Aaron stood at Gemma’s bedroom door, listening to her giggle. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard his daughter laugh.
“I like this one,” Ilana said.
Ilana had a sexy voice. A warm alto. It reminded Aaron of a DJ he used to listen to on the radio as a child. He couldn’t remember the DJ’s name.
He entered the cheery yellow room. Gemma and Ilana sat among the purple pillows and stuffed tree frogs on the bed, looking at Gemma’s tablet. Gemma wore a lavender nightgown that matched her blanket.
“Sorry that took so long,” Aaron said. “My client had lots of questions.”
Ilana wrinkled her nose. “On a Saturday evening?”
“He just saw the floor plans.” Aaron shrugged. “Nature of my work.”
“Nature of your clients,” Ilana said.
“That, too.” Aaron sank into Gemma’s desk chair.
“Look what we found.” Gemma held up her tablet so he could see a photo of a chameleon.
Aaron rubbed his neck. “Your mother is not going to let you have him as a pet.”
“Dad!” Gemma rolled her eyes, which made her look more like a teenager than an eight-year-old girl. “Why would I want him as a pet? He’s a wild animal.”
Aaron fought the urge to wince at her tone. Just a few weeks ago, when he and Ilana had taken Gemma to the Bronx Zoo, Gemma had hopped alongside them and chattered all day like the little girl she was. It’d been delightful. Days like that had become rare since Gemma had skipped the second and third grades. Her behavior often...
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