Her Escape

Chapter 11

Deal

"You don't have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step." – Martin Luther King

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The rest of September passed by in a blur, and before I knew it October had snuck up already. The temperatures had dipped, and unlike the year-round California sunshine, it rained almost every other day here.

"Lexie?"

"Hmm?" I looked down at Olivia who was sitting down next to me on the bench. She was happily munching on a chocolate chip cookie, her cheeks rosy from the cold air.

Chase came into the gym moody as per usual today, barking orders left and right. By the time he dropped Olivia off from school, his mood had soured even more. I was seconds away from throwing something at him, when I walked around the reception desk and told him I was taking Olivia to the park.

At first he looked like he was about to protest, but he didn't get a chance to because Olivia and I were already out the door. I swear he was so fucking moody. One minute he was a decent human being, and the next he was a total dick.

"What's your favorite holiday?" Olivia asked, some of the chocolate from the cookie smearing on her chin as her legs dangled off the green bench.

"Well – I used to really like Christmas." I smiled down at her, reaching into my purse for the pack of wet wipes I started keeping in there for times like these. Pulling one out, I handed it to Olivia. "What's your favorite holiday?"

"Halloween!"

"Halloween?" I feigned surprise, taking the dirty wipe from her. "Do you have your costume picked out for this year?"

Olivia nodded enthusiastically as she took another bite out of her cookie. Once she finished swallowing, she replied, "I'm gonna be a zombie!"

"A zombie?" I laughed, the surprise evident in my voice. I'm not sure what I was expecting her to say, but it certainly wasn't that.

"Yup!" Olivia's grin spread wider. "Catherine said she was going to make me look scary! And Emma's dressing up as a lion!"

I couldn't help but laugh. A zombie and a lion – two costumes on completely different spectrums.

"You might just be the coolest kid I know, Olivia." I ruffled her hair, pushing myself up off the bench. "We should get back before grumpy gets even grumpier."

Olivia too jumped off the bench, taking my outstretched hand into her. The two of us walked back to the gym in comfortable silence until I asked, "Is Catherine taking you trick-or-treating?"

"No." She shook her head, jumping over a small puddle of water. "Chase is."

Interesting, I thought.

.........

It was Saturday morning and the rain had finally stopped coming down so hard. I'd been putting off going grocery shopping all week, but I ate the last of the poptarts this morning and I was running dangerously low on coffee.

Slipping into a pair of jeans, I grabbed the first clean shirt off the hanger and the new jacket I got earlier this week. As the temperatures continued to drop, it became evidently clear that I wouldn't be able to keep wearing hoodies anymore. When I asked Scarlett to come shopping with me a few days ago, she was more than happy to oblige.

However, two hours into it and a handful of shopping bags later, I was starting to regret my decision to have her come with me. Scarlett took the phrase shop till you drop way too literally. After the two of us spent an hour inside Macy's with me trying on different outfits, I finally put my foot down and told her that was enough.