“You pay me enough that I could rent something for a few months,” she says. “That is, if I still have a job.”
“Of course you have a job,” I say.
“What’s my job?” she asks. “Writing a few checks each week?”
“It’s just temporary,” I say, taking Finn from her. “You can take classes. You said you wanted to.”
“I need to work,” she says.
“No, you don’t.”
“So you want me to live with you?”
“Of course.”
“Go to school?” she asks.
“Yes, if that’s what you want.”
“Which I’m assuming you want to pay for?”
“Absolutely,” I say.
“And you’re still going to pay me for a job I’m not doing anymore?”
“Think of it like a severance package,” I say. “But yes.”
“Isn’t that basically what your father was offering me?”
Fuck, I stepped right into that one. How could she possibly think this is the same thing? I hate being compared to my father, but I don’t want to fight with her. Blowing out a deep breath, I say, “You’re the one thinking about it that way, not me.”
She looks away, taking Finn’s little hand in hers. “If I’m still going to be on your payroll, I need to feel like I deserve it,” she says.
“Well, I’m not going to fire you,” I say, tilting her chin up. “I suppose it would help me to have someone making sure shit gets done out here.”
“I can do that,” she says, her whole face brightening. “You’ve been on the receiving end of my airplane veggies. You know how tough I can be.”
Shaking my head and smiling, I know I’m fighting a losing battle. “Okay, but I’m having a trailer put out here. You can use that as your office.” Her smile gets bigger. “But at night . . .”
“Finn and I will stay with you,” she says, giving me what I really wanted.
*
Their two laughs blend, filling the rooms in my penthouse like air. Following the sound, I find the door open to the master bathroom. “Paige?” I call out, not wanting to scare her.
“In here,” she says.
Stepping into the bathroom, I find Paige and Finn in my bathtub, covered in bubbles. I guess she wasn’t kidding when she said they sometimes bathe together. This is hardly the image I had in mind when I first saw Paige naked. Of course with all the bubbles, I can’t really see anything anyway.
Her legs are propped up, and Finn’s leaned back on them like she’s a recliner. They both look over at me. “Are you eating his toes?” I ask.
She wiggles her head a little like a dog with a bone. “He thinks it’s funny.” Finn starts laughing so loudly his little belly shakes. “Besides, we’re in the tub. He’s clean,” she teases.
“Umm,” I say, pointing for her to look down, a trickle of pee currently filling the tub.
“Finn,” she screeches, jerking up slightly, the bubbles cascading down her skin. “Boys!”
She reaches out in search of a towel, but there’s not one close enough, so I grab one for her, then grab another. Reaching in and lifting Finn from her arms, I take care to wrap him up tight. Paige has stepped out of the tub and has the towel around herself by the time I’ve got him wrapped up. Dammit.
She tucks the towel into itself, making what looks like a strapless mini dress, only it’s made of terry cloth. Grabbing her ass, I pull her to me, causing her to squeal a little. “When do I get to take a bath with you?”
“Next time.” She laughs, taking Finn from me and walking into the bedroom. She lays him down on the bed next to a diaper and the clothes she has waiting there. I wouldn’t have thought to have all that waiting. She keeps the towel covering most of his body, keeping him warm while she makes quick work of the diaper.
“Got to be quick,” she says in a baby voice. “So we don’t pee-pee on Slade’s bed. I don’t want to have to wash bed linens.”
“You have a good mommy,” I say to Finn, taking his little hand.
Paige flashes me a smile. I wonder if anyone’s ever said that to her. She has to know. She’s raised him all alone. And while they never had much, Finn has known an abundance of love. You can see it in how happy he is.
She grabs his little pajamas, the kind that are footed. These have little frogs all over them. “Getting a little tight,” she says, zipping them up. “Time for some new ones. We better go shopping.”
“We can go tomorrow,” I say, leaving out that I intend to pay. I watch her pick him up, looking around for the bag of clothes she brought over last night. “Top drawer,” I say, pointing at my dresser. “Finn and I unpacked for you earlier.”
“You unpacked my underwear?” she asks, raising an eyebrow at me.
“That’s the funny thing,” I say. “No underwear. Not a panty in sight.” She shakes her head, rummaging through the drawer to double-check. “Guess you’ll have to go without.”
“You highjacked my panties,” she says, coming over and playfully swatting me.
“No,” I say, “you didn’t pack any. Your subconscious must have . . .” She’s laughing so loud I can’t finish my thought. Pulling her and Finn into my lap, I say, “I’m really glad you’re here.” I give Finn a little kiss on top of his bald head. “Both of you.”
“You kissed him,” she whispers.
Suddenly, I wonder if that’s not okay. When her eyes start to water, I know it was more than okay. “I know you’re a package deal,” I say, stroking her cheek. “I’m in. You and Finn don’t scare me.”
She nods, then quickly wipes her eyes. “I should get dressed.”
They might not scare me, but it’s clear that I scare Paige. She’s fiercely independent and treats help like it’s a trap, so I’ve got my work cut out for me. Good thing I’ve never been afraid of hard work. “I’ll take Finn. Get dressed,” I say, picking up Finn and getting to my feet. I head out of the room before she has time to argue with me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
PAIGE
AGE 13
The mattress shifts under me, waking me. I don’t want to open my eyes and find my mother slumped over my bed, doped up, needing my help again. Doesn’t she know or care that I have school tomorrow?
I reach for my sheet, if you can even call it that. It’s so thin it’s basically see-through. Still, I want to cover up and roll over, giving her the message that I’m not available for her crap tonight. But my hand only finds the air. On instinct, my eyes open to search for it.
Two eyes stare back at me. Not my mother’s eyes.
I dart up, knocking my head against the wall, but I don’t cry out. He’s just sitting there, staring at me. My mom’s pimp was watching me sleep. Uncontrollably, my body starts trembling, but he just stares like he’s waiting for something. I want to tell him to get out. I want to scream for my mom, but I’m frozen, staring back at him, waiting for whatever is coming.
Then, he gets to his feet without a word, picks up my sheet, lays it over me, and walks out.