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“Oh. What are your ideas?”
Silence.
“Amber? Are you there?”
“Yes.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
I frown. “Then why won’t you tell me about your project?”
“I… I don’t know what to tell you, Dad. Some days you want to know everything about me, and other days, I barely see you. You say you’ll come see me and you either don’t show up, or you keep changing things.”
I grip my phone hard and wince with regret. Telling her that her mom is fifty percent responsible for me missing our meetings will not help.
“I’m sorry, Pumpkin. I promise I’ll do better,” I tell her in a soft tone.
She releases a heavy sigh. “If I tell you now, I might have to tell you like three more times because you always forget.”
“That’s in the past, Amber. I’m a hundred percent focused on you now.”
There’s a pause before she says, “It’s something about coding and cyber security.”
“Great. Do you need any help?”
“No. You’ll hijack the project.”
I grin. “Okay. What if I have nothing to do with it, and you handle it with one of my employees? She’s a cyber-security expert.”
Shit! Even with Amber, I still somehow bring Hailey into it. Why would I suggest such a thing when it isn’t part of Hailey’s job description? And we aren’t even friends for me to ask her for the favor. Damn! What’s wrong with me?
“ Don’t bother, Dad.”
I frown. “ Alright. So, I’ll see you on—”
“Amber! You should be in bed. How many times have I told you…” The voice of my ex wipes off my smile as she carries on nagging our daughter.
“Good night, Amber. Talk to you tomorrow.”
“Good night, Dad.”
“Dad? Didn’t I tell you—” I hear Linda say before Amber hangs up.
At least I didn’t have to speak to Linda, which would have ruined my day. Hearing her voice already put a damper on my talk with Amber.
Sighing heavily, I recall the conversation with my daughter. I must not jeopardize my relationship with Amber now that she has given me another chance to get close to her again. Finding out in the gossip columns or from her friends in school that her dad is involved with an employee will definitely close that door forever. I can’t afford to let that happen. I’ll have to put Hailey at arm’s length.
CHAPTER5
HAILEY
I’ll definitely get fired today.
My heart beats with trepidation as I hold on tightly to my purse in the crowded subway car. I wrinkle my nose at the smell of garlic emanating from the man sitting beside me. To my left, a couple is arguing in Spanish. Their argument gets heated, and I wince and surreptitiously scratch my ear, hoping they won’t destroy my ear drum before my stop.
Lifting my head and trying to filter out the noise, my eyes connect with a well-dressed middle-aged man who gives me a cheeky smile. He’s one of the many people holding on to the rail. I quickly look elsewhere, but then I catch the scrutiny of two men dressed as clowns and a construction worker who nods at me with his yellow helmet.
