Chapter Six

Callum

It was Friday morning.

I'd been up since five a.m. because sleep just didn't seem to be my friend. This wasn't the first time it happened to me. It happened every time I had a problem I couldn't fix. This particular problem wasn't mine, but I couldn't tell that to my brain. A whole week had passed since Mrs. Sinclair checked into Hugo Towers. I hadn't been back since the day I ran into her friend.

That didn't mean the urge wasn't real.

Every time I drove past the hotel, I wanted to turn into the parking lot. I'd taken to pressing the gas just a little harder, purposefully missing the turn. Her friend hadn't called me, so I assumed everything was okay. I prayed for her. I prayed for her safety, her healing, and her mind. Depression was a hell of a thing to deal with. I'd never personally dealt with it, but I knew enough to know it was no walk in the park.

Pushing the thoughts from my head, I ended my workout routine. I had time to myself since I wasn't going into the office today. I thought about picking up my niece from day care and spending the day with her. She was such a happy child, and I could use the distraction. As I headed upstairs to my bathroom, I called my sister.

"Yes, dear brother?" she answered.

"Hey, Bells. Precious is at day care, right?"

"She is."

"I'm picking her up early."

"Callum, don't you go giving her a bunch of sweets. I don't need her jumping off the walls when she gets home."

I rolled my eyes. "I won't... at least I won't overdo it."

"Callum!"

I laughed at her dramatics. "I hear you, Bella."

"You better. Have fun. I love you."

"I love you too." We disconnected the call, and I undressed for my shower.

Forty-five minutes later, I was pulling up at Charming Oaks Day Care and Learning Center. Since I had my niece often, I kept a booster seat handy. Precious wasn't expecting me, so I knew her little smile would put a smile on my face. Walking inside, I headed to the receptionist area. I was on her approved list of people who could check her out, so they knew my face.

The first person to greet me was Charlotte Gaines, the overly perky receptionist with a bad case of jungle fever. Anytime I came in here, this woman shamelessly flirted with me. She'd even tried to slip me her number, which I promptly put in the trash when she wasn't looking. I didn't want to hurt her feelings, but today might be the day.

"Hey, handsome," she said, leaning across the desk, pushing her cleavage forward in the process.

I gave her a blank expression. "Hey, Ms. Gaines."

"I've told you, call me Charlotte."

"I'd rather call you Ms. Gaines."

"Speaking of calling... I haven't heard from you. I know I gave you my number."

"I must have misplaced it. Anyway, I'm here to pick up Precious."

"Well, she's back there. You're free to go."

I started to walk off, but she gently grabbed my arm. Stepping too close into my personal space, she looked up at me. Her hand moved from my arm to my chest.

"Mr. Ellis... How long are you going to play hard to get? I'm a beautiful, single woman. You're a handsome, single man. I don't see why we can't enjoy each other's company."

I looked down at her hand and removed it like it was something disgusting.

"Ms. Gaines... Would you like me to be honest with you?"

"Yes. Is it because I'm white?"

"It's because you're thirsty, and you make it a habit of pointing out how much you love Black men. You won't fetishize me. I'm not the man you can take home to your parents or show off like a trophy. Simply put, I'm not for you. It has nothing to do with your lack of melanin but everything to do with your agenda. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get my niece. Good day."

I left her standing there with her mouth open. As I made my way down the hall to Precious's classroom, I could hear laughter, screaming, and crying coming from various other rooms. One of these days, my home would be filled with all of those. While I wasn't old, I was at the age where I was thinking about marriage and children. My four-bedroom home was too big for just me. I wanted someone to share it and make memories with.

I've been single for a minute now. The only women I entertained were the ones I had a mutual understanding with that it was just sex between us. Even with those parameters, I hadn't had sex in at least three months, and, ironically, I was okay with that. I was, however, beginning to get lonely. Maybe that's what Ms. Gaines saw in me. I chuckled at the thought of her sniffing me out like a dog in heat.

Walking up to the half door that led to Precious's classroom, I leaned over the bottom half. My niece was in her own little world, playing with the toy grocery store items. She would be a terrible businesswoman. Anytime I played with her, she overcharged me and provided horrible customer service.

"Psst!" I said in her direction.

She looked around and squealed when her eyes landed on me.

"Uncle Cay!"

She ran over to the door as fast as her little legs would carry her. I opened it just in time to catch her running into my arms. She giggled as I smothered her chubby cheeks with kisses.

"Hey, Princess. I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"I'm here to pick you up. You get to spend the whole afternoon with me. How does that sound?"

"Like fun! Look, Ms. Mary! Uncle Cay came to get me!"

Ms. Mary was an older Black woman with grandmotherly vibes. She walked over with a smile and shook my hand.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Ellis. How are you?"

"Happy to see my favorite person. Has she been behaving?"

"She's been an angel as always."

"Well, I think that deserves a treat."

Precious's eyes lit up. "Can I get ice cream?"

"Just don't tell Mommy." She pretended to zip her lips. "Go get your things, baby."

I set her down on her feet, and she took off to her cubby.

Ms. Mary smiled. "She's always so happy to see you. I hear about you more than anybody else. It's ‘Uncle Cay this' and ‘Uncle Cay that.' I'd think you were her favorite if I didn't know any better."

"According to her, I am. Probably because I don't have any kids, so she doesn't have to share me with anybody."

"Oh, Lord. What is she gonna do when you finally get married?"

"Give my wife a run for her money."

We shared a laugh as Precious came back over.

"I'm ready! Bye, everybody! Bye, Ms. Mary!"

"Have a good weekend, Precious. I'll see you on Monday."

We waved goodbye and headed back up front. Ms. Gaines avoided eye contact with me as I signed my niece out. It wasn't until Precious said goodbye to her that she spoke. I, on the other hand, didn't say a thing. Maybe our conversation would do something to quench that thirst.

Precious and I sat in Scoops Galore, the local ice cream shop, munching on small waffle bowls of cookies and cream ice cream. We'd grabbed something to eat since I picked her up before lunch. I didn't want to hear anything about me ruining her appetite.

"Here, Uncle Cay," Precious said, holding up a spoonful of her ice cream for me to try.

While I ordered my plain, she wanted chocolate syrup, sprinkles, and whipped cream. I wasn't a fan of toppings, but how could I say no to her? Reluctantly, I opened my mouth and allowed her to feed it to me.

"Is it good?"

"It's amazing," I lied with a straight face.

"You want some more?"

"No, thank you, baby. You enjoy it."

She shrugged her shoulders and went back to eating. Much to my surprise, she ate the whole thing. I just knew I would be dealing with her being hyper the rest of the day. I planned to tire her out so she'd fall asleep by the time she had to go home. After throwing away our trash, I grabbed her hand, and we headed back to my car. She was already hopping and skipping along beside me.

"How about we go to the park?" I said. "I'll see if Uncle Chris can bring Armani to play with you."

Her eyes lit up. Chris was my best friend and one of the codevelopers of my Elite Rides app. Armani was his four-year-old daughter, who was like another niece to me. Quickly, I shot him a text. He responded immediately, saying they would meet us. As Precious and I headed to the car, I spotted a familiar face coming out of a stationary shop. As we got closer, I realized that it was Avyn. She walked toward us, stopping when she recognized who I was.

She offered a smile. "Mr. Ellis? How are you?"

"I'm good. How are you?"

"I can't complain." She looked down at Precious. "Who is this little beauty?"

"This is Precious, my niece. Say ‘Hey,' Precious."

"Hi!"

Avyn waved at her. "You must have aggravated her mother her entire pregnancy. She looks just like you."

"I get that all the time. We just have strong genes."

"I see."

"Um... Can you wait right here? I want to ask you something. I just need to put her in the car." I pointed out my car, just a few feet away.

"Sure. Go ahead."

I ushered Precious to the car and locked her in her booster seat. After turning on the air and giving her tablet to her, I stepped back to the sidewalk where Avyn patiently waited, tapping on her phone. She tucked it away as I approached her.

"You want to know about Pasha, right?" she asked.

"If it's not too much trouble."

She sighed. "I checked her out of the hotel. You should be getting a partial refund in a few days. She's staying with me now."

"How is she doing?"

"She's... She's emotional, but she's trying to pull herself out of it. I just bought her a journal to write in. If she won't talk about it, I, at least, want her to get it out somehow. She was in therapy, but now that Raymond isn't paying for it, we have to figure things out until she can start back."

"Damn... I hate that for her."

"Yeah, me too. After you told me what happened, I went over there prepared to rock an orange jumpsuit."

I chuckled. "I don't think orange is your color."

She waved me off. "I look good in everything. For her, I'd do hard time."

"They don't make friends like that. I'm glad she's allowing you to help her."

"I didn't give her a choice. That's my sister. No way was I allowing her to stay in a hotel when I had a whole guest room collecting dust. She can stay as long as she needs to."

I smiled. "I'm glad to hear that."

"I guess we don't need your number now, huh?"

"I guess not." That actually disappointed me a little.

"Well... She could always use a friend, Mr. Ellis. You're already good at that." She flashed me a smile and patted my shoulder. "You know how to find me if you ever want to contact her. I have to get going. You and your beautiful niece have a good day."

"You too."

She walked away, and I headed back to my car.

"Who was that?" Precious asked immediately. She was just as nosy as her mama.

"A friend."

"Is she your girlfriend?"

"No, baby."

"Ms. Gaines wants to be your girlfriend, Uncle Cay. She told Ms. Mary you were so fine."

I snorted. Ms. Gaines was out of line and out of her lane.

"You ready to go to the park?"

"I'm ready!"

I backed out of the parking space and headed toward Greenbriar Park. My thoughts drifted back to Pasha. I hoped she was having a decent day.