter making her way to him as fast as her feet would allow.
When she finally came within her grandpa's reach, Katy was swooped into his arms and steadied on his hip. "How's my little Katy cat?"
Katy smiled brightly into Max's warm brown eyes but then took note of Nora's presence and buried her face in the crook of her grandpa's neck.
"She's a little shy" Max explained, hoping Nora wouldn't take offence.
Nora instantly waved off Max's explanation "When Loren was little she rarely come out from behind my legs around strangers. I understand completely."
Rounding the corner of the club's entrance was Max's son Eddie, his tensed shoulders gradually releasing stress as soon as he saw his daughter in his father's arms. "I barely got her out of the car before she bolted inside." Eddie said as he made his way forward, into the club. "Hi Nora" Eddie greeted kindly as he reached the bar.
"Hi Eddie" Nora replied, before turning back to her work, giving the family some privacy.
Glancing down at his Granddaughter, Max smiled "She's a girl on a mission, always knowing what she wants. Just like her Grandmother was."
Katy lifted her head at the mention of her namesake, her large doe eyes silently questioning for more.
Noticing this, Max sat back down on the stool setting Katy down on his lap "Your Grandma was just as restless and free spirited as you Katy. She once jumped out of a plane just to see what it would be like." Katy's eyes widened at the sheer thought of it. "Your Grandpa was too chicken" Max admitted "and Grandma Katy never let me forget it."
At that, Katy's small, thin lips turned upwards.
Lifting his eyes to meet Eddie's, Max instantly guessed the reason for his son's appearance "You need me to watch her?"
Closing his eyes and letting out a sigh, Eddie nodded "Lia called in sick this morning and I have a bunch of meetings I have to get to."
"I'm always happy to watch Katy, you know that." Max kissed the top of Katy's head. "But don't you have a backup plan in case your nanny gets sick?" Eddie offered a weary smile and it dawned on Max "I'm your backup plan."
"Lia's the only one who has stuck around. Every other nanny I've hired quits before the end of the week." Katy's head lowered, she knew the past year had been hard on her dad and she knew, in her own mind, that she become a bit of a burden.
Kneeling below her level, Eddie lifted her chin, their identical eyes staring into each other "None of that is your fault, okay sweetie?" Her lack of response worried Eddie. "Katy?"
Max bounced the four year old on his knee in one sudden movement "She's just too wonderful for them to handle."
A giggle escaped past the little girl's lips as she gave a short nod in reply to Max's words.
Eddie stood, kissing the top of his daughter's head. "I've got to go meet Jake. I should be back around seven?"
Max nodded, "Katy and I will be fine, right Katy cat?"
Another short nod from Katy and a diamond like twinkle in her eye was all the reassurance that Eddie needed. "I love you" he said, blowing his little girl a kiss.
Katy reached her hand out into the air and pretended to catch the kiss, placing it in the pocket of her dress before blowing a kiss to her daddy who did the same. Placing the kiss in the pocket of his leather jacket, Eddie headed for the door.
Once Eddie was out of sight, Max turned back to Nora who was working away at balancing the books. "Katy" he caressed the little girl's name, "this is Nora," at the sound of her name Nora lifted her head and smiled sweetly at Katy who had leaned back against her grandpa's chest, shyly. "She's part of the MK family now, like Grace. You like Grace, right?"
Looking up at her grandfather, Katy nodded and then looked back at Nora, studying her for a moment.
"Hi Katy" Nora titled her head as Katy scanned her features then offered a little wave.
"I think your colouring books are still behind the counter. Do you want to grab them?" Max asked as he lowered Katy onto the ground.
Katy ran behind the counter, finding her colouring books and pencil crayons in record time and then darted to one of the booths, lifting herself onto the seat, propping herself up on her knees and leaning against the table as she opened a zoo animal colouring book and began colouring in a pink monkey.
"They went through nine nannies in less than two months before finding Lia." Max sighed as he rubbed a hand over his face. "I don't think the agency is going to keep sending people over if Lia doesn't work out."
Shifting her eyes from Max to Katy and back again, Nora's brows creased "She doesn't seem like a handful."
"She's not" Max agreed, "but she hasn't spoken a word since her mother's death last year and so most people find it frustrating when they try to communicate with her. They don't understand why she doesn't just start talking again."
Empathy instantly washed over Nora, a worried expression softening her features as she glanced back at the four year old girl. "Poor thing."
After six hours in the air, Loren finally put her feet firmly on the ground as she stepped off the plane, letting out a deep breath. She was home, and that knowledge, as comforting as it was, only reminded her of everything she had left behind. However, as she made her way to baggage claim, the familiarity of the air surrounding her seemed to encircle her, hugging her, welcoming her home to the city of dreams.
"Lo!" Having been staring at her feet as she walked through the airport, she hadn't noticed the vibrantly dressed woman standing in the middle of the crowded area.
Her head quickly snapped upwards, her eyes taking in the sight of her best friend, wearing a pair of pink leggings and a yellow tank top with large statement earrings, who was waving her arms high in the air trying to get Loren's attention.
Allowing her entire body to relax, Loren took off towards Melissa, hiking her purse higher on her shoulder before throwing her arms around her best friend, the force almost causing Melissa to lose her footing. "I missed you!" Loren exclaimed, tightening her hold.
"I missed you too" Melissa cried, "three months without seeing each other is officially the worst idea we've ever had. I vote we never do that again."
"Agreed," Loren nodded on Melissa's shoulder.
Finally pulling away as both of them wiping away their tears, they linked their arms together heading towards the door. "You don't have any luggage?" Melissa asked; curiosity and confusion laced through her words.
Loren shook her head "I shipped all of my stuff to my mom," then she patted her purse "I have a change of clothes in here and that's it."Melissa said nothing else as the two girls made their way outside and to Melissa's car but as they climbed inside, remembrance struck Loren and she turned to Melissa "Wait, this morning you said that there was something you wanted to tell me?"
A Cheshire cat grin grew onto Melissa's face as she turned her body towards Loren, holding up her left hand. "I'm getting married." Bestowed on Melissa's left hand was a white gold diamond ring. The small diamonds sprinkled around the band were highlighted by its unique and interwoven design, the curved lines giving off the illusion that the ring flowed around her finger. It was beautiful and unique. It was perfect. It was Melissa.
Awestruck, Loren looked from the ring to Melissa and back again then took Melissa's hand in the hand not covering her gaping mouth. "You're getting married" she breathed out in a whisper.
Melissa nodded ecstatically, "It happened last night! We were watching When Harry Met Sally and out of the blue Adam popped the question!" Loren looked up into Melissa's eyes, asking a voiceless question. "I thought he was kidding, I mean you know Adam, always the prankster but then he reached into his back pocket and pulled the ring out. He had been planning to ask for months."
Running her thumb along the interwoven design, Loren's eyes began to fill with tears and eventually she was forced to pull her hand away from the admirable ring and wipe her cascading tears away. It was the first time, Loren realized, in a long time that her tears were ones of joy. Her best friend was getting married. "I'm so happy for you!" She pulled Melissa in for another hug and let out a giddy laugh. Soon both women's shoulders were shaking with laughter as their mascara began to run down their cheeks, staining their excitement.
It was ten minutes later when Melissa had dried her tears and was on the road, on their way to Loren's childhood home. The conversation flowed, as it always did between the two best friends. Melissa, incapable of remaining silent for more than five minutes was already planning her wedding aloud, dubbing Loren her Maid of Honor. Occasionally, Melissa would ask about Times Square at night and the fabulous New York fashion, everything but the one thing she really wanted to discuss. The one thing Loren planned to never speak of again.
It was nearly five o'clock when they pulled up in front of the house and everything appeared to be the same. The same flowers lined the edge of the house, the same bench sat on the front lawn, the same stupid lawn gnome Loren had painted as a child stood on the front step, smoking a pipe.
As Loren climbed out of the car and took a few steps towards the house, she was hit with an odd sense of relief. She was really, truly home. It was real. Two blocks away was the playground where she had fallen off the monkey bars and broken her arm when she was six. Under the oven were the pot lids she had banged together when she was three after watching a parade and admiring the cymbal player who lead the marching band. And next door, lived an elderly couple Mr. and Mrs. Dressels who once had a dog named Barker, a short and stout bulldog whom Melissa had fed her Chemistry homework to in tenth grade. Her teacher had laughed so hard at Melissa's excuse that she simply gave her full marks for the assignment. Loren would never forget that. She would also never forget the day Barker passed. It was three days after their high school graduation. Melissa and Loren sat in Loren's yard with Ben and Jerry in complete silence, picturing the little devil digging in Nora's flower bed and chasing his tail in circles.
Loren turned her key in the keyhole, opening the rusty hinged door and pushed it open. Aside from a few added picture frames, everything was exactly as she had left it.
"Huh."
"What?" Melissa asked as she came up the front steps behind her and peeked into the house.
Loren turned to Melissa, her shoulders rising to her ears before dropping as she shrugged. "Nothing, it's just that everything is the same. It's like the last eight years never happened."
Following Loren further into the house, Melissa closed the door and switched the lights on, casting away the shadows. "Maybe that's a good thing?"
Loren stilled, breathing in the meaning of Melissa's words before tossing her purse on the couch and lowering herself to sit on the arm of it. She didn't reply to Melissa's comment. In her eyes there was nothing to left to say. It's like the last eight years never happened. Her words echoed in her mind as if having been shouted into the confines of a small cave.
"Lo, maybe now that you're home, you could talk to someone?" Melissa suggested, her words expelling slowly, testing the waters.
"Have you decided what your wedding colours are going to be?" Loren wasted no time taking a sharp left turn, unwilling or not quite ready to discuss what Melissa so obviously felt needed to be dealt with.
Knowing her friend well, Melissa dropped the subject. "I want red to be one of the colours for sure. Adam doesn't seem all that focused on the details of the wedding yet, he wants to savor being engaged first."
"He does know who he's marrying, right?" Both women laughed at the all true comment. Melissa had been planning her wedding since age seven when she watched as Aladdin and Jasmine wed at the end of King of Thieves.
As Loren made her way into the kitchen, grabbing a pitcher of orange juice from the fridge, Melissa pulled her phone out of her purse after hearing the beep alerting her of a text message. Letting out a deep sigh, Melissa sat into her hip "Apparently Adam set the smoke alarm off."
"Adam was trying to cook?" The very thought had Loren shaking where she stood. "I thought he failed Home Ec the first time he took it?"
Melissa cringed "He did." She looked up from her phone with an apologetic look latching to her features "I should go and make sure he doesn't burn the house down. Are you going to be okay?"
Loren rolled her eyes at what she deemed, unnecessary concern. "I'll be fine, go save your house. How's that going by the way? Living with your boyfr- I mean fiancée." Loren shook her head, a smile reaching her lips "It's going to take me a while to get used to that."
Throwing her phone back into her purse, Melissa walked to the kitchen table, taking a seat across from where Loren had just sat. "It's amazing" she confessed. "We're learning so much about each other and since we don't have to worry about anyone walking in on us anymore the sex has become incredible! I never would have thought that Adam could be so-"
Loren held her hand up, bringing Melissa to a sudden halt "On second thought, never mind." Then she grabbed her glass of orange juice, bringing it to her lips.
Another beep sounded from inside of Melissa's purse and she dug it out before letting out a dramatic sigh. "I should really go, if I leave now I might actually have a house to return to."
"What did he do now?"
"Apparently the microwave overheated and he heard a pop sound from inside of it."
Loren raised her eyebrows "Did he blow a fuse?"
Standing, and throwing her purse over her shoulder, Melissa shrugged "I'm not sure but I'd really like to go find out."
"Okay, well call me tomorrow or something. We can go for coffee."
A beautiful smile washed over Melissa's worried face, "I'd love that" she said as she made her way to the door. Just before she closed the door behind her, she looked back. "Loren?"
Loren had just begun making her way to the sink, to wash her now empty glass when Melissa's voice caught her attention. "Welcome home."
"The wheels on the bus go around and round, round and round, round and round. The wheels on the bus go round and round, all through the town." Max sang, allowing his voice to go as low as it could as Katy let the last note ring out on the far end of the piano.
Then, as her fingers lifted from the instrument a pair of hands began clapping from behind them. "Encore!" Nora shouted. Max took Katy's hand, pulling her to the edge of the stage and took a bow before stepping back allowing Katy to curtsey, which she did while wearing a giant smile. "That was amazing Katy, you must practice all of the time." Katy nodded. "Do you want to be a musician like your daddy?" Katy nodded again and then as she caught a glimpse of something in the corner of her eye, she beamed; her smile and eyes becoming bright enough to light up the nighttime sky.
Katy jumped down from the stage and took off as fast as her little feet would carry her. Max and Nora followed the little girl's sprint as she ran into her daddy's arms, tightly wrapping her short arms around his neck as he lifted her to his eye level. "Hi sweetie" Eddie cradled the back of her head as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "Did you have a good day with Grandpa?"
Eddie felt her nod and as she pulled away she pointed to Nora, that same brightening smile on her face.
Seeing Katy's action, Eddie smiled "Did you make a new friend?" Katy nodded as she wiggled her way out of her daddy's arms and was placed firmly back on the ground. Then she took off behind the bar counter, grabbing her colouring book and then made her way back to Eddie, holding the book up to him and slowly counted her fingers before holding up eight of them.
"Page eight?" Eddie asked. Katy nodded. Eddie flipped the book open, turning the pages until he came across the eighth page of the colouring book where he saw a picture of two turtles, one green turtle coloured perfectly inside the lines and an orange turtle, with a few strokes of colour reaching over the black lined barrier. "Wow, Katy! Did you and Nora colour this picture together?" Katy smiled as she looked up at the older woman who was smiling down at her.
"We had fun today, didn't we Katy?" Nora asked the child beside her who stood barely over three feet tall. "Katy showed me how she plays piano and I showed her how I don't." Katy laughed at that. Nora then looked at Eddie, "She's very good by the way. I guess that's in the genes though."
Smiling down proudly at his daughter, Eddie took her hand "Maybe but she still practices all of the time. She loves music, right Katy?"
Katy held one hand out to the side and used the other to move in an up and down motion in front of her stomach, miming the action of playing a guitar.
Max laughed "That's right. I promised her that on her fifth birthday I'd buy her a Katy sized guitar and teach her how to play it."
"Is that right?" Eddie asked, glancing down at his daughter who was smiling up at him and gave a sharp nod. "What's next then, the drums?"
Tilting her head in thought for a moment, Katy shrugged, her elbows bent and palms flat and facing upwards towards the ceiling.
"You don't know? Well do you know what you want for dinner?" Katy shook her head. "Do you want pizza?" Katy tilted her head once again, looking up at the ceiling as she thought but then looked up at her dad shaking her head. "Do you want enchiladas?" She shook her head again. "What about Mac and cheese?" Shake. "Stir fry?" Shake "Spaghetti with garlic bread?" With wide eyes and a mischievous smile the little girl nodded. "Of course, you want the messy food" Eddie laughed. "Do you want to help me make it?" The smile faltered and changed into a sincerely excited grin as she took her daddy's hand and nodded her head quickly many times. "Well then, we should get going so we can make it. Can you say goodbye to Grandpa and Nora?"
Katy dropped Eddie's hand and run over to Max, throwing her arms around his legs. Max bent down to Katy's level and gave her a proper hug after she unlatched her arms. "You have a good night Katy cat. Promise me you'll come see me again soon okay?" Katy gave one short nod before pressing her lips to Max's cheek.
Then, Katy turned to Nora and waved, saying goodbye. "Goodnight Katy" Nora said as she watched the four year old once again take her daddy's hand.
"Goodnight you guys." Eddie said as he and Katy started towards the door.
"Goodnight." Nora's and Max's voices rang out as one in perfect synchronization as Eddie and Katy disappeared around the corner and seconds later out into the night.
At the sound of the door closing Nora turned to Max, a pleasant smile on her lips. "She is absolutely adorable."
Max nodded as a prideful smile spread across his face "She's the light of my life, and Eddie's." Then he looked slightly curious "She seemed to take an instant liking to you, which is strange for her, she's usually very shy around strangers."
"She was at first, you saw that" Nora began "but eventually she just kind of warmed up to me." Nora tossed her light brown hair over her shoulder "What can I say? It's the Tate girl charm."
"Well, thank you for spending the afternoon with her, I think she liked being around another girl."
Confusion came over Nora, "Doesn't she spend a lot of time with her nanny?"
Max made his way over to the booth where Katy had been sitting for most of the afternoon and began picking up her pencil crayons and the other colouring books she had been using. "Honestly, Eddie doesn't like to use the nanny too often. If he can, he'll take Katy to his meetings with him. She doesn't like being left alone with anyone she hasn't known her whole life. Eddie, Eddie's manager Jake and myself are really the only people that fall into that category. I mean she knows Grace but not very well. The few times a week when Eddie does leave Katy with Lia, she'll just sit the piano all day or solve a puzzle."
"She's more relaxed when family is close by" Nora concluded.
Max paused for a moment, glancing behind himself at Nora "Her mother died suddenly, Katy never got to say goodbye."
Nora gave a tight lipped smile "I read the articles" she admitted, though thoroughly embarrassed by the admittance as it was made. "I know Chloe fell off of that hotel terrace. That must have been horrible for Katy."
"Ever since then, Katy has hated not being near her family at all hours of the day. Even being with Lia is like being with a stranger for Katy, and they've known each other for months."
"She's scared to get close to anyone" Nora realized as her heart broke for the little girl.
"Not many four year olds have to mend broken hearts" Max explained.
Nora gave a sympathetic and yet knowing smile "They shouldn't have to."
"No. They shouldn't." After taking a quick look around the club Max caught Nora's eye, "You know what, why don't you head home early? Go see your daughter." Sensing that Nora was about to protest Max offered up a simple, pleasant smile "Go see your daughter" he said again.
Nora smiled and nodded before grabbing her binder, pencil and calculator off of the bar counter. Just as she was leaving she turned back around, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes "Thank you Max." Max smiled and watched as Nora left.
"Are my eyes and nose deceiving me or has my daughter actually baked?" Nora asked as she stepped through the door, the sweet aroma of cinnamon cookies filling her senses.
Loren turned around, having just pulled the last batch of cookies out of the oven. "Ha ha very funny" she said as she pulled the oven mitt off and grabbed one of the cookies off of the cooling rack and walked up to her mother, handing it to her. "They're actually really good. My neighbor back in New York was this sweet little old lady and was always baking. She gave me a few of her recipes before I left."
Loren stepped back into the kitchen as Nora took a bite of the cookie and moaned as the taste lit her taste buds on fire. "Oh my god" she mumbled, her mouth still full "that's amazing."
"I know" Loren grabbed one of the cookies for herself. "Apparently she used to own a bakery in Soho but she closed it when her husband died. She never stopped experimenting though."
"What was her name?"
"Charlotte, but she made everyone in the building call her Letty." Loren followed as her mom began making her way over to the couch, both Tate women sitting with their bodies turned towards one another, their legs tucked underneath them. "So how was work?" There was suggestive tone to Loren's voice that made Nora eye her disapprovingly "What?"
Shaking her head, Nora pulled one of the pillows to her chest then reached to the back of the couch, pulling the blanket down and on top of them both. "First of all, Max is my boss, period and second of all, I actually met little Katy Duran today."
Loren perked up slightly "Really? What was she like?"
Nora smiled "She looked so much Katy, her grandmother I mean and she was really sweet, a little broken but that's to be expected after what she's been through."
Resting her elbow on the back of the couch and her head in the palm of her head, Loren gave a sympathetic smile "I think it's pretty admirable that Eddie's kept her out of the press since Chloe died."
Considering the words for a moment, Nora shrugged "Something tells me it was never Eddie who wanted her in the press, I think it was Chloe. Eddie seems pretty protective of her."
Loren shook her head from the topic of their conversation "I can't believe we're having a conversation about the Duran family. I can't believe you know the Duran's. How did you pull this job off anyway? Was it just listed in the paper or something?"
Nora shook her head "After Don and I broke up I quit the clinic and needed a new job, obviously and a woman I go to yoga with, Harriet, her daughter is friends with Grace, one of the bartenders at MK. Harriet told me MK was looking for a manager so I stopped in one day, handed my resume in and was hired a few days later."
"Just like that" Loren stated incredulously.
"Just like that" Nora nodded.
"So have you slept with him yet?"
Nora's eyes widened and she suddenly thanked the stars for the fact that she wasn't drinking anything in that moment. "Loren!"
"What?" Loren laughed at her mother's reaction "You've had a crush on him since you were seventeen! It's not an outrageous question."
"He's my boss" Nora stressed.
Loren rose an eyebrow "That didn't stop you with Don." A pillow then flew at Loren's face and she let out a shriek.
Nora had a gaping expression on her face "I can't believe you went there." A chuckle then erupted from the older woman's chest.
Catching her breath from her own fit of laughter, Loren set the pillow on the ground. "I missed you Mom." Her voice was quiet but in the one floor home it rang out like a million chimes in the wind, circulating the statement around the room, again and again.
Nora turned to her daughter, tears threatening to fall "What happened there Lo?"
Loren shook her head as Nora brought her into her arms and together they cried. What happened didn't matter. Right there, right then, they were together, holding one another, mother and daughter safe in each other's arms.
As Eddie reached for the lamp, Katy's small hand wrapped around his wrist and his eyes dropped to hers, her large doe eyes slightly pleading as she pulled the blankets up to her chin and glanced towards her closet, sinking further into the bed.
Eddie smiled weakly, defeated from the long day, ready to fall into a deep dream state. "Do you want me to check your closet?"
Katy pulled the blanket up further so that it was now covering her nose as she nodded.
"Okay" Eddie kissed his daughter's forehead and rose from his knees to his feet as he made his way to the little's girl's large walk in closet. He pulled the double doors open and stepped inside, switching on the light. "No monsters, goblins or ghouls" Eddie said as he switched the light off and pulled the doors closed behind him.
Katy brought her two index fingers together above her head, creating a triangle
Eddie shook his head "No, no witches either. I promise."
Katy smiled as she inhaled deeply then exhaled all of her fear.
Taking hold of the bedroom door knob, Eddie turned back towards the room, Katy watching his every move as she held tightly onto her stuffed elephant. "I love you Katy." He blew her a kiss. She caught it, placing it over her heart and then blew her own kiss which Eddie caught as well and placed over his own heart. "Goodnight sweetheart." With that he closed the door. Minutes later Katy was asleep, dreaming of the elephants she saw as she ventured through an African safari.
Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of Lost for Words and have fallen madly in love with Katy like I have. She'll only tighten her grasp on your heart as the story continues.
And because I know I'm bound to get these questions from many of you (one of you has already asked) Loren and Katy will meet in chapter 2, Loren and Eddie will meet in chapter 3. I needed to build a little bit of a background before I brought the main characters together.
Thank you so much for reading! Please review, favourite and follow as always!
Stay Classy!
-Tia