Little Red

FIVE

As soon as Dani walked through the front door, her mother's voice immediately called out, which caused her to grimace as she placed her keys on the hook. Dani knew that she was twenty years old and practically a full-grown adult, but sometimes, her mother could be quite intimidating when she'd wanted to be.

"Dani? Is that you, honey?" Michelle questioned from, where Dani assumed she was, the kitchen.

"Yeah...yeah, it's me, Mom," she replied with a sigh of relief.

Momma Mary must've told her where I was, Dani thought to herself. Not even a second later, the sound of a little pair of feet could be heard running across the house, and a small smile grew on Dani's face as she bent down just in time to catch him in her arms.

"Ellie!! You're home!! You didn't come home today, and I missed you!!" Frankie exclaimed while hugging his sister.

Dani squeezed him back just as hard and kissed him on the head. "I missed you too, bud! It's way past your bedtime, isn't it though?" she asked him with an eyebrow raised.

Frankie pulled back with a nod while rubbing his eyes, which was a clear indication that he was tired. Dani sighed as a feeling of guilt bubbled up in her chest as she knew he probably hadn't wanted to go to bed until she had got home.

"Let's get you into bed, yeah?" she mumbled to him, and he nodded again as she picked him up before walking them upstairs to his room.

"Ellie?" Frankie's tired voice called out once she'd tucked him into bed.

"Yeah, bud?" Dani questioned, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't slightly worried that he'd ask her about why she'd come home so late today.

She knew that she could've just told him she'd spent the rest of the day with Mikey and Greta, but apparently, she had a tell-tale sign when lying because Frankie had a very strange ability to know whenever she wasn't telling him the truth.

"I love you," Frankie mumbled while rubbing his eyes again.

A smile grew on Dani's face at her brother's words as she bent down to kiss him on the forehead.

That was close.

"I love you too, monkey...Forever and Always," she told him softly and kissed his head.

"Forever and Always," Frankie repeated in a mumble as he finally fell asleep.

Dani sighed as she got up from the floor and headed out the door with the events of today running through her head like a movie.

The feeling of her body coming into contact with a hardened chest after shutting Frankie's door caused Dani to jump and gasp in shock before she looked up to see David with a pointed look on his features.

"Oh...um...Hi, David," she said with a nervous laugh. "Did you come up here to say goodnight to Frankie? Poor boy was really exhausted. Went out like a light as soon as his head hit the pillow. I think I'll follow his lead!"

"Daniella Janine."

Dani cringed as she was stopped from fully walking inside her room, and she turned her head to look over her shoulder as she asked, "Yes sir?"

David narrowed his eyes. "Your mom says you spent the day with Greta and Mikey, and while a part of that may be true, I know that not all of it is," he said. "You didn't drive yourself home. Where's your car?"

Dani cringed again as the thought of her car still parked at the bakery had completely vanished from her mind. "Damn it," she whispered.

She then cleared her throat and said, "Oh, that? Greta and I went out for a ride in her car today and I completely forgot about-"