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I’ve gotten to know the Landmark family through helping Sofie with Grinny’s birthday party and also helping with the stables project at Sofie’s place with Theo. Sutton, the oldest Landmark sibling and a judge, has helped me file divorce papers in the most painless way possible. And Grinny is a hoot. She welcomed Dakota and me with arms wide open the moment we met her. With the exception of Dr. Why You An Ass Landmark, I absolutely adore everyone in the family. Even the grumbly Callum, who has few words to say, is more of a people person than his brother.
What a waste of a beautiful man.
I mean, the entire Landmark family is exceptionally good-looking. Scarlett is like a supermodel with her long dark hair and eyes and curves for days. Theo and Sutton favor each other and are both gorgeous with features similar to Scarlett’s. Sofie told me that Jamison, Scarlett’s boyfriend, who fits right in with his own hotness, said that Callum looks like a cross between a hipster lumberjack model and a serial killer, and I laughed my head off because it’s the perfect description.
But the doctor…he is…well, there are no words.
Since his eyes are drilling through me every time he sees me, it’s impossible to miss how green they are. Or how his hair looks like he’s attempting to tame it, but it never quite works and ends up looking perfectly messy.
I guess I have more words about him than I thought. But, like I said, what a waste.
I’ve tried to be at Sofie’s when he isn’t, but yesterday we happened to be there at the same time, and seriously, the glare on that man. So I dented and scratched his car—that doesn’t seem insurmountable to get over. He still hasn’t called me to deal with it. I guess I could’ve gotten his number from Theo or Sofie, but I haven’t…so maybe that’s his reason for being bitter, but other than that…I have no idea what his problem is with me.
And then we were all looking for Dakota and I was too shaken up to be anything but relieved and then infuriated to find her way out in the pasture with Dr. Wyatt. He must not have heard us calling for her, and Dakota is the one who ran off without telling me where she was going, so I guess I can’t really hold it against him.
He’s just…under my skin.
I really hope these feelings don’t affect the job interview I have this morning.
I just dropped Dakota off at Sofie’s, where she is as happy as can be. She loves being over there with Sofie’s horses. She’s loving being in Landmark, period. With the exception of Wyatt, who I have to admit is better with Dakota, everyone has been so kind and welcoming since we got here. I took Dakota to see Dr. Langley last week—a lovely doctor—and her ears looked great, which is such a relief.
My phone rings as I’m pulling into the parking lot and I groan when I see that it’s Cash. I’m thirty minutes early for my interview because I’m anxious and the last thing I should do is talk to Cash, but I answer it. He’s been uncharacteristically quiet since I left him.
I grab my bag and folder with my resume and references and get out of the SUV, leaning against the front before I bite the bullet and answer.
“Hello?” I stare at the tree ahead.
“Hey.”
He sounds so much more subdued than normal.
“You got the divorce papers?" I say, trying to speed the conversation along.
“Yes, and I won’t contest it.”
“Great. I’d like to get this over with as soon as possible.”
“Listen, I know you’re probably expecting an apology for what you saw, but…you and I both know we haven’t been a real couple in a long time,” he says, pausing to turn down the music in the background.
When he doesn’t say anything else right away, I reach in my bag for one of Dakota’s squishy balls and squeeze it to ease some of the tension.
“No, I didn’t expect an apology from you, Cash. I just wish you’d been honest a long time ago when I asked if you were cheating on me. Or better yet, that you’d left me before you ever started cheating in the first place. That way we could’ve avoided our daughter seeing what she did…and I wouldn’t feel like I wasted years of my life.”
“Oh, come on, you don’t mean that. I do regret that Dakota saw what she did, but she’s too young to—” he says, and I interrupt.
“I don’t want to get into that or anything else with you. Sign the papers, and we can both move on.”
“I will. I, uh…since you’ve decided you’re moving to Colorado, I don’t believe I should have to pay child support,” he stammers.
You lying, cheating, manipulative, back-stabbing weasel.
“If you read the papers again, you’ll see that I’m requesting full custody since you’ve never tried to have a relationship with your daughter.” I sound rageful through my clenched teeth, but it’s the best I can do. “I don’t expect you to pay anything and I also won’t keep you from seeing her if you ever want to set up a time to visit, but I tried to make the terms as simple as possible.”
He didn’t even make it to the hospital when Dakota was born. That should have been just one more sign that I should leave.
“Good,” he says. “I think that’s for the best.”
“I’m so glad you agree.” The sarcasm is about as thick as it can get, and my grip on the phone is probably going to give me carpal tunnel. “Is that all? I really need to go.”
