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She furrowed her brow and scrunched her nose. "It should be."
"And the last rule…"
"The last one? That was only three. What about…I don't know…but it seems like there should be more!"
"And there will be. Eventually. For now, these are fine. Last rule. 10:30 bedtime.
"Bedtime!" Jasmine shrieked, reacting exactly like I'd expected her to. "I'm not a child. Late nights are the only time I get to myself! It's when I work!"
"If your life is more organized your kids will also get to bed at a decent hour, and you'll still get plenty of time to wind down. You'll also be getting the majority of your work hours during the day. Besides, in order to maintain cleanliness and structure in a loving home, it will be important that you are well rested."
She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest, but didn't add any further protest.
"Is that it?"
"Rules-wise, for now, yes. But I wanted to add one more thing to discuss. Is it possible for you to get a sitter on Friday night?"
"Maybe. I can ask my mom, I guess. Or Gia. I hate doing that, though, since she watches them all week."
"I'd like it if you did."
"Okay. Got it."
"So Friday night sitter if possible," I repeated, just to make sure we were on the same page.
"Yes, okay. But why?"
"Because, I'd like you to accompany me to the club on Friday night. And if you have any naughties racked up during the week, we will handle them there."
Again, her eyes grew wide.
I could see her internal struggle and knew that her brain was working overtime to reconcile the idea of accompanying me to the club where she’d spent so much time with Henry. As I watched the emotions flit across her face, I almost felt guilty for suggesting it, but it was important to me, and to her progress. It would be good for her to get out, and to do something that was hard for her.
"Do we have to? I really don't have anything to wear."
I wagged my head. Her clothing or lack thereof wasn't really the issue she was making it out to be. I knew it and she knew it. "You can wear a potato sack and still be the most attractive one in the room."
She scoffed and rolled her eyes, but a blush ran up her cheeks, and she looked pleased. "Well, I'm still not sure how I feel about going to the club, so I guess I'll just have to be extra good."
Chapter Seven
Jasmine
Partially because I was committed to making sure this whole thing actually worked and wasn’t just a giant waste of money, and partially because I really wasn’t ready to go back to the club, I made it almost all week without breaking a single rule. My house was clean, my work was caught up and I was well rested.
And then Friday happened. Somehow, despite being well-rested I overslept my alarm, the kids missed the bus and were late for school, Gia couldn't watch Marcus because she had a doctor appointment, and my whole day went to hell in a handbasket. By noon, I was spiraling.
While Marcus sat at the table across from me eating chicken nuggets and I sat staring at a blank Word document, I pulled out my phone and shot off a text to Bain.
I quit.
My phone rang a few seconds later. I sent it to voicemail.
It beeped with a text.
You answer when Daddy calls, little girl.
My phone rang again, and this time, with tears of frustration pricking the corners of my eyelids, I answered it, walking down the hall for privacy.
