White Space Season 2

which she immediately ran up and down, three times in each direction.
    “Nice digs,” Cassidy said, raising her eyebrows then meeting Jon’s lips with a kiss. “How did you manage to rent such a nice place so quickly?”
    “I didn’t rent it,” he said. “I bought it.”
    “What? You bought a house here? I thought you were going to stay at one of your family’s many palaces.”
    “I really don’t care to talk to my family right now, let alone ask them for favors,” Jon said.
    “Ah, OK, say no more.”
    Jon turned to the stairs and a delighted Emma. “Wanna see your room?”
    “My room? I have a room?”
    “Well, for when you stay over,” Jon said, hoping Cassidy didn’t think he was trying to take the girl from her and Vivian. They had all agreed to take things slowly, and do what was in Emma’s best interest. Even Vivian was playing ball. Emma, along with Sarah’s house, were now in Cassidy’s custody according to her sister’s will. But Cassidy was so far unable to move into Sarah’s house, thinking it too confusing for Emma.
    Emma stayed at Vivian’s most nights since. Cassidy stayed on the nights she thought Grams might be hitting the sauce a bit too hard. Sometimes they stayed in Cassidy’s tiny apartment. Others, they stayed with Jon in his hotel. For now, Emma was a girl with no home, and many.
    At least now Jon could provide some permanence in a room that was only hers.
    He said, “First door on the right at the top of the stairs. The door’s open!”
    Emma ran the rest of the way upstairs to check out her room. When she returned, jumping up and down like a rabbit, and still squealing like Christmas morning, Jon could feel Cassidy’s evil eye all over him.
    Shit, I knew I went too far. She’s gonna think I’m trying to woo Emma away with shiny, fancy stuff.
    “Aunt Cass, I have my own TV! Wanna see it?”
    “Wow!” Cassidy said, glaring at Jon before returning Emma’s smile with one of her own, matching in size but nowhere near as sincere, then following her niece up the stairs.
    Jon followed closely behind. “It’s not that big a deal.”
    But it was a big deal, and Jon could see it in Emma’s delighted eyes and the already rosier tint to her skin. The TV was ridiculous, with international satellite and a concierge installed, recessed into the wall like the rest of the home’s sets. But beyond the TV, Jon hadn’t spent much, at least not on actual things. He did, however, hand a blank check to the interior decorator who helped him put it all together.
    The bedroom was designed for Emma, with plenty of space where she could be comfortably alone, or spend time with family and friends, whatever she wanted. The room was overflowing with blankets, rugs, curtains, and pillows — in every shade of purple and pink. The walls were painted a soft blush — an almost rosy sand — highlighting the pink accents that peppered the room. The walls were bare, except for the single Adventure Time poster with Fiona and Cake, her two favorite characters. He imagined that Sarah had introduced her to the show; she had loved it when they were teenagers.
    Beyond all the comfort and simple decoration, Jon had future proofed the space by giving Emma plenty of storage to grow into her room over time. Large, funky containers were stuffed into the corners, and neat shelves lined two of the walls. While Jon didn’t fill Emma’s closets with new clothes like he wanted to, there was plenty of closet space to thicken with time, and a single pair of pajamas spread on the oversized canopy bed.
    If Emma were to have friends over, they would never be forced to sit on the floor, with a half dozen beanbag chairs in various sizes sprinkling the ivory carpet, along with a comfortable desk chair — tucked neatly beneath Emma’s new long white desk — and the reading chair beneath the giant oval picture window, staring out at the white waves lapping the island. As in every place Jon stayed, the lighting was as close to perfect as he could get. To him, lighting was most important and often overlooked. He hated cheap lighting, and figured Cassidy couldn’t possibly know how much that cost, so it was a safe place to overspend. The room felt immediately warm and cozy, and would hopefully keep Emma’s nightmares away.
    Cassidy stewed beside him, growing angrier by the moment, even though every molecule inside Jon swore that she shouldn’t. He set a gentle hand at the small of her back, and to his relief,