Not Broken: The Happily Ever After(64)

“I thought you said you got most of the furniture.”

“I did, but I sold it.” She turned her face up in disgust. “I couldn’t be sure he and that whore of his didn’t have their bodies on it. I just refused to let him have it.” She stopped and laughed. “Boy, he was pissed when he found out I’d sold it.”

I shook my head and laughed. Shawn walked over with one of his books and took a seat in my lap. I started reading it too him as best I could since he liked to flip the pages before I’d finished it.

She blew on her coffee and took a sip. “Where were you yesterday morning?”

“Huh?”

“When I left for work, your car was gone, so where were you off to first thing in the morning?”

I went back to attempting Shawn’s story. I could feel Dorian’s eyes watching me closely. I shrugged.

“Nowhere particular. I was just…” I stopped and tried to figure out what to say. Dorian and I had managed to be civil to each other while she was here, but I still didn’t feel comfortable talking to her about personal topics. I couldn’t be sure when she’d turn things on me. “I just needed to get out of the house.”

That wasn’t the first time I’d felt claustrophobic here. There’d been plenty of times when the thoughts and feelings became too much, and I’d really felt like I was losing my mind. Those nights I’d end up curled in a ball on the very couch where she now sat, with a bottle of wine, doing my best to drown out the noise. Leaving the house and going to Malcolm was an impulsive act I was still trying to wrap my head around.

“Well, I must say, you’ve put up with me longer than I thought you would. But I guess now I’m running you from your house.”

I turned to look at her, but she looked down at her cup as she took another drink.

“Okay, what’s going on?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You heard me. What are you planning? You’ve been uncharacteristically nice to me as of late, and I have to say, it’s starting to be a little unsettling.” Shawn crawled away, and I got up from my spot on the floor to sit on the other couch.

“What are you talking about? Why do you always think I’m plotting against you?”

“Seriously, Dorian?”

She rolled her eyes in response. My phone started ringing just as I was going to question her more. I headed into the kitchen to retrieve it from the counter. A flurry of nervous activity started in my stomach when I saw Malcolm’s number on my screen.

“Hello.”

“Good morning, gorgeous.”

I smiled at his greeting. “You’re in a good mood this morning.”

“Any reason I shouldn’t be?”

For him, maybe not, but I was a whole other story. Last night I struggled to sleep. I spent most of the night tossing and turning. I couldn’t shake the feeling in my stomach that something bad was going to happen. I didn’t know if it was because my nerves were still rattled from everything that happened with Malcolm or what. I had been nervous the whole time Macy was over, and had been thankful our conversations never turned to Mal. I hated feeling so unsettled and completely off kilter.

“Guess not.” I leaned back against the counter and watched as Dorian got down on the floor to read to Shawn. “So, what’s up?”

“Do you think your folks would babysit tonight?”

“Um, not sure. It’s kinda last minute. Why?”

“I’d like to take you out.”

“Like on a date?”

He laughed. “Yes, baby, on a date. Isn’t that what normal couples do? Go out, enjoy each other’s company? That sort of thing.”

I started chewing on my thumbnail as I mulled over his words. “Are we, though?”

“Are we what?”

“A normal couple?”

There was a brief silence before he answered. “Now that I think about it, no, we’re not. We’re extraordinary.”

My loud laughter at his comment drew looks from Dorian and Shawn. Malcolm. My sweet, funny Malcolm could always find ways to bring a smile to my face. My Malcolm.

“It’s a date, Ginger. A do-over if you’ll let me. A new beginning.”

With all my erratic behavior, he was the one asking for a do-over. He was trying his best to stand by me, the least I could do was hold up my end and really give things a chance.

“Let me call them to see if they can, and I’ll call you back.”

Dorian came walking over, holding Shawn at arm’s length. “He smells.”

She handed him to me and walked away. I hung up with Malcolm then took Shawn upstairs to get changed and dressed for the day.

“Why don’t you ever ask me to babysit?”

I turned to see Dorian propped up in the doorway as I’d finished getting Shawn ready. “You’re joking right?”

She frowned. “No. I handle million-dollar deals. You doubt my ability to handle a toddler?”

“Um, yeah. You handed him off to me because he had a poopy diaper. I’m supposed to leave him with you?”

She shrugged. “You were home, so why did I need to suffer through that diaper change? I’m not incapable, I just rather not if there’s another option.”