AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Which is perfectly fine. You’re too young.”
“You sound like my dad.” Her gaze brightens as she stares at me. “Are you and my daddy friends?”
That’s a complicated puzzle to describe. I settle for simple. “Kinda?”
“Does that mean you’d come to our house for dinner?”
“Oh, that’s not a good idea.”
“Why not? You’re gonna have dinner with a friend later. My daddy is your friend.”
“You’re very smart, Syd.” And I’m out of my element.
“I know,” she chirps. “Are you gonna come to my house for dinner? Pretty please?”
A heavy fist pounding on the locked door interrupts Sydney’s inquisition.
Saved by the knock.
I’m quick to walk backward toward the hallway, beckoning Syd to join me. “That’s your daddy. We better let him in.”
And leave the dinner discussion in the dark.
Fingers crossed.
“And then I did another pirouette. It flopped. I tried again, and made a full turn. Miss Harper was super proud.”
“I’m sure she was.” My eyes roll at the windshield as I pull out onto Main Street.
Ever since I arrived at Barre Twirl, Sydney has filled the silence with an extremely detailed recap of her dance class. We’ve reached the halfway point in her bonus hour. I’m not sure my sanity can handle the rest.
Don’t get me wrong—I live for my daughter’s stories. Just listening to her idle chatter fills my black heart with warmth. But the context is tainted when every other sentence mentions the woman who monopolizes too much mental real estate as of late. I slammed the door on her over six years ago and have kept it sealed shut without a peek. Why I’m tempted to crack open the barrier now is a detriment that haunts me. It’s a weakness I can’t afford.
“And Miss Harper loves me too,” Syd breaks into my musings.
“Of course she does.” The urge to bang my head on the steering wheel radiates across my skull.
“Uh-huh. She told me so. And she has a boyfriend.”
I damn near slam on the brakes. “She has a boyfriend?”
That’s fucking news to me. It was only a matter of time, though. Anyone with functional vision can see how popular she is at Roosters. Men fight to sit in her section. I put myself through the torture as a reminder of what I’ll never have. A burning ache chooses that moment to present itself in my chest. Must be acid reflux.
“They’re having dinner tonight,” my daughter innocently prattles on. “I think it’s a date, like Beauty and the Beast.”
“At her apartment?” I don’t know what possesses me to ask.
“No, she said a tavern or something.”
It’s a barbecue joint in the neighboring town. Standard sauce. Mediocre prices. Kid-friendly. Twenty minutes and we’d be there.
A rash decision has me driving straight past the shop and our house nestled behind it. “Would you like to eat out tonight, Boop?”
“Yessssss!” Her enthusiasm screeches at me from the backseat.
“You pick the spot,” I offer. The rotten part of me is hoping she’ll suggest—
“Where Miss Harper is,” Syd blurts almost on command.
