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His lip twitched. “Bring it, Kid.”
12
NOAH
Chatting with Skylar was easier than I expected. The kid was smart and argumentative, but she was loyal as hell to her mother. She didn’t complain about sharing a room with her mother while I looked for a new place. She even agreed with me that they should move with me until the man who was after her mom was caught.
Since Everly’s car was still being repaired, it made sense for me to drop Skylar at school. I was still using Nick’s Escalade, but I would rectify that before the end of the day. Apparently, it was one of the other parent’s weeks to fetch the kids, so I wouldn’t need to worry about that yet. But Everly would be contacting the school and placing me on the pick-up list.
Skylar turned in her seat, similar to how her mother did a few days earlier. “Do you have a crush on my mom?”
“What?” I kept my eyes on the road and tried not to show how much her question had thrown me. “Why are you asking?”
She never missed a beat as she answered. “The way you look at her. It's almost the same way Holden looks at Sydney.”
“Who are Holden and Sydney?”
“Sydney is Grace’s foster sister. But not for much longer. They found her family on her mother’s side who are willing totake her. And Holden Waite is… well he’s Holden. They have a crush on each other and haven’t done anything really and now they won’t because she is moving to San Francisco.” She paused to breathe. “Not that it should matter. It's not like they’re in some sort of a relationship. It’s just a crush, right. Like you have with my mom.”
That was a lot of words. Far more than I was used to. “I had a crush on your mother many years ago. Now we’re grown-ups and my priority is getting to know you and keeping both of you safe.”
Skylar rolled her eyes and I saw flashes of that teenager Everly had warned me about. “I think what you had with mom all those years ago was something different to a crush. Crushes don’t have sex on a first date. Did you two even go on a date? Was it a one-night stand?”
“I don’t think any of that is appropriate for a twelve-year-old to know about.”
She turned to look out of her window and folded her arms. “Do the math, old man. I’ll be thirteen in less than two months. I know about sex. At least enough to know that it's something that seems really gross. And I don’t see what all the hype is about.”
“What hype?” Was someone having inappropriate conversations in front of my daughter? “Who said there was hype?”
Skylar shook her head and faced me. “No. We’re not having that conversation. Mom already had that talk with me. I wish I didn’t need to talk to her about things, so you can imagine how little I want to talk to you about this. I just want to know if you have a crush on my mom.”
Did I have a crush on Everly? That seemed over simplistic. I liked her and thought she was hot. Not that I would tell my daughter that. I liked spending time with her, and I watched how she interacted with Skylar. Watching that warmed somethinginside me. Maybe it was a crush with a little lust thrown in. It certainly wasn’t much more than that.
“I suppose I do have a little crush on your mom. There’s a lot to like about her.”
“And you haven’t even watched her perform yet. You’ll positively fall in love with her. She’s amazing on stage.” Skylar was obviously in awe of her mother. It was something to behold, since I could tell Everly had so much respect for her, too.
It gave me an opportunity to change the subject. “Your mom says you’re a brilliant dancer. I cannot wait to see you on stage.” I chanced a quick glance at her and watched her eyes widen. “When’s the next time I’ll be able to watch you?”
“Really?” The disbelief in her voice nearly broke my heart. “I mean Aunt Brie and Aunt Cassie have come to watch me with their husbands. But my mom’s brothers are not interested. And my grandfather said dancing is frivolous. Grandma Hope and Grandpa Dan said they’ll come and support me at Champs.”
Hope and Daniel were the Salinger siblings’ parents. I already knew they’d welcomed Everly and Skylar into their family. I was grateful for that, but I would show my daughter my full support as well. “Champs?”
“The Southern Californian Dance Championships. I’m competing in three disciplines, three dances in each.” She smiled but lowered her head. “It won’t all happen on the same day, and I don’t expect you to attend all of them. But I will let you know which are the best days.”
I stopped in front of the school but needed to set the record straight before she got out of the car. I turned and gave my daughter my full attention. “Sweetheart, I’m your dad. Unless I’m on a mission that I cannot get out of, I will be at each and every one of your competitions and recitals. Am I understood?”
Her swallow was visible, and she blinked a few times as she nodded. She leaned over and hugged me. “Don’t fuck it up with mom. She has a crush on you too.”
I was too stunned to speak. But the parent in me reared its head. “Language, young lady.”
“Sorry.” I just about heard her call as she closed the door and made her way to the school building.
Twenty minutes later I was pulling into the parking lot of Salinger Security. Nick had just arrived too; his wife went ahead rushing into the building. Bex was at the main building too, holding the door for us. In her long flowy shirt and long sleeve top, she looked nothing like the badass I knew her to be.
I wasted no time with pleasantries. “I need to find a car dealership and realtor this morning. Anyone come to mind?”
Nick nodded. “There’s only one Car Dealership in town, but they can source pretty much anything if you’re willing to wait. Ask Julie about the realtor. She found a place within a week of moving to town.”
