June 15th, 2005
Angel Grove, CA
The baby slept better than I did that night. I tossed and turned, wondering what the hell Nick could want. Was he calling to tell me he was going to go after Lily now that she was here? He had no case there. He wasn't the biological father and he wasn't listed on the birth certificate. That was all iron tight on my end, making sure he would never be able to try to get her no matter what. Had prison made him realize the error of his ways and he was calling to apologize? I doubt that. Even if it had, I knew he wasn't the type of person to admit that he was wrong. Especially when it came to those who did him wrong as well. As much of an ass as he was to me, I had cheated on him with Tommy. That would be the ultimate betrayal in his mind, something he told me over and over again while we were together. He'd never be able to overlook it.
When Tommy came home that night, I decided to not tell him Nick had tried to call. I didn't want to worry him and since I had banned them from calling here again, I didn't see where there would be an issue. I wanted that chapter of my life gone so I could focus on the new one with Tommy. Having Nick come back as a concern wasn't going to help matters much. I decided to forget it happened and just go on with life.
The next morning, I woke up and got dressed for work. Lily would be going to work with me this morning because Tommy had an important meeting with the bank to discuss his loan for the dojo. I had tried to get out of work today but there was a board meeting and someone had to be in the building to open up for the set designers in the theater. I would be able to hang out with her in my office though and Tommy had given me his laptop to play Sesame Street on if need be. So, I loaded her up in the car with her diaper bag and portable pack and play and headed to work. Aisha was going to be meeting me for a play date lunch with Matteo. She had the day off and didn't feel like hanging out at home for the day. I was looking forward to spending some time with her and getting Lily around Matteo. Sure she was too little to actually play but it would do her some good to see another baby.
"Good morning!" Rosey said as I hauled in Lily and all her things into the building. She was at the front desk, going through cloth swatches. She came around the desk and took the car seat from me so I could set everything down. Lily smiled up at her as Rosey peaked under the car seat cover at her. "Look at that beautiful smile. You are just as pretty as your momma."
"Thanks." I said, grabbing my mail from the mailbox behind the desk. "She's gonna spend the day learning the arts while Mommy works."
"Well doesn't that sound like fun." Rosey said. She grabbed her cane and followed me up the stairs, carefully carrying the car seat while I dragged the rest up. I unlocked my office door and she set Lily down on top of my desk.
"Maybe I'll let her watch the audition tapes and she can pick out the Tin Man." I offered, smiling at Rosey while I assembled the pack and play. She snorted, shaking her head as she took the cover off of Lily.
"Tell Mommy that torture is better suited for the evil."
"Tell me about it." I sighed, wiping sweat from my brow. "Think I'm going to invest in an office baby line cause I'm not hauling this with me each time she has to come with me."
"Why not just work from home today? I could have opened up for the meeting."
"I'll only be here for the morning and then I'm meeting a friend for a lunch play date. It was just easier this way. Care to join us? Two cute babies for the price of one."
"I'd love to but I'm attending the board meeting this afternoon for Mr. Ridley. I'm free for a little bit though if you need any help with this little one." She took Lily's hand in hers for a moment, wiggling her fingers.
"You'll be the first to know." Rosey bid me a farewell before heading back down the stairs. I got Lily out of her car seat, fixing her little pink outfit she was wearing before putting her in the swing I had also brought. I set up Tommy's laptop on the TV cart in the corner and popped the Sesame Street DVD in the drive. Elmo came on screen and I shifted her so she could see it. I grabbed her bottle and shook it up, putting my scripts on the floor so I could feed her and read them at the same time.
We had a pretty productive morning. I managed to do the adjustments to my script and map out the set designs for the second act while she watched Sesame Street. We had a dirty diaper after that but she giggled while I changed her. We did tummy time after that, her trying her best to grab at her toes while she laid on her blanket. That's where we were when Aisha popped into my office, Matteo in her hands.
"Hey!" She said, smiling brightly. She had a yellow hoodie on and a pair of skinny jeans, her hair pulled back in a bun. She looked beautiful off course, shaming me as a new mom. Sure she had a few months on me but she at least looked put together. Me, on the other hand, was rocking a pair of jeans I had worn yesterday and an old sweater Mom had left behind. I was turning into my mother and it made me want to shudder at the thought.
"Hi!" I replied, standing up from the floor. Matty was in her arms wearing a cute pair of jeans and a red onesie that said 'Momma's Boy' on the front. His hair had grown a great deal and the thick black curls were crazy on the top of his head. He smiled brightly at me when I kissed his forehead. "Hey, Matty!" He squealed, clapping his hands. "He's just too cute. I'm jealous of those curls."
"I know. He gets that from Rocky's sisters. Can't wait to see what they look like when he's older."
"He'll be a lady killer, that's for sure."
"The only lady he should be worried about is Miss Lily Rose." She set Matty on the floor before scooping up Lily. "Hi, pretty girl. How are you today?" Lily cooed, more focused on the light fixture above our heads than Aisha. "She is more aware of her surroundings I see." Aisha smiled, setting her in her car seat. I nodded.
"Yeah. She's holding her head up so much now and she's getting better at tummy time. I"m thinking she might be ready to roll over sooner than I want her to."
"Usually how that works. This one was rolling by the time I was heading back to work. I can't tell you how much sleep Rocky lost, worrying he'd roll over in his sleep and stop breathing. He still does that but tries to hide it."
"Oh, poor Rocky." Aisha scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"Poor Rocky my ass." From her purse on her arm, a loud music started playing. "Shit. That's my work phone. One sec." She dove her hand inside, trying to find the cell phone. She pulled it out, looking at the screen. "It's an important client. Can you watch Matty for a minute?" She asked. I nodded. She pressed a button and brought it to her ear while she stepped in the hallway. Matty was batting around Lily's tummy time toys, paying close attention to the bumble bee that had a mirror on it.
"You like that?" I asked, bending down so I was near both babies.
"Mr. Greene, I know that it's frustrating but there's nothing I can do right now since I'm not in the office. You'll have to see if Lydia can help you." I heard Aisha say. "I understand that it's an emergency but I can't help at this time." She sighed, coming back into the doorway. The phone was still to her ear. "I have my son with me and can't just come to your home."
"If you gotta go, go. I have him." I whispered.
"You sure?" She mouthed, looking apologetic. I nodded.
"Go." I said.
"Mr. Greene, I can be there in a few minutes but I only have a short time window. I will see you soon." She hung up and sighed, throwing the phone back in her purse. "I'm really sorry. I wouldn't if it wasn't important."
"It's fine. I can handle Matty. We can have our lunch date when you get back." I replied.
"Thanks, girl. I owe you one." Bending down, she kissed the top of Matty's head. "I'll be right back, buddy. Momma loves you." She stood up. "See you in a bit."
With a wave, she walked out of my office. I heard the stairs and then the front door shut. Since I hadn't heard Rosey speak to her, I knew she had gone into the board meeting downstairs. Sighing, I looked down at the babies. Lily was drifting off now in her car seat while Matty was focused on the toys. I picked him and the toys up, setting him in the pack and play. Carefully, I moved Lily to the other side of the room so he wouldn't wake her up. I tucked her blanket around her and kissed her cheek lightly. She didn't stir, her chest rising and falling as she slept. Making sure she was still in eye sight of me, I sat at the desk and flipped through the script I was working on.
After about half an hour, I saw that Matty had fallen asleep in the pack and play. Both babies were sleeping now, silence filling the room. Smiling, I leaned back in my chair. Most days, I question my ability to parent by myself once Tommy moves out. But I managed to get two kids asleep and didn't need any assistance. Maybe I could do this once he was gone. I frowned. He would be leaving my house in only just a few weeks. It hurt to think that he wouldn't be there when I needed him but I knew he had been right. To get closer, we needed to keep that space to know if it's really what we wanted. I knew that I wanted to be with him but I had to honor the fact that he wanted to do this step first. I could do that. Besides, he was close by and would be there at a moment's notice with just a call.
Creaking on the stairs made my head snap up. Aisha was more than likely back from meeting with her client. I stood, walking over to my door and opening it quietly. To my surprise though, it wasn't Aisha standing in the hallway. Instead, there was a taller man with broad shoulders. He was bald with a brown goatee on his chin, sunglasses hanging from the zipper of the tan overalls he was wearing. There was a tool belt around his waist and a backpack hanging off his shoulder. He seemed surprised to see me as well, his eyes widening when I opened the door.
"Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone was here besides me." He said, his voice deep. It reminded me of someone but I couldn't recall who.
"It's alright. I'm Kimberly, the director. Can I help you with something? No one but the administration team is supposed to be up here." I said.
"I was called about fixing a gas line." He explained, giving me a smile. "They asked me to come out and look things over."
"Really? No one told me about any gas issues and that sort of thing gets run by me." I said. There was something about this dude that made me feel uneasy.
"Gas leaks are a bit of an emergency. Could be why." He said. Stretching his neck, he looked behind me. "Cute kid. Is she yours?" He nodded at Lily. I looked over my shoulder and noticed she was awake now, her eyes focused on the two of us in the doorway.
"Yes. Thank you. Do you have a name of the person that called in?" I questioned. He shook his head.
"That would be a corporate question. I just go to the addresses of the service calls." He looked at Lily again. "How old is she?"
"A month." I said.
"Precious little thing. Kids at this age, you know? They might just sit around but they are cute at least." He smiled, something in his eyes making me want to squirm as he spoke. "You and her father must be proud."
"We are. How about I call my boss and see what's going on?" I moved to go into the office and saw that he was right behind me as I did. I kept myself between him and Lily as I walked over to the phone. He saw Matteo sleeping in the pack and play and he let out a little chuckle.
"Oh! I didn't even see this one over here. He's a cutie too. He yours too?" He asked. I shook my head, wishing that I had put the playpen closer to my desk. I couldn't put myself between the guy and both kids.
"He's my nephew. Let me call my boss." I reached for the phone and my rolodex where Mr. Ridley's number was.
"It's alright. I'll leave my information and you can contact the company when you get the details sorted out." He responded. Stepping closer to me, he smiled at Lily. "Look at you. You're Mommy's little one, that's for sure. Not in the eyes though. Those must be daddy's."
"I'll take your information." I said, stepping in front of him. He acted like he didn't even hear me.
"Is Daddy working? Is that why you're here with Mommy?" The man sighed and reached into the pockets of his work clothes. "Seems like I've run out of business cards. I can write it down if you'd like."
"It's fine. I will just call the gas company. I'm sure they will get the information to you."
"True. What's her name?" He asked, side stepping so he could see Lily around me. I did a half step, not wanting to make him think I was scared. I was though. I wanted him to leave right now and to never come back.
"I'm sorry. I have an important meeting and my husband will be here any moment. I'll have my boss contact your company as soon as possible." I gave him a smile.
"Your husband?" He asked, looking confused. "I didn't think you were married."
"Why?" I questioned. He pointed at my hand.
"No rings. Most married women wear wedding rings. Unless you don't have any value in that type of thing. I know once my wife stopped wearing her rings, she started stepping out on me. You don't seem like that type of person, Kimberly. Are you?"
"You need to go." I said, not liking the direction this was turning. "I have work to do."
"Of course. Of course." He brought his hands down to his tool belt where I saw his palm rest on a hammer. I was defenseless up here. Everyone else was downstairs. They would never hear me if I screamed for help. I had to get this guy out of this room with the babies and me. He glanced over at Matteo who was beginning to stir in the play pen. He let out a little cry as he sat up. "Oh, hey, buddy." He moved to step towards him.
"The gas line is in the basement. You can check it if you need to." I lied. I had no clue if there was one down there or not. He stopped, looking over at me. "The theater group is down there. They can point you in the right direction of the boiler room."
"You sure?" He asked. I forced a smile, nodding.
"Yeah. No worries. Ask for Rosey. She'll show you where to go once you're down there." He looked over at Lily again.
"Alright then. I'll get out of your hair. You two little ones are lucky to have Kimberly here. Especially you, princess." He waved his fingers at my daughter. "She is certainly beautiful. You're lucky to have such a precious gift of a child." He walked towards the doorway. "I would be careful with her if I were you. It would be a shame if something were to happen to her."
"What?" I whispered, my heart thundering in my chest. He smiled, shaking his head.
"Just some unsolicited advice. Take care, you two." He winked before walking out the door. Once he was out of the doorway, I ran over and slammed the door shut. I locked it as well, Lily beginning to cry from the loud noise of the door. I leaned against the door, making sure it wasn't going to open. I heard his steps on the stairs, telling me he was gone. I stepped away from the door, picking Lily up.
"Shhh." I said, rocking her to calm her down. I grabbed the phone receiver and called down to the boardroom. It rang for a minute, no one answering. I dialed the extension for the theater next, this time someone answering it on the second ring.
"Hi, Kim." Rosey's voice said.
"Did someone call the gas company?" I asked.
"What?" She laughed.
"Was there a gas leak or something? There was just a man from the gas company in my office and he said someone called a leak in. Was there one?"
"Well, I sure hope not seeing as there is no gas in this building. Everything is electric here." She replied. "Where did the man go?"
"I sent him down to the basement to find you."
"No one has come down here. I've been sitting at concession stand doing the books. No one has even come down the stairs. He must have left." I closed my eyes, a cold feeling of fear washing over me. "Kim?"
"I think he was trying to steal the stuff up here. I caught him off guard." I said.
"I'll be right up there."
"No. It's fine. Really." I said, shaking my head. I adjusted Lily in my arms and set her down in the car seat again.
"We should at least call the police. We don't know if this guy has plans on coming back here."
"I'll give Mr. Ridley a call. Keep an eye out for him down there, alright?"
"I will. You call if he shows back up. I mean it, Kimberly."
"I will. I promise. Thanks, Rosey." I hung the phone up and leaned against my desk. Who the hell was that guy and what the hell did he want?
