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“I think we’re good,” the older woman says.
“I’ll be back to check your drinks soon.”
I turn and head for the kitchen again, coming to a full stop when I see the man standing by the cash register.
Longish blond hair hidden by a baseball cap, short beard and the same tall, lanky body I know all too well. It’s my ex-husband, Nick.
Steeling myself, I resume walking.
“What do you want?” I ask when I reach him.
“Nice to see you, too. Why haven’t you and the kids been at the house?”
Everything about him makes me defensive. His voice. His expression. The way he acts like he has a right to an accounting of my whereabouts.
I grab a napkin and silverware and start rolling, needing to keep my hands busy so I don’t punch him in the dick. “Why are you here? I’m working.”
“I came to see the kids.”
I scoff. “With no notice? You just show up and expect to see them?”
“Don’t bust my balls, Tess. I haven’t seen them in a while.”
“Seven months.”
“Whatever. Did you guys move?”
I’m seething inside, but I keep my cool, rolling silverware and avoiding eye contact with him.
“You need to call when you want to see them. They’re in school and you can’t just expect us to drop everything when you show up.”
He throws his arms out. “Well, I’m here now. Can I see them after school today?”
“Hannah has dance.”
“She can skip it.”
“She won’t want to skip it.”
He pinches his brows together. “She will if she knows I’m here.”
I’m not so sure. I don’t say anything negative about Nick in front of the kids, but they know the deal. They see me busting my ass to put food on the table and him disappearing for months at a time.
“She has a dance performance this weekend. You can come to that.”
“Really?” His tone turns angry. “You’re not going to let me see them until this weekend?”
I don’t even want to let him see them then, but he is their father. The thought of Dom meeting Nick makes me cringe inside.
Dom will be Dom, of course, but...Nick will be Nick. And that’s a problem.
“Deb, I need to take five,” I tell my boss.
She meets my gaze and nods, letting me know she’ll cover me. I walk outside and around to the back of the diner, Nick following.
“You can’t show up at my job like this,” I say. “Text me later and we’ll set something up.”
“Text you?” He gives me a confused look. “Did you guys move?”
