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What a verydadthing to do, I chuckle to myself.
Then a second later realize I need to hang up.
Not that I have any idea what they’re talking about, only catching a word or two at a time as the swishing of fabric against the microphone drowns out most of their conversation, but it still feels like I’m eavesdropping.
I pull the phone from my ear and hover my thumb over the red button to end the call.
With a deep sigh, I drop my thumb.
“Goodbye, Daniel.”
∞∞∞
DANIEL
Damn.
I need to stop absentmindedly fidgeting with my phone while I walk. Now Riley knows I didn’t lose her number and therefore have no excuse for not sending her that picture I promised.
I should have deleted her number when I made up my mind not to call her again. Why didn’t I?
Because my damn heart refused to receive the message.
Which is why I still can’t bring myself to delete it now, sitting in the waiting area outside the women’s dressing room.
After our fight over her living situation, I let Julia sucker me into a shopping spree. After eight stores, my hands are full and my wallet is running on fumes.
I shouldn’t have agreed to it but like my inability to delete Riley’s number, there are some things I don’t have the heart to do.
“How’s this?” Julia comes out of the dressing room in a pair of skin-tight jeans and a sweater two sizes too big for her. Half of it hangs off one shoulder because it looks like someone ripped out the neckline.
“You know, I could save a bit of money and get you the same look by tearing up one of my old football sweatshirts for you.”
“Dad. Seriously,” Julia huffs and rolls her eyes. A gesture she’s run into the ground the last few days.
“Yes. Completely serious,” I say.
Huffing again, Julia turns and shuts herself in the dressing room.
“You look beautiful, Julia. But can you blame me for wanting to save a couple of bucks? You’re killing me here.” It’s a complete lie and she knows it but I should have cut her off sooner. The further down this rabbit hole I let her take me, the closer I get to giving her anything she wants. If I’m not careful, I’ll wind up agreeing to let her go back to living with Leslie. Exactly, what she’s angling for, I’m sure.
“Excuse me, sir.”
I turn to find one of the store associates, Laura, according to her name tag, standing next to my chair surrounded by Julia’s haul.
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
Standing and nearly falling over the mountain of bags at my feet, I answer, “not me. Thank you. But my daughter could use a reliable opinion on her clothing choices. I’m afraid I just don’t have an eye for fashion.”
The associate looks me up and down. Smirking, she disagrees, “you seem to do well for yourself.”
That’s interesting.
Here I am being hit on by another attractive woman who’s far too young for me, yet I feel nothing for. I’ve been so obsessed with my attraction to Riley being unnatural because of the age difference it never occurred to me it could be something genuine. Too scared it’s just my mind gearing up for a midlife crisis. That my attraction to Riley has nothing to do with her and I’d start finding myself wanting to get into bed with any young woman I encounter just to makemyselffeel young for a second.
But I can’t even imagine spending time with this woman outside this brief business exchange. Compare that to my run-in with Riley. All I’ve wanted since is to spend every moment I can with her. And not all of them in bed, believe it or not. Though I can’t deny, those thoughts have taken up a fair bit of my alone time.
If I don’t stop thinking about it now, I’m going to give this young lady the wrong idea if she looks me over again and catches sight of the lump forming in the front of my trousers.
