Chapter 15

Six weeks had passed by since Abigail's death. Molly was adjusting to her new school really well. Her teachers always had a funny story to tell Addison when she would go to pick her up at the end of the day. Apparently Molly was quite bossy and had no trouble taking over the class when the teachers turned their backs for a minute or two. She had mischievously convinced the class that she was a witch and knew plenty of spells to keep the other kids in line if they did not listen to her. At first, Addison was concerned that this was the start of a life of bullying but the psychologist reassured her that Molly's personality was beginning to form and it was nothing to worry about.

Pete had been over almost every night since the sleepover much to Molly's delight. His homemade ice cream had completely won her over and she insisted that he come over for dinner every chance he got. On the nights he wasn't there, she would mope around talking about him non stop. His presence was as addictive to Addison as it was to Molly. She would never admit it but the nights he wasn't there, she thought about him constantly. The sexual tension was as thick as it could get but there was also something more that neither was ready nor willing to give into.

"Aunt Addie, guess what?!" Molly scrambled into the car and buckled her self into her booster seat. "Kieran invited me over for a sleep over tonight. Can I go?"

Addison's eyebrow's shot up in surprise. This was the first time she had to deal with Molly being away from her for the night. She wasn't sure how to feel about it. She was happy that Molly was making new friends but worried about where she was going to be staying. Were the parents responsible or were they going to let the girls run around unsupervised? What if the family lived in a dangerous part of town? Addison thought for a moment, "I'd like to meet Kieran's parents first before I say yes or no."

Molly reached into her back pack and pulled out a phone number. "This is Kieran's phone number."

The minute they pulled into the driveway Molly started begging Addison to call. She grabbed the phone and dialed the number.

Two hours later, they were pulling up to the driveway of a very nice two story home. There was a nice privacy fence surrounding the back yard and Addison could hear the giggles of happy children coming from the other side. The front door opened and a dark haired guy about Addison's age walked out smiling.

"You must be Molly's aunt. I'm Jared, Kieran's dad." He reached out and shook Addison's hand, "Please come on in."

They walked into the house and Addison took in her surroundings. The house was very tidy with the exception of a few dolls lying here and there. The smell of fresh baked cookies drifted from the kitchen and the sound of Dora the Explorer floated through the air.

Jared looked down at Molly and smiled, "Molly would you like me to take your things so you can join the other girls out back?"

Molly nodded and handed over her belongings, rushing out through the back door.

Jared motioned to a chair at the kitchen table, "Please have a seat. I know you probably won't leave her here until you are comfortable with me." He laughed, "Can I get you something to drink?"

Addison nodded her head, "Water would be great, thanks." She looked over at the picture sitting on the desk next to her. The picture of just Jared and Kieran confirmed her suspicions. The mom obviously did not live with them. Either she was deceased or they were divorced.

Jared noticed her looking at the picture and read her thoughts. "Kathy and I are divorced. I have full custody of Kieran."

Addison smiled, feeling guilty for being so obvious. "Am I that easy to read?"

He laughed, "No not at all. I just figured that you'd eventually ask. I have a live in nanny that helps me with Kieran. She's actually going to be running the show tonight. I just agreed to provide the room and she took care of the rest."

Addison smiled back at him. He seemed like such a great guy. As a divorcee herself she couldn't help but wonder what had went wrong. "So what do you do for a living Jared?"

"I own my own business. We design, sell and install alarms for both commercial and residential customers. You may have heard of us, Outstanding Security Plus?"

Addison grinned, "I'm actually one of your customers."

He chuckled, "Well so then we practically know each other already."

They laughed and chatted a little more. Addison felt confident that Molly was in good hands so she agreed to let her stay the night. After giving her a third hug and making her promise to call if she needed anything, Addison started walking out to her car.

Jared followed her out. "Listen, I know this may sound really forward but would you like to have dinner sometime?"

Addison hesitated, her thoughts automatically drifting to Pete. "Um, I... work a lot."

He laughed, "You do eat though right?"

Addison laughed, "Yes, of course."

"Well then it's a date. I'll pick you up tomorrow night at 8." He turned to walk away but turned around again, "You work at Oceanside Wellness right?"

Addison nodded and drove off. She wasn't too sure how she felt about going out with Jared. She and Pete weren't exactly dating but she felt a twinge of guilt about accepting a date with someone she hardly knew. Oh well, she thought, what's done is done. Besides, she was going to have the opportunity to dress up and get out of the house for the evening. That in itself was enough of a reason to put a smile on her face for the time being.