AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s supposed to be good for me. Dad said.” Emily crossed her arms, face taking on an expression that teetered between mulish and distraught.
“Emily, I said no. Your father should have checked my schedule.”
“He did. You said yes. Remember?” Emily persisted, edging closer, looking as if she neared fit-pitching stage. “So take me. You promised.”
“Hush,” Monique said, jabbing a finger at her daughter.
“I can take her,” Tess said.
Crap. Why had she just volunteered? Jeeza Louisa. She needed to go to the gym and pound out her frustrations, run the pain of her father’s diagnosis away, sweat out the longing for the kid’s father. She hadn’t been sleeping well. Stress ate away at her, souring her appetite, making her stomach ache. She’d lost a few pounds and the purple shadows beneath her eyes weren’t doing her any favors.
Emily tackled her with a hug. “Thank you, Tess. Thank you.”
Tess gave the kid an awkward pat. “I know how much fun soccer is. It was my sport.”
Monique cocked a perfect eyebrow at her. “You don’t have to do this. Emily can go next time.”
“No problem,” Tess lied. Because taking a seven-year-old to soccer practice, no doubt across town, meant she’d likely be skipping the gym. “Where do I drop her off?”
“I’ll have to look at the flyer her father gave me. He said he’d be there to register her or something like that, and he’ll take her home.”
Great. The last person she wanted to see. Actually he was a person she wanted to see and that was the problem. She didn’t want to think about him, about the way she’d sobbed like a baby in front of him, about the way she’d so easily said, “Come rescue me.” Made her feel weak.
But obviously when it came to Graham, she was weak.
“Okay, I’ll make sure Graham is there before I go.”
Monique nodded. “Good. Let me get you his number just in case.”
“I have it,” Tess said.
Monique lifted her gaze from her phone. “Why would you have Graham’s number?”
Busted.
“Ah, I think my father gave me all his contact information before I left, you know, so if I needed access to anything I’d left behind… ” Lamest excuse ever.
“I thought you weren’t talking to your father,” Monique said, sliding her phone back into her designer purse.
“It was in an email. My contacts synced up automatically.” Tess tried to sound like it was no big deal. Like she’d never wrapped her legs around Graham and shattered against him during the best sex she’d had in forever.
“Oh, well, I’ll see you tomorrow. Wish me luck,” Monique said with a shrug before giving Emily the eagle eye. “Be good.”
“I’m always good,” Emily said with a grin that looked far from angelic. “Let’s go, Tess.”
“Good luck, Monique,” Tess said, relieved the woman hadn’t pressed the issue over Graham’s phone number.
Emily grinned up at her with an excited gap-toothed smile. “I don’t want to be late for my first practice. We’re the Lake End Ladybugs. See my socks?”
“Cool,” Tess said, allowing Emily to pull her toward the door. “Uh, do I need your car seat?”
“I don’t sit in a car seat. I’m not a baby,” Emily said, rolling her eyes.
Tess almost laughed. “Never thought you were, ladybug.”
“Well, Dad makes me ride in a booster seat. He looked up rules on the internet and says I’m still not big enough to sit regular, but I’m in second grade. My dad just doesn’t get it.”
Or maybe he did. Something about Graham taking the time to look up rules regarding booster seats and signing his daughter up for soccer so she could get some sunshine and exercise made Tess like him even more… something she didn’t want to do. But there it was. Graham Naquin was a decent guy even if he’d stolen her place at Ullo and dropped her like a bad habit… for whatever unstated reason.
