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"The only thing I need to work on is keeping you away from me. You are the only temper causing issue in my life. Let the child eat,"I said, placing the spoon back in front of Grace.
“She doesn’t need all that sugar,” she said, pulling the spoon away from her. “Anyway, I think it’s time to end this night right here.” Valerie pushed the bowl away from Grace. She then went to pull her to her side, but Grace shoved at her.
"I want Dad!" she screamed, causing people to look in our direction.
I stood up and waited for Valerie to move. When she did, I held out my hand for Grace to take while she continued to cry. I turned and headed toward the door and put Grace in the truck. Minutes later, I returned to the restaurant to our table. I slid into the booth across from Valerie and looked at her.
"What did you do with Grace?" she questioned.
"What do you think I did with her? I put her in the truck. Now, let’s get a few things straight before we go."
Valerie sat back, a look of shock on her face as she waited for me to speak.It was rare I spoke to her in this tone, but I’d had enough.
I grabbed the bill and held onto it. "Now, there is no way on earth I am giving you the money you want. So, let’s get that straight. Second, no more showing up unannounced. If you want to see Grace, I ask for at least a week’s notice, which is less than the court determined was fair. If you make it any more difficult than saying yes, I have no problem heading back to my lawyer."
Valerie brought her hand up to her chest. "Zach...I don't...understand."
"Let’s drop the innocence act here. You are a damn mess. Everyone can see it but you. Get your shit together and do it fast."
I slid from the booth and made my way to the counter to pay the tab. Then, without looking back, I headed to the truck and took Gracie home.
* * *
I rubbed my eyes and shut my laptop down. I never thought I’d be back to late night hours, but here I was. At least this was my choice and not the boss telling me I had a deadline to hit.
I stretched and looked down at my phone to see a message waiting. I opened the screen and smiled as I saw Iris’s name.
We’d been messaging on and off since Friday afternoon. She’d needed some help to fix a couple of small things, and I’d been more than happy to help her.
Zach: Sorry I was out at dinner when you messaged.
Iris: No worries. I just wanted to let you know I got the door repaired.
Zach: Good stuff. I knew you could do it. It wasn’t that hard.
Iris: Nope, not hard at all, just took me and the two boys to get it done. Getting them to listen to instructions was the hard part. It was an adventure.
Zach: I told you if you needed me, I’d come over. You should have just asked.
Iris: Is that you offering? Because I may still need you. The tap in the bathroom needs replacing and, well, I know nothing about plumbing. I tried to watch some YouTube videos, but I’m still lost.
Zach: No problem, I can pop over in the morning.
Iris: Great, oh I did manage to purchase a tap at the hardware store tonight.
Zach: Perfect. I’ll see you about ten?
Iris: Ten works. See you then.
The next morning, I dropped Grace off at school, swung over to The Crispy Biscuit, and then made my way over to the address Iris gave me. I walked up to the door and knocked.
I waited a few minutes and knocked again. This time the door flew open, and Iris stood there, her white T-shirt soaked through giving me quite the view. Her hair was everywhere, and she looked completely frazzled.
“Come in, come in,” she said, frantically rushing back into the house.
“If I had known we were having a wet T-shirt contest here, I’d have come better prepared,” I said as I stepped inside and shut the door behind me and poked my head into the kitchen to see her holding a towel around the tap, which was spraying water all over the kitchen. I quickly put down the coffee I’d brought and ran over to her, dropping to the floor. Reaching under the sink, I shut off the water and stood up.
“Thank goodness you arrived when you did,” Iris said, now letting go of the towel. “You are a hero!”
