Free The Ex-Wife by Candice Dow

literally. I missed most of the details that
     he explained to me as we flipped through the pages. His mouth moved, but I couldn’t hear anything as I fantasized about his
     lips touching my skin. Cam nudged me and I jumped. He’d been calling my name, but I was trapped in a daydream and he was the
     main character. He said, “Sign here.”
    Kiss here. I was signing and smiling as Cam led the way. I was partially happy that I didn’t have to see Cam anymore after this, because
     this infatuation was definitely not healthy. Once everything was handled, the seller and his agent were told they could leave.
     They shook my hand and congratulated me. Cam, the title representative, and I were left so I could sign another long contract.
     Finally it was over and I was the owner of my new home. Cam and I walked out of the office.
    He asked, “Have you decided when you’re moving in?”
    “I’m not sure yet. Probably in a few weeks.”
    “I like to bring all of my clients a housewarming gift, so let me know when you’ll be there.”
    “My sister and my parents are going to meet me there now for lunch. Do you want to stop by?”
    “Sure. I have a run to make but I’ll meet you there in about an hour or so. Is that OK?”
    “That’s perfect.”
    I called Aaliyah and my parents to let them know that everything was final and that they could grab lunch and stop by. I had
     stopped at Target the night before for paper goods, cleaning supplies, and toilet paper. I asked my father to bring his card
     table and folding chairs, then headed straight there.
    My parents were first to arrive. Daddy came in grinning from ear to ear. My mother gave me a hug. “Congratulations, sweetie.”
    “Thanks, Mom.”
    Daddy looked around the place, nodding with approval. “I like this place, Yana.”
    “Thanks, Daddy.”
    “It definitely suits you.”
    Daddy can fix anything, build anything, and he knows everything. He was my real-life superman. My mom always insinuated that
     he was the reason I was single. Daddy was the ideal man, and if I was going to be with someone he had better be like my daddy.
     He received his PhD from Morehouse College when I was a kid and worked as a school principal most of our lives. He and Mom
     met while they were in undergrad, he at Morehouse and she at Spelman. Dad went on to become the superintendent during my last
     year in high school. He had been retired almost five years now and had served on a consultant basis for a while. After my
     mother retired from teaching, he decided they would both relax and explore the world. Now they went wherever the wind blew
     them. He still did odd home improvement projects but nothing demanding.
    My dad went upstairs to the loft while my mom helped me open the card table. The doorbell rang and it was Aaliyah and the
     crew. I love my nieces, but those little girls run through your house like a tornado. Whenever they would come to my apartment,
     I’d get complaints from the neighbors below. Being that it was midday I assumed no one was there so I didn’t give them the
     no-running speech. My youngest niece, Troi, hopped right into my mother’s lap, and my oldest niece, Tayme, met my father at
     the bottom of the stairs. “Pop-pop!”
    It’s amazing how history repeats itself. Without question, I am a daddy’s girl and Aaliyah is a mommy’s girl. We didn’t have
     any sibling rivalry about it either, probably because we weren’t competing for attention from the same person.
    Aaliyah had two big bags from Chipotle and I grabbed one from her. She said, “I love this place, Ayana. It is so you.”
    My mom said, “I agree.”
    “Well, I only see one problem,” Dad said.
    “What?”
    “It’s going to get really warm upstairs.”
    He pointed to a big vent on the wall in my dining room. “You see this.”
    “Yeah.”
    “That intakes the hot air.”
    My eyebrows wrinkled because he was confusing me.
    “ACs don’t just cool a place. This vent intakes the hot