Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103621 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103621 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 414(@250wpm)___ 345(@300wpm)
As we pile into the death trap elevator—me with the duffle bag, Mimi clutching her stuffies, Elly with all of Mimi’s things for school—I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time. It feels right to be taking these two home.
I hope my home will feel like home for them too, soon.
And maybe they’ll decide they don’t want to leave for a long, long while.
Chapter
Eleven
ELLY
“Then Princess Nutria rode her alligator, Mr. Bitey, all the way back to the castle, far away from the evil rat king’s nest,” Mimi says, picking up speed as she nears the end of her bedtime story. “And the rats were still alive, but it was okay because they were too scared of alligators to follow them. So, they were safe, and they had a great night playing in the castle moat and catching fireflies and eating brioche because it’s their favorite.” Mimi yawns so wide I worry her jaw might unhinge. “The end.”
“That was a good one,” I murmur, smoothing her damp curls from her forehead. “How did I get so lucky? Most moms have to tell their kids night-night stories. All I have to do is sit back, listen, and enjoy.”
“And buy the storyteller a brioche so she can have energy for pretend. Maybe this weekend?”
I smile. “That can probably be arranged. One of the big ones from Sweet Magnolias Bakery?”
She nods. “One of the biggest ones. Fresh. So, the bread is still hot and the sugar is extra crusty.”
“The crustiest,” I promise, smile fading as I add, “You were very brave tonight, Meems.”
“I cried,” she says, sounding sheepish.
“That’s okay. It’s okay to cry. You were still brave. Having rats in your wall is scary. But you rallied and had fun playing in the pool, and now you’re going to sleep tight in your big new bed.” I nod. “You done good, kid.”
“Thanks. I like to be brave.” Her lips part on another canyon of a yawn. “Like you, Mama.”
My chest clenches tight.
If only she knew how often I’m faking it…
But that’s okay.
I’ll just keep faking it until eventually I am the strong, capable woman I’ve been pretending to be since I was a seventeen-year-old girl, alone and terrified that I didn’t have what it takes to be someone’s mother. Someday, I’m going to look in the mirror and see Eloise, fully grown with her feet on solid ground, not Elly, a kid walking around in her mother’s shoes, hoping no one notices they’re still way too big.
“Thank you, baby. I love you so much.” I lean down to kiss her forehead, breathing in that sweet Mimi cocktail—cherry shampoo, a hint of chlorine, and bubblegum toothpaste—as I check for signs of a fever. She rallied from her night in the hospital amazingly well, but worrying is a habit I can’t afford to break.
Not yet.
Not when the nurses at the ER still have our names and Mimi’s chart number memorized.
But thankfully, tonight, her skin is cool and her lids are already drifting closed.
“Your water is by the bed,” I whisper. “And remember, the bathroom is on the opposite side of the hall from what you’re used to, okay? Just in case you wake up in the night and need to go?”
“I be-member.” She’s drifting now, her fingers loosening around Miss Sparklehorn’s neck as her breathing slows. “This bed is so…comfy.”
It really is. The mattress is a cloud draped in petal-soft cotton sheets—completely luxe, just like the inch-thick carpet, heavy doors, and walls so solid a rat would be flat out of luck trying to gnaw a hole through that plaster.
Everything in Grammercy’s smaller guest room screams “I have money and taste,” from the neutral gray walls to the solid mission-style furniture. And yes, it’s a touch somber for a little girl’s room, but compared to the dingy paint, popcorn ceiling, and infestation in our old place, this might as well be Versailles.
And I’m sure Grammercy won’t mind if I hang some of Mimi’s artwork when it arrives tomorrow to brighten things up a bit.
He’s been so cool about everything so far, a real-life knight in shining armor with an easy smile, who keeps his cool in a crisis. Exactly what Mimi and I both needed in the worst way.
Especially tonight.
God, if we’d had to sleep in the rat house…
I shudder, not even wanting to think about it. I was playing tough, but I was ready to scoop Mimi up and run for the elevator the second I realized what Katy was screaming about.
“Sweet dreams,” I whisper as I back toward the door. “I’ll have scrambled eggs ready when I wake you up for school.”
“Okay, Mama. Night-night. Tell Gee night-night, too.”
“I will,” I promise as I ease the door shut, leaving it cracked enough for the hallway light to creep in.
As I wander out down the hallway leading to the two guest bedrooms, the penthouse opens up around me, one giant living room and kitchen area that’s so big, there’s room for three couches and two televisions in the lounging section. One big television claims the wall to my left, while a smaller one services a comfy couch in the far corner, where some kind of gaming system is set up.