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“I’m sorry, Cass. Please let the kids know I wanted to spend more time with them, but I couldn’t. I’ve never been really good at goodbyes.”
“Unbelievable!” I admonished.
He disconnected the call.
I sat in my office for a few minutes trying to gauge how to tell the kids. I finally figured that the best way was to just say it. I called them into my office. When they both appeared, I closed my eyes for a brief moment. Before I could speak, Kyra said, “Dad left again, didn’t he?”
I nodded.
“You were right, Kyra,” Max mumbled.
“Yep, told you,” Kyra said.
“Dad loves money more than us,” Max mumbled sadly and went into his room. Kyra followed him, then I heard them both sobbing.
My heart broke for them.
How can I fix this?
I sent my boss an e-mail and asked for the rest of the day off. She granted my request and added the following day, as well.
I appeared in Max’s doorway and announced, “Get your swimsuits on. We are going to the beach.”
They were still sad, but they did brighten up a little bit.
We built sandcastles and collected seashells. After the long day at the beach, we stopped at a roadside stand for hot dogs and a ton of fries. I even allowed the kids to have soda. It was a day of constant hugs. I wanted the kids to know how much I loved and appreciated them.
Ray stopped by on Friday evening with ground meat, buns, corn on the cob, and tater tots. He grilled patties and corn on the barbecue and instructed me to cook the tots. The four of us sat out on the patio and ate dinner.
After the kids went to bed, we were relaxing on the couch when he asked, “Want me to track down Dex and beat him up for the kids?”
I shook my head no.
“Want me to hire someone?”
I shook my head again.
“I can get one of my guys at the station to do it for free. They’re young. They like starting fights and finishing them.”
I shook my head again.
“Well, fine. I mean this in the nicest way, but your ex-husband is an ass, Cass.”
“Yep,” I agreed.
Chapter Seventeen
“I gotta get to work,” Ray announced on Saturday morning. He stood over
me, already dressed in jeans and his Palm Hills Fire Department T-shirt. I glanced at the clock on my nightstand. It was 6:00 a.m. I groaned.
“Ah, man,” I whined.
He leaned down and kissed me on the lips. “I’ll stop by for lunch,” he offered.
I grinned. “Perfect.”
He was about to leave when he turned back around and kissed me again. “Love you, Cass.”
