Taking Tiffany Read online

  I returned his smile and leaned closer.

  “I have something else I should tell you,” he said.

  “Sir. Miss. You can go back in now. It was a false alarm.”

  I was so involved with Todd, I hadn’t noticed everyone had started back in.

  “Thank you…” I stopped midsentence. It was the same sergeant from the Habitat House.

  “Oh, it’s you. Thank you, Sergeant Campbell.”

  He stared at us for a moment. “First a bomb scare, now a fire alarm? You two sure have had an eventful week.”

  “Yeah. I guess we have.” I laughed.

  Todd took my hand and we headed back toward the building.

  “It is kind of weird how both these things happened in the same week. Do you think they’re connected?” he asked.

  “How could they be?”

  “Yeah. You’re right. Are you ready for my world famous eggplant parmesan?”

  “Yes, but wasn’t there something else you wanted to talk to me about?”

  A shadow crossed his face. “No, not right now. Let’s just enjoy the rest of the evening.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Angela

  Six months earlier

  MORNING ARRIVED. I’D survived my first night. Only three hundred and sixty-four more to go. That’s a laugh. I knew with certainty I wasn’t going to make it. Formulating an escape plan was essential. First, I needed to sneak into Dottie’s office to get my phone charged. My parents made sure to confiscate my old phone and cancel my plan. They thought I’d use it to get myself out of this hellhole. It was the first smart thing they’d done. But I was smarter. Buying a satellite phone in London was easy. Using a fake name, I paid cash for a year of service. All I needed now was a way to get out of here and disappear. I had enough money saved to live for a long time. But I wanted more. I’d have to think on that.

  After I heard Ivy tearing into the third bag of Cheetos, I knew I needed to intervene. I didn’t care if she polished off my stash, but, the fake orange goodness would be coming up in the form of vomit if she didn’t slow down. Her stomach wouldn’t be able to process all that food at once.

  Exaggerating a stretch and groan, I let Ivy know I was awake. The chomping and crunching came to a sudden halt. The covers rose and the suspicious sound of plastic went under the sheets.

  “Knock, knock! Are you decent?” Dottie’s voice came through the flimsy door. No. “Yes.”

  She poked her head in. “Can I get you anything?” Her eyes switched to Ivy. “Hi, honey. How are you— Oh, my God! Something’s wrong with Mirela!” She swung her petite frame out the door and shouted, “Dr. Stefan! Come quickly. Mirela is sick!”

  “No, no. Ivy’s fine. She had a little sna—” I didn’t get the chance to explain before Dr. Snooty came barging in.

  He approached the bed and squatted next to Ivy. I pulled up the sheets to cover my nightie. Couldn’t a girl get any privacy in this place? With his thumb, he swiped over the Cheetos dust, looked at it and smiled.

  “Dottie, I think Mirela will recover. However, she might have a stomachache later.” He stopped to study me. “But she should be fine. Well, maybe better than fine,” he added and gave me the slightest smile. What?

  He mouthed ‘Thanks’ which made me feel all sorts of uncomfortable. Why was he thanking me? I didn’t do anything. I usually paid people to acknowledge me. I bought appreciation. You don’t deserve it, that’s why. The room was hot, and my skin became clammy.

  Dottie walked farther into the hut and stopped when she noticed the bright orange bag half concealed by the sheets. Her eyes shifted to Dr. Stefan and she laughed. “Contraband.”

  He nodded once. “Yes. It looks like everything’s under control here. I have some patients to tend to, so I’ll be going.”

  “Wait!” I shouted. “Can you take Ivy with you? She might, you know, need to throw up or something.” It was morning, but the day was already hot. I didn’t need or want a leg warmer today.

  On cue, Ivy scrambled over to my leg and latched on. Oh, hell.

  “There isn’t anything I can do about the potential vomiting. I’d recommend you give her small amounts of water every fifteen minutes. It should dilute out the poison they put in those things to make them taste good.”

  “Cheetos are not poison!” I adamantly declared.

  He was back to Mr. Stupidly Handsome. He rolled his eyes. Ooooh. That made me so angry. No one rolls their eyes at me. I asked in a barely contained voice, “Excuse me? Did you just roll your eyes at me?”

  Those same eyes narrowed, and he leaned toward me. In a quiet voice, he said, “Yeah. And I will again if you say anything stupid.”

  Anger, and I think hatred, spiked my blood. “You, you…you can’t say that to me!”

  “Why is that?” His expression shifted to amusement…and arrogance. I wanted to slap that look right off his face. A thick curl of black hair fell down onto his forehead, and he casually swiped it back. The subtle movement made me feel like I’d just run a race.

  With my red face, pursed lips, and fisted hands, I was about to unleash my fury.

  Dottie noticed and intervened. “Oh, look at the time. Dr. Stefan, your first appointment was five minutes ago. Thanks so much for your help!” She practically shoved him out the door before I could give him my slap down. And it would have been good.

  After he left, Dottie came to the bed, sat on the edge, and asked, “Do you have more junk food?”

  I didn’t want to give it up. “Maybe.”

  She smiled. “It’s hard to get that kind of thing out here. Usually, we have the opposite problem when new children arrive.” She cast a glance at Ivy. “The kids are so hungry they’ll eat anything.”

  “Do you want me to give her more?”

  “Well…maybe a little at a time? I don’t think it would hurt. If we don’t get some solid food and liquids in her, we might have to hook her up to an IV. Dr. Stefan is on stand-by today.”

  The arms around my thigh tightened.

  “We can do that, right, Ivy?” I nudged her. “You and I will have some really good junk food together. Dr. Stefan doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

  That’s when it happened. It was a sound like no other; almost whisper-like, but there was no mistaking it. Ivy giggled.

  Dottie and I locked eyes, and tears formed. Tears. Stop it. It was only a laugh. But, this child probably hadn’t laughed in a long time. Maybe even years. The thought was inconceivable to me. That same foreign emotion I’d felt earlier crashed upon me like a tsunami hitting the shore.

  Shame.

  I didn’t know what was happening to me, but it was going to stop. I’d find a way to shove Ivy off on to someone else. A means to get out of here would be my top priority, and it needed to be soon. What did they think would happen? I’d become some sniveling do-gooder? No. I was above all that. I had class and breeding. Sure, I’d do charity work and help the poor, but I’d be like everyone else. I’d do it at a distance. That’s what wealthy people did. That’s how my parents always did it. They never got their hands dirty. Did they think I would?

  Think again, it wasn’t going to happen.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Todd

  “SO, WHAT’S THE verdict?” I asked.

  “Delicious! If I hadn’t watched you cook, I wouldn’t have believed it.” She leaned back and rubbed her stomach. “But, I can’t eat another bite.”

  “Come on.” I reached out my hand. “Let’s go out on the balcony and watch the stars twinkle.”

  “Aw. You’re so romantic.” She took my hand.

  “Hang on. I even have music.” I picked up the remote and aimed it toward the stereo. “I put together a playlist I think you’ll like.”

  I picked up a few blankets that were draped over the couch and guided her onto the deck. She bypassed the lounge chairs and went directly to the railing. “Wow. I should have come out here earlier. Look at this view. I can see the entire city. There’s the
Space Needle, and the Great Wheel, and the Sound. Oh look, ferry boats!”

  The stereo clicked on and the first song began.

  “No way! You didn’t!” Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin filled the air. “How did you know? Was it my t-shirt? My t-shirt gave me away, didn’t it?” She tipped her head back and laughed. She was so carefree in that moment, I wanted to capture it. If only I could hold this exact second in time and bring it out when I needed it.

  She turned and held out her arms. “Dance with me?”

  I was happy to comply. I held her, and when the music was on the upswing, she’d twirl and come back to me. We laughed and danced until the next song came on, ‘If I Fell’ by the Beatles. I’d chosen this particular song because the lyrics fit so well. They described my hopes, but also my fears. I didn’t want to get hurt again.

  Before the song finished, Tiffany placed both hands on my face and said, “I promise.”

  There was a twisting in my chest, and then it released. It felt like a tightly wound coil had been set free. There was a lightness to my soul I’d never felt before. I took her into my arms and kissed her long and hard.

  “I want to stay with you tonight,” she breathed into my mouth. She noticed my hesitation and added, “I know you want to take this slow. I’m okay with that. Technically, this is our first date. But we’ve known each other for a year. I’d like to think we were at least friends all this time?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “So, because this is our first date, we won’t, you know, take it too far. But I want to be with you, to hold you. Maybe on our second date we can reevaluate?”

  “Tiffany, do you remember our discussion about our crazy, insane, and, I’ll add, very hot connection? It’s not going to work.”

  “So we promise each other, for this first date, we’ll just sleep. I’ve never broken a promise. Have you?”

  “No. But there’s always a first time.” I smiled because I knew where this would go.

  “We’ve shared a lot today. I feel so close to you. Do you want this date to end?”

  “No. But I also know this is our first date, and your parents, specifically your father, is also aware of it.”

  “My father.”

  “Yes. Your father.”

  “I have told you my age, correct?”

  “Yes. I know, almost thirty.”

  “So you think my father will what—come over here at dawn and ask you for a duel to protect my honor?”

  “No. I’m concerned he’ll lose respect.”

  “For you?”

  “Maybe for both of us.”

  “He doesn’t know our history. This may be our first official date, but we’ve had feelings for each other for a year. Granted, we both denied those feelings, but they were always there.”

  She picked up her cell, and, with swift fingers, sent a text in under a minute.

  “Done,” she said.

  “What have you done?”

  “I texted my dad so he wouldn’t worry tonight.”

  “Tiffany.”

  “I may have said I was going to take a shift tonight to help Jain with her baby. I just left out the part it was really scheduled for tomorrow at ten a.m. I’ve never been good at texting.” Her hopeful eyes looked at me for permission. “I can’t imagine anything better than to hold you tonight. I want to fall asleep with you.” She shrugged.

  “So do I.”

  And we did, eventually.

  It wasn’t too bad at first. We were both so tired that, when Tiffany snuggled up next to me, I immediately relaxed. We could do this.

  “We won’t kiss, because, you know, that starts everything,” she whispered.

  She was right. As long as we didn’t kiss, I thought I could enjoy her warmth without too much torture.

  She fell asleep first. I was glad, because it gave me the chance to watch her, unguarded. Wearing one of my t-shirts and a pair of boxers, she looked like she belonged here, in my home. I never before found myself lost taking in every delicate line and curve of someone’s features. For the first time, I noticed three tiny freckles, forming a triangle under her right eye, and a small mole under her left ear. I placed a soft kiss on both.

  Every time I’d seen her at one of the functions, her beauty would take my breath away. She had always been Tiffany, the woman I tried to avoid. But I could never seem to stay away. We always seemed to end up next to each other, talking about inconsequential things. But they were important, I knew that now. I was able to take those small things I’d learned and piece them together to really understand her. Looking at her now, with a slice of silvery moonlight that fell across her side of the bed, it reminded me of the first time I saw her. Tiffany was beautiful, with her silky, blonde hair and heart shaped face, but I smiled knowing that wasn’t the best thing about her. She had a beautiful soul.

  After staring at her for an hour, my lids started to droop. With the cooking and multiple cleanings I’d put my condo through, combined with the fire alarm, dinner, and dancing, I was exhausted. Tiffany was right, this did feel good. I put my hand gently on her back and let sleep take me.

  I opened my eyes to darkness. I didn’t have the dreaded dream again. Why was I awake? That’s when I felt it … and smelled something delicious. Lilac. Tiffany. Her hand was on my chest, under my t-shirt, and it was moving. I turned toward her and she pulled her hand back.

  “Busted,” she chuckled.

  Darkness shadowed most of the room except for the greyish moonlight coming through the shutters. I glanced at the clock – three am. Facing each other I lifted my hand and brushed the hair from her face. Laying here with Tiffany was how it should be.

  “So, I’m thinking since we both slept for a few hours …” she started.

  “Yes?”

  “Well, this is technically date number two. I’d like to renegotiate our dating policy. I promised hands-off for date one, but, you know, this is our second date…”

  Chapter Twenty

  Tiffany

  WITHIN SECONDS, I was flipped on my back with Todd on top of me.

  “You didn’t really think you needed to convince me, did you?” he said, laughing. “You’re sneaky, though,” he added, nuzzling my neck.

  “I didn’t want you to worry about my honor and all that.”

  “That’s not what I’m worried about at the moment.”

  “Oh?”

  “Tiffany, I don’t sleep around.”

  “Okay. Um, that’s a good thing, right?”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, it is. I’m very…uh, what’s the word I want?”

  “Picky, choosey?” I offered.

  “Well, some people say that. No, what I was going for was exclusive. When I’m with someone, I’m all in. Are you good with that?”

  “Am I!” Oh hell, I sounded desperate. “I mean, I guess that’d be fine with me.”

  He pressed his soft, delicious lips on mine…and laughed.

  “Are you laughing at me?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  I loved his honesty. I smiled. “Okay then.”

  He became serious and placed a hand on each side of my face. His gaze bored deeply into mine and he said, “If we go forward with this, we can’t go back. We won’t be able to be ‘just friends’ anymore.”

  “I know.”

  “One more thing I want to get straightened out,” he said while scattering feather light kisses on my shoulder, up my neck and over my face. Stopping, a breath away from my lips, he continued, “I'm going to fall in love with you.” He placed a gentle kiss on my lips.

  “You’re going to?” I asked. “When will that be?” I cocked a single eyebrow. I had perfected the technique the summer before eighth grade. All those hours of practice finally paid off.

  He grinned and brushed his lips over mine again. “Any minute. But, I’m pretty certain it will be by tomorrow.” His teasing smile vanished. “I haven’t been in love since … well, it’s been a long time. I want you to be mine, Tiffany.”r />
  ***

  GLORIOUS.

  THE DAY was perfect. The sun, the fresh air, the sidewalk—all of it. Oh, and that little dog going to the bathroom on the light post? Yeah. He was perfect, too. I’d parked my car a street over and enjoyed a short stroll to Braydon and Jain’s condo.

  “Hey, gorgeous!” Colin shouted from across the street.

  The traffic was light, so I waved him over. “Are you on babysitting duty with me?” I yelled back.

  “It’s you and me, girl,” he said as he crossed the street while dodging traffic. He joined me on the sidewalk, and we both peered up at Jain and Braydon’s condo building. Right in the center of town, it was an intimidating structure with forty-three floors.

  “Do you know what you’re doing? With a baby, I mean?” I asked.

  “No. You?”

  “Nope.”

  “This is not good. You don’t believe Jain will leave us alone with their baby, do you?”

  A look of panic crossed his adorable face.

  “Jain’s smart. So, the answer is no. I think she just wants us to get to know… Hey, what name did they pick for her?”

  Colin took my elbow. “There’s one way to find out. Let’s go.”

  The nerves hit once we entered the elevator and Colin pushed in the penthouse code.

  Our eyes met, and we stared at each other with the same caught-in-the-headlight look.

  “Stop that, Colin. You’re freaking me out.”

  “Ha! You look exactly the same. Let’s just relax. We’ll be fine.” He took a deep breath as the elevator climbed. It was the longest ride in history.

  Once we entered the condo, though, I relaxed. Jain and Braydon were dressed in sweats, sprawled out on their sectional sofa, with newspapers and leftover breakfast dishes scattered over the coffee table. It appeared they’d planned to stay in, or at least I hoped. Colin and I sat across from them in a matching set of chairs. I shifted, waiting for someone to speak.

  Colin broke the silence. “So, are we babysitting or what?”