The next morning, I stood in the kitchen, all my thoughts consumed with Bryant. I could feel his touch on my skin and his kiss on my lips. I knew I was in over my head where he was concerned. He was so understanding when it came to Sophie, too. He seemed to place importance on her well-being, which made him more appealing. I just didn’t want to get hurt in all this. Bryant Sommers was the kind of man that, if I allowed it, could really damage me.

“I’m ready for school, Mommy. Did you have a good time at work?” Sophie's sweet voice broke me out of my thoughts. I looked at her and smiled.

“Yes, baby. It was great. Did you have a good night with Mrs. Miller?”

“Yes, it was awesome. She showed me how to play cribbage. She’s a shark. She really doesn’t cave like you do.”

“I don’t let you win at card games,” I said, feigning shock, when in reality, I always let her win. My mother had been hard on my sister and me. She always pointed out our faults and cheered on being competitive. It crushed my spirit as a child, and I didn’t want that for Sophie. She was only going to be a little girl for such a short time. Life was already cruel; I wanted to shelter her from as much as I could for as long as possible.

“It’s okay, Mommy. I like that you let me win. Mrs. Miller just says that letting me win won’t help me grow. She called herself a hard-ass.”

I laughed, putting my arms around my daughter and loving the feel of her tiny arms around me.

“Let’s get you to school, kiddo.”

“Ready for school, Sophie?” Mrs. Miller walked into the apartment. She had a small Christmas tree in her hand decorated with beautiful red and silver decorations. “This place needed a little holiday cheer. Since you won’t be moving in with me until January, I thought we could decorate this week. What do you say, Sophie?”

“I would love that. Mommy and I always love Christmas. Are we going to the shelter again this year? It’s really nice feeding and helping people who have less than us. Mommy says it’s important to give what you can to show how grateful you are for what you have. I have Mommy and you, Mrs. Miller. I am healthy, I have food in my belly, and I have a nice warm home. Some kids out there don’t have any of that.”

I looked at my daughter, and a stream of tears flowed from my eyes. I couldn’t stop crying. Here was my sweet, beautiful girl who didn’t have much, and yet, she was grateful.

“You’re a good momma, Holly. Don’t forget that,” Mrs. Miller said as she smiled warmly.

“Now, Miss Sophie and I have a date. I promised her a walk to the bus stop. Besides, I figured you might need a few moments of quiet before work.” She winked at me, and I felt the heat rise up to my face.

“Mommy, don’t forget about the food bank.” I was grateful for the reminder. I had forgotten that every year Sophie and I had a Christmas tradition where we did three good deeds. I blamed my forgetting on the stress. This year, we were supposed to be taking the shift from six to nine in the evening. As it was a Friday, I had decided to let Sophie stay up. But this year, I realized, I also had plans with none other than Bryant Sommers.

Well, I wasn’t about to let Sophie down. From the moment my sister showed up on my doorstep holding her, I knew I wasn’t ever going to be the reason she was disappointed.

“It’s a date, Sophie Girl. You have an amazing day at school. I love you.”

Once I was alone in the apartment, my mind went back to Bryant. How was I going to tell that man no?

Bryant

The phone kept ringing. It was nonstop. It made me realize I was a moron for getting a landline. You couldn’t just put the thing on silent. I rolled over and picked up the phone, irritated. I didn’t want to get out of bed. All night, I kept thinking about Holly and how much I fucking wanted her in this bed, beside me, every damn night.

“Whoever this is, you better be on fire.” I knew I sounded like a complete asshole, but I didn’t care. There was a long pause on the other end.

“Well, good morning to you too, Mr. Sommers.” Holly. Hearing her voice automatically put me in a better mood and seemed to have an impact on my cock too. I felt it stir to life as if it had a mind of its own.

“Holly, after last night, I think it’s better that you call me Bryant.”

“Bryant,” she said my name softly. “I just called because I don’t think I can come tonight. Well, I know I can’t come tonight. I have this thing with Sophie. Well, this event, it’s really important to her and me. It’s a tradition, and I refuse to break it for a job. I hope you can understand. I’m sorry.” Holly was speaking a mile a minute, and she sounded nervous.

“No problem. We can move it to this afternoon. I finish training at noon. I can pick you up for lunch.”

“I can’t. I start work at one at Timpson’s Diner. I’m a server there.”

“Holly, a contract is a contract.”

“I know, but just this one time. Sophie looks forward to this every year.”

“What is so important that you would risk your job?”

“We volunteer at the food bank. There usually aren’t many people who offer to do the job. They need all the help they can get, and Sophie looks forward to it every year.” Holly was amazing. There was no other word for her. She was beautiful, kind, sexy, and compassionate. Here was a woman who didn’t have the best life, but she never let it dim her spirit.

“All right, but tomorrow, I want you to spend the night.” There was another long pause. I knew I could have just as easily let her off the hook entirely, but I never claimed to be a good man. I was greedy, and right now, I wanted Holly all to myself. I heard a sigh on the other end of the line.

“Fine.”

“Oh, don’t sound so sad about it. You and I both know you had a good time last night. Imagine what my tongue could do to you if I had you here all night. I know that pretty pink pussy needs much more attention.”

“What makes you think there will be a repeat of last night?”

“Oh, Holly. A girl doesn’t come like that and not want seconds.”

“I am hanging up now.”

“See you tomorrow, Holly. Don’t forget to wear more lace.” Once she hung up, I automatically dialed Trevor.

“Bryant, it’s early. Is everything okay?”

“What do you know about Timpson’s Diner?”

“The dive where Holly works?”

“Yes. I want you to buy it out from one to five this afternoon.”

“What has gotten into you? This chick has made you lose your mind.”

“I have never wanted anything as much as hockey, until her. Just buy the damn place out.” I hung up the phone and headed to the gym. If Holly wasn’t going to provide me with a damn workout this morning, something had to.

Holly

I got to work with only a few minutes to spare. I looked around the place and saw it was completely empty. It was just my luck. No customers meant no tips, and I needed that money. I had never really had money before and I always seemed to get by, but when you had a child, it was a completely different beast. It no longer was about you—it became about them. And the idea that I couldn’t take care of her was suffocating.

“Oh, there you are,” Roy Timpson, the owner, bellowed from the back.

“Why is the place so dead?”

“Some bigwig bought out the place for four hours. He paid a pretty penny too. I would have settled for much less.”

“So is there a group of people coming or something?” I already hated that the restaurant was closed for a private affair. Roy might have made out like a bandit, but those parties didn’t tip well.

“There was just one request. A booth with a sunflower in a vase and spaghetti and meatballs for lunch. You can go home today. They requested just the cook be here. This is for you. They paid for your services.” I opened the envelope and was shocked by the contents. Inside were ten one-hundred-dollar bills. Whoever this person was, I was very grateful. I took my money and walked out the door, only to come face-to-face with Bryant Sommers.