changing table. Whatever else she or Arianne needed would be provided. She wasn’t to worry about a thing. All she had to do was relax and go with the flow.
She nervously cleared her throat and twirled a long, wavy curl around her finger. “Where will Arnie be staying?”
Dottie’s smile was slow. She seemed to consider what to say next and then leaned across the space between them and took Summer’s hands.
“That goofy giant means a lot to me, so I wanted to like you.” She smiled and gave a smirky chuckle. “Summer, you are everything I ever hoped for. The simple fact you asked the question makes me like you even more. He can stay wherever he damn well pleases, but I won’t be making the arrangements. He’s a big boy. Time for him to prove it.”
Yep, yep. She was going to get along just fine with this lady.
Leaning forward, she put her arms on the table and lowered her head. With her face resting on her forearms, she turned to look at Dottie.
“Confession time. I’m tired. More tired than I knew was possible. And not just from the past two days. This single parenting thing is hard. It sucks,” she admitted.
Her head popped up, and she sat straight. “But I’ll be damned if sleepless nights and unending worry mean all is forgiven or forgotten.”
“And it shouldn’t be. Men like the Wanamakers have it far too easy as it is, and in Arnie’s case, he doesn’t appreciate what comes easy. Believe me, Summer, he doesn’t just deserve your scorn and bitchiness, he wants it. How else can he redeem himself?”
Made sense. And that explained why he was acting so strangely. The Arnie she knew wasn’t the silent wallflower type, but so far, except for when he was doing his ninja thing, or making rough, passionate love to her, he’d been far too docile for her liking.
She studied Dottie’s expression and took a chance.
“I’m inclined to hand over the reins and let you run the show, but I have questions first.”
“Smart girl,” Dottie said with a nod. “Go for it.”
“What happens now? A five-star hotel is the tip of the iceberg, isn’t it?”
“Plain talk?”
Summer nodded.
“In case this isn’t apparent yet, your daughter is the heiress to a vast fortune and a family name as old as dust.”
“Okay, hold up. I’ve heard this word more than once. An heiress? A bit old-fashioned, isn’t it?”
“Are you a Harry Potter fan?”
Summer chuckled. “The books are as old as I am, give or take. I’ve read them all, several times, and can recite film dialogue. Why?”
Dottie’s smile had a mocking vibe. “So you know about Gringotts then? The wizarding bank with vaults full of gold and treasure?” She winked. “Yeah, that.”
“Are you kidding?”
“Absolutely not and just so you know, Arnie doesn’t give a tinker’s ass for any of it. He’s completely indifferent most of the time and downright crotchety the rest. He might be a Wanamaker, but thanks to Ned, he’s cut from a different cloth than the rest of them. But just because the money means nothing doesn’t mean it isn’t a factor.”
“I think I have the picture,” she murmured. “Keep going.”
“There’s no easy way to say this except directly. Your life here is in the past. Arianne’s and your future will take you far from here.”
“New York?” She gave a half-shrug. “I was prepared to take a leap of faith and head east. If he wasn’t going to come find us, I was going to find him.”
“Once your whereabouts were determined, and Arnie discovered he had a daughter, you’ve been on NIGHTWIND’s protection radar. I know it doesn’t seem so, but you’ll have to trust me on this. Ned and Stan are only the start of a people explosion coming your way. There are NIGHTWIND’s CEOs, King Maddison and Jon Weston, their wives, plus Aliyah Hawkins, Felicity Toy, Milo Crawford, Neal Barber, and on and on. Oh, and you have a rival for the blond shithead’s attention.”
“Ex-cuse me?” A rival? Since when?
“Yes, her name is Nicole. She’s a very precocious preschooler, and I’m absolutely positive she’s had Uncle Arnie over for a tea party.”
“Aw, how sweet!”
“She’s King’s stepdaughter.”
“Wow. There are a lot of people in his life.”
“Yes, and every single one of them is curious about you.”
“Is this your way of telling me to buckle up?”
“If the saddle fits.” Dottie laughed. “And I’m naming names to make a point. Right now, at this moment, you have five adults and a baby crammed into