MALIA DAVIS.â
âMoney is not an obstacle if it means that my children and I are safe.â Malia replied immediately. It was her promise to Tommy that she would always keep Tahlia and Tahj safe. She never broke a promise to him and had no intention on doing so any time in the future. She slid her phone out of her back pocket sliding to her calendar. âHmmmm, I have next Thursday at three oâclock open if you donât mind two two year olds running around as you do your consultation.â she smirked. âActually, I can contain them with movies and toys in the living room so they wonât be in the way too much, but they do like to ask questions of new people so just be aware of that.â The twins were very curious now and they liked to ask questions to everyone they met. She looked up and smiled seeing that the playhouse was pretty much complete. âWow, you did a damn good job. This could be a great side hustle for you.â
Malia turns back to Arthur and raises her eyebrows at the hard look on his face. The slight edge in his voice, causes her own wall to go up. Had she said something offensive. She could never control the words that came out of her mouth. It was always getting her in trouble. She reviewed the words that she had said, but didnât find anything offensive. At least to her, but she didnât offend easily if at all. âSo you know her?â she asked cooly, trying to read the expressions on his face. âMaybeâŚI just mentioned her because she was in security too. How do you know her?â
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Arthur soothes his nerves, shrugging for his sake. To allow the mention of her name to shake him would be a surrender to her memory. âThursday works,â he replies, typing in the appointment and slipping his phone back into his pocket. âI donât mind kids. A lot of my clients have kids, so itâs nothing new.â
The play place was thankfully finished. The mention of Maddie had always made him want to bolt. âWell, we work in similar circles. We know â knew each other. From way back when.â Arthur hopes she gets it, and doesnât push any more than she already has (and she hadnât even been pushed that hard. âHow do you know her again?â He hadnât realized Maddieâs circle had reached that far, but she seemed to fare better than he has in life. Arthur had a comfortable life on the island, but wealthy he is not.















