The Debra Dilemma (The Lone Stars Book 4) (8 page)

Ten minutes later, a king-sized mattress and box springs were in route and should arrive in less than an hour. His personal concierge, Amil, sounded disappointed that he hadn’t wanted something a little more challenging. She’d offered him gelato from Italy or Bordeaux from a family-owned winery that didn’t sell commercially, but all he’d wanted was a mattress and box springs. Perhaps he’d have made her happy if he’d ordered a mattress woven from the hair of albino virgins, but sadly, he realized his request of a Sleep Number bed was run-of-the-mill at best.

So maybe tomorrow he’d call back and order a pint of yak spit or a couple of ouches of caviar harvested from one-eyed Beluga whales, or some holy water blessed by Jesus. He turned slowly around the empty penthouse and suddenly realized how pathetic that he was—so lonely that he was even seriously considering calling back tomorrow.

When his bed arrived, he would set it up in the northeast corner of the condo. He’d already pulled up the condo floor plans and knew right were Debra’s bedroom was. He wanted his bed to be in the same place, and based on the layout of the room, her bed would only fit in one place. He walked back to the northeast corner of the condo. Hmm, unfortunately, it was the master bathroom. Well, it might be unconventional to have his bed in the master bath, but based on the size of the room it would fit. It’s not like the bed police would pop out of the woodwork and ticket him for illegal bed placement.

He knew it wasn’t logical or practical, and that his actions defied explanation, but he needed to be close to Debra tonight, so he would be sleeping in the bathroom. Still, there was a bright side. He didn’t have far to walk if he woke up and needed to pee.

Right now that was as close to her as he was able to get, but hopefully, she’d let him in her life and her bed once again.

Debra walked down the long outside corridor covered in multi-colored twinkle lights that led to the front door of Chez Zee. She was meeting Summer at noon and here it was one minute till, so she’d be right on time. She was always right on time. Summer had texted that she was going to be ten or so minutes late.

She pulled open the glass and chrome door, walked up to the hostess stand and smiled. “A table for two.”

She smoothed down her pink cotton dress and unbuttoned her denim jacket. The jacket really wasn’t necessary, as the Texas December sun drove the temperature up to seventy degrees, but she’d worried that the dress’s thin spaghetti straps revealed too much skin so she’d tossed on the jacket. Never in her life had she spent so much time worrying over a lunch date. Well aware that she was walking a fine line between her old life and her new one, she’d practically pulled everything out of her closet and tried it on. This was stupid; she was just meeting a friend for lunch. Sweat broke out on her upper lip.

What were they supposed to talk about? Comparing notes on Summer’s now husband was a bad idea. Sweat beaded under her arms. A simple lunch with her new girl friend. The underside of her boobs turned sweaty. For the love of God, she was about to go all panic attack over soup and a salad. She picked up the menu and fanned herself. This was going to be a disaster.

Five minutes later, Summer breezed in holding a blonde fairy princess in her arms. Well, Debra was pretty sure she was a fairy princess based on the pink flame retardant Halloween costume and the wings on the child’s back. The gold spiked heels falling off the little girl’s feet were hilarious and looked to be Christian Louboutin.

“So sorry we’re late.” She nodded to the little girl. “This is Julia.”

Debra stood and smiled at the little girl. “Nice shoes.”

“Sank you berry much.” Julia grinned and her curly pigtails bobbed.

“Clint bought those for her.” Summer rolled her eyes.

“Aren’t they a little big?” Debra noticed that one shoe was hanging by a toe, so she slid it back on the girl’s foot.

“That’s what I said. All he said was that she wanted them so she got them.” Summer scanned the restaurant and Debra assumed she was looking for a highchair. She spotted one on the back wall by the piano, walked over to it, picked it up, and placed it by Summer’s chair.

“Thank you so much.” She positioned Julia in the highchair and then sighed heavily as she sat down. “I’m so sorry we were late. Julia insisted on wearing her fairy princess dress and high heels and she wouldn’t leave the house until I painted her fingernails.”

Julia held up her fingers for Debra to see.

“She’s a little high maintenance. I blame her father who is very high maintenance.” Summer grinned.

“I love pink glitter nail polish.” Debra shucked off her gold flats and stuck her feet out from under the table. She wriggled her toes.

Julia laughed and clapped her hands and then held her arms out to Debra. “Kiss.”

Debra leaned down and planted a loud, smacking kiss on Julia’s lips. This little girl was just about the cutest thing in the world.

“It’s official, you are now her most favorite person. Clint will be so sad to have been usurped.” Summer hung her purse on her the back of her chair. She sighed heavily again and relaxed back in her chair. “I’m so glad to see you. I’ve had a very long morning.”

“What happened?” Debra had never seen Summer anything but composed. Now, her shirt was buttoned wrong and her hair was flying out of its ponytail holder.

“Today is a school in service day so I was supposed to spend the morning cleaning my room and the afternoon in training, but Clint is sick and can’t watch Julia so I’ve been babying him and trying to keep her out of the bed with daddy. My principal is on me about missing the training, soooooo…long day.” Summer looked exhausted.

“Why don’t I watch Madam Julia this afternoon while you go to the training?” It would be fun. They could play dress up and have a tea party.

Summer arched an eyebrow. “Are you sure?” She glanced at her daughter. “I love her to death, but she can be a handful.”

“I’d love it. I don’t have to go into work until nine tonight so I have plenty of time.” For some reason, she really wanted this…needed this.

“Okay. You’re a lifesaver.” Summer nodded and all of the tension seeped out of her. “I’m buying lunch.”

A lifesaver. She ‘d never been anyone’s lifesaver. Her soul smiled.

“Okay. It’s a deal. I get to spend the afternoon with the most stylish fairy princess in the world and you pay for lunch.” Debra was excited…actually excited that Summer was letting her babysit. Summer trusted her with her most precious baby girl. Debra fairly radiated with purpose.

Three hours later, Debra was exhausted, but very happy. They’d been to Zilker Park and had ridden the train and then spent an energetic hour at the playground. Now, they were trying on cocktail dresses in Debra’s closet, getting ready for a tea party.

“Pretty pretty.” Julia pointed to a gold beaded dress and shuffled closer to it in her way-too-big high heels.

“It matches your shoes. Good eye.” Debra had kept a few cocktail dresses from her time as a…bitch…whore…floozy? Floozy sounded the best. Yep, she’d kept a couple of floozy dresses. She removed the dress from the hanger and handed it to Julia.

“Pretty.” Julia tried to wriggle out of her fairy princess dress, but her head got stuck in an armhole. “Help.”

Gently, Debra pulled the little girl free and slipped the gold dress over her head. A good foot of gold beads and sequins pooled at Julia’s feet, but she wore a smile as big as Texas.

“Let me cinch up the back.” Debra stepped behind her and pulled at the gold ribbon laced up the back. She pulled the dress as tight as she could, but it was still a hundred sizes too big. “You look beautiful.”

Julia admired herself in the full-length mirror on the back of the closet door.

“Makeup?” Julia sounded so hopeful.

“Of course. What would a tea party be without makeup?” Debra picked up the hem of her floor length, red satin gown and went to the vanity. She patted the stool she used to spend so much time in during her floozy days caking on the makeup. “Have a seat.”

Julia, picked up the hem of her dress and marched to the vanity with her head held high like the queen of England graciously looking down on her royal subjects. That reminded Debra. Around here somewhere, she still had a rhinestone tiara.

The little girl climbed onto the stool.

“I’ll be right back. I have something for you.” Debra walked back into her closet and fished around in the plastic shoe bins that lined one entire wall. When she finally found the right bin, she grabbed it and went back to the vanity. “A princess needs a crown.”

She popped the lid off of the bin, pulled out an elaborate rhinestone tiara she’d bought years ago for a costume party, and placed it gently on Julia’s head.

The little girl’s eyes turned the size of drink coasters. “Pretty. Love, love, love it.”

She admired herself in the mirror, turning her head this way and that.

Julia was a riot and she had high maintenance down to a science, but since she was adorable, Debra didn’t care one bit.

“Kiss.” Julia held her arms out.

Debra leaned down and kissed her on the top of her soft, curly blonde hair.

“Not you. Him.” She pointed to empty air over Debra’s left shoulder.

Debra turned around picking up a hairbrush to defend against an intruder, but no one was there.

“Who?” She looked all around. Maybe the little girl had seen a reflection or something?

“Little boy…AJ. He’s here.” Julia turned around to show Debra. “He loves you.”

AJ? Tears stung her eyes. How did she know her little boy’s name? She followed Julia’s outstretched hand, but didn’t see anything. No, it wasn’t possible—Julia must have heard Summer talking about AJ.

But she wanted to see him…make sure he was okay and tell him that she was sorry.

The little girl watched Debra. “No crying. He says no crying. He smiles a lot.”

Debra just about lost it, but she bit her top lip and did her best not turn into a sobbing, incoherent mess.

“Hold hands.” Julia took Debra’s left hand and then extended her hand into the empty air on her other side, commanding to the empty spot, “Hold hands.”

Whoever or whatever she saw must have complied because she was satisfied.

No doubt, it was all in Julia’s head, but in a crazy way, it was comforting. Maybe her little boy was here with her. In some way, that comforted her. She liked knowing that he wanted to spend time with her.

“He’s sorry.” Julia leaned to the side where AJ was supposedly standing. “He loves you.” She listened intently and nodded her head. “He holds hands when you sleep.”

She held up their linked hands.

Debra’s mouth dropped open. She had a recurring dream that involved walking a blonde-haired little boy to the park. He always insisted on holding her hand. Part of her wondered if she was just looking for a connection so her mind would believe he was really here, much like going to see a psychic and trying to make the prediction mean something.

“Before, he wasn’t ready to get born yet.” Julia nodded her head in his direction. “But soon.”

Tears rolled down Debra’s face and dotted the red satin. She couldn’t have cared less. It didn’t matter in the slightest that this couldn’t be true, she swept Julia up in a tight hug. “I’m so glad you came over to play with me today.”

Julia hugged her back with her whole body. It soothed her tears away.

“Makeup.” The little girl threw Debra a sad boo-boo face that said she needed makeup now or her world would crumble.

So talking with the dead was over.

“Okay, Your Majesty, let’s get some makeup on you.” Debra couldn’t help but glance in the direction AJ had supposedly been. She wanted to believe it…needed to believe it.

Thirty minutes later, they had enough makeup on to make any beauty pageant coordinator happy, were wearing some of the diamonds Debra had inherited from both sides of her family, and Debra’s hair had been coiffed with a gazillion rhinestone barrettes by a bossy three-year-old.

As they were about to sit down to the Limoges tea set she’d inherited from her grandmother, knocking sounded from her front door.

She looked down at Julia. “I hope your mother’s not here this early. We haven’t had our tea.”

Julia drew in a deep breath. “No no.”

They picked up their hems and made their way to the front door. The doorbell bing-bonged. She opened the door and the last person on earth she wanted to see stood there holding a bouquet of pink and white Star Aster lilies. Of course they were her favorites. She’s always thought that a man who bought red roses for his woman had no imagination. She rolled her eyes.

“Uncle Weiner,” Julia held her arms up, “kiss.”

“Uncle Weiner?” Debra smiled in spite of herself. “That’s funny.”

“Absolutely, Your Majesty.” He gave Julia a low courtly bow and then gave her a loud kiss on the lips. He avoided Debra’s eyes.

Why exactly was he here? Had he known Julia was with her today? She didn’t think Summer would have told him. On Debra’s behalf, she hated Warren. Whether Debra liked it or not, she had friends and they had her back. It was nice to know that there were people she could call and rely on.

“Flowers.” Julia grabbed the bouquet. “Mines.”

“Clearly, I’ve interrupted something very important.” He inspected Julia’s and then Debra’s appearance. His eyes fastened on her cleavage. Compared to the floozy dresses she used to wear, this V-neck was ‘G’ rated, but it did still show a little bit of breast.

“Tea party.” Julia squashed the flowers to her chest as she grabbed Warren’s hand and pulled him inside. “Stay and play.”

Not the first three words that had popped to Debra’s mind when she’d seen him, but since Julia was in charge, she didn’t have a choice but to let him inside her condo.

“That’s the best offer I’ve had all day.” He kept his eyes on Julia, no doubt because he knew that Debra wanted nothing to do with him. He’s loosened his light green tie, but his gray, tailored, Armani three-piece suit was wrinkle free.

The afternoon had definitely taken a turn for the worse. How long was he staying and was there any way this wasn’t going to turn out awkward?