My Mr. Manny Read Online Free Page B

conversation.
    “Look, Mia, this is not the time to get into this. I gotta go, okay?”
    “Well, it’s never the time, is it? Do I need to make an appointment to speak with you, since you’re never home for us to have any sort of conversation? You’re gone before I wake up, and you come home after I’m asleep. This isn’t normal, Alex,” I huffed.
    I could feel the blood rushing to my head in anger. My limbs began to tingle, and my nasty temper was signaling that I had sat back long enough. I knew I shouldn’t have let this build up so long, but I had tried to remember he wanted the best for us. He was a dedicated employee; I just wished he was as dedicated to Lucia and me as he was to his job.
    “Mia, I gotta go. This is ridiculous. I’m doing this for us. I have invested a lot of time here, and I know it will pay off one day.”
    “Bye, Alex,” I said, my voice laced with venom, and hung up. I didn’t even want to hear him say goodbye. I was so angry I didn’t want to hear him at all.
    I picked up my precious girl from school, turning my angry tingles into gooey happiness. Lucia was so excited to see me, and my chest felt tight with pride and guilt. I wished she knew what fun with her dad felt like. Who knew if she’d ever have the chance to experience that? I had no idea, and it scared me.
    My arms wrapped around her in a hug and I smothered her face with kisses.
    “Hi, baby girl. I missed you today.”
    She giggled from the kisses and said, “I missed you too, Momma.”
    When we got home, she sat at the bar on her stool and started on her homework while I cooked dinner.
    Our galley-style kitchen was spacious, and the breakfast bar backed up to the living room. The whole condominium had an open floor plan, so you could see the dining room, living room, and kitchen all at once.
    I breaded and fried some chicken cutlets, sautéed some spinach with garlic, and made garlic mashed potatoes. When dinner was finished cooking, I set the table for two, and Lucia and I sat down to eat. Lucia told me about her day and seemed interested in what I did at work while she was at school learning.
    After dinner, I cleaned up the table, and then helped Lucia pack up her school stuff for the following day. Bath time came next. Lucia soaked in the tub and played with her toys while I washed her up and rinsed her off when her skin pruned
    It was my turn to pick out the book to read to her, which I did while she put on her pajamas. She jumped on the bed, and I tucked her in and lay next to her while I read Tallulah’s Solo . Lucia’s head was on my chest, and my arm was wrapped around her. I loved being with her like this, but it always saddened me that her dad was never here to read to her or tuck her in.
    That was how our weekdays passed. Every day, one after the other.

Chapter 5
    Dodge Ball
    One weekend afternoon, Susan, Lucia, and I spent the day at the Getty Center to look at their newest exhibition. Lucia participated in the kid’s crafts while Susan and I examined the artwork, and then we three ate lunch at the museum restaurant.
    While we ate, we hardly spoke a word, and the silence allowed crazy thoughts to run through my mind. The most wild idea popped into my head, and I whispered to Susan to see if she was available that evening. She agreed to sit with Lucia while I brought dinner to surprise my husband at work. This was not going to be a sexy-surprise. Instead, I was going to confront him and tell him that if things continued on the way they were going, we might not last much longer as a family. I did everything on my own anyway, so being an official single mom wouldn’t be much different for me.
    After we arrived home from the museum, I made dinner and entertained Lucia with Susan. The food was packed and ready to bring to Alex. I kissed Lucia and thanked Susan for staying.
    “Oh, please, girl. I love spending time with her, and you have business to take care of. Go!” She laughed and pushed me out the