“Agreed,” Callen said. “Think we can sit the next one out?”
“I don’t know. That’s up to Winter.”
She looked between us but was distracted by all the flavors she had left to mix. “Sure. I can eat ice cream by myself.”
Callen ruffled her hair. “Thanks, my love. I just don’t think I’m cut out for all these adventurous choices.”
“That’s okay, Daddy. I think they’re fun.”
Callen and I sat down in a booth near the display case, watching as Winter heaped scoops of God only knew what into the next cup. He sighed but couldn’t quite hold back a smile. “Have you ever heard that sugar keeps kids awake and turns them into monsters at night?”
“She could never be a monster.”
He pursed his lips. “You haven’t seen her when she throws a tantrum. Thankfully, they’re rare for her, but I once ruined her day by insisting she wear pants in Minnesota in the middle of winter.”
“That’s it?” I asked, tilting my head and grinning at him. “Because I’ve heard much worse stories about toddler tantrums.”
“Trust me, that was a mild one. I just didn’t want to scare you.”
“Hit me,” I said. “I can take it. What horror stories do you have?”
He chuckled. “She once screamed so loudly after I took a knife she’d found in my dressing room away that I could hear her crying even while I was onstage.”
“Still tame. You’re attuned to her cries. Of course, you’d hear her.”
“There were more than five thousand people in the audience that night,” he deadpanned. “And I heard a toddler screaming about a steak knife as we walked out.”
“Getting better,” I said. “But she was backstage and presumably close by when this happened?”
“Touché.” He drummed his fingers on the table. “Okay, how about this? I once left a grocery store with an entire cart of feminine pads because she liked the colors on the packaging. And we’d only gone to get me new deodorant.”
I felt my eyes growing wide, but I couldn’t stop laughing at the mental image I conjured up. “What did you do with all of them?”
“Donated them eventually,” he said, eyes crinkling at the corners. “But not before she got one package open and I walked into a meeting with our manager with a pad stuck to the side of my shoe.”
“How did you not notice that?” I laughed, clapping a hand over my mouth.
He shrugged. “Single, sleep-deprived father. I surprised myself when I figured out I’d actually remembered to wear shoes.”
My laughter stopped instantly. There was so much out there about single moms that I’d never given much thought to single dads before Callen had confided in me last weekend. A whole week had passed without any more information about Winter’s mother and how Callen had become a single father, but I was resolutely waiting for him to tell me in his own time.
“You’re a great dad,” I said. “I hope you know that. That song you played for her? It was stunning. There should be more fathers out there like you.”
“I’m sure there are,” he joked. “They just don’t write songs about it.”
“But you did,” I pressed because it didn’t feel like any harm could come from wanting to learn more details about a song he’d sung voluntarily. “Tell me about String Bean. You said you wrote it for her?”
“I did,” he mused. His eyes became unfocused as he stared at the wall behind me. “I can’t even begin to describe to you how I felt when she was born. It was the best feeling ever, but it came with the weight of responsibility like nothing I’d ever felt before.”
“I think that’s probably normal.”
He nodded, but he still didn’t look at me. “After we took her home, she wasn’t picking up weight like she was supposed to. She lost a lot more than what is normal. I looked at her one day and I couldn’t help thinking that she looked like a string bean. She’d gotten taller, but she was so damn skinny.”
Callen smiled, but it was a sad smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “After I put her to bed that night, the lyrics just came to me. I wrote the whole song in less than twenty minutes, music included.”
“Wow,” I said. I had no idea what went into songwriting, but that seemed really impressive to me. Linking my hands together, I rested my chin on my fingers with my elbows propped on the table. “You must be quite something if you’re able to put songs that good together so fast.”
“I’m nothing special.” He said it in a way that was just honest. He wasn’t fishing for compliments or hoping I’d contradict him. “I love music. It’s like breathing to me now. It just happens.”
“What are your plans with music now?” I asked, inadvertently leaning forward as I waited for his answer. Guys like him belonged to Hollywood and crowds in stadiums, not simple girls from Myrtle Beach.
It hurt to even think about them leaving me, but I had to be realistic. He loved music with a passion and he was obviously good at writing it as well as making it. Whatever had brought him here wasn’t going to last forever.
Eventually, he was likely to take off back on the road, recording in LA and doing whatever it was rock stars really did all day. He’d take Winter with him and I’d never hear from them again.
More than anything, that thought convinced me to just enjoy the time we had together. Callen, however, didn’t seem to be thinking about hitting the road anytime soon.
“I don’t have any plans with music right now. I’ve got enough money and I just want to spend some time with Winter before she gets mean in her teens, you know?”
“I don’t think she’ll ever get mean,” I said, my eyes darting to the side to find Winter leaning heavily on the display case. Her eyes were half-closed and she looked dead on her feet.
Callen noticed the same thing I did, standing up with a smile shot in my direction. “I think we’d better get going. It’s way past someone’s bedtime and it seems to be catching up to her.”
Winter let Callen pick her up, resting her head on his shoulder while I made quick work of switching off the lights and locking up.
They dropped me off at my house, but before I got out of the car, Winter stirred in her seat. “Bye, Tiffeny. I love you.”
Her voice was sleepy but clear. Surprised and taken aback by her declaration, I blinked a few times before I acknowledged my melted heart. “I love you too, sweetheart. See you soon, okay?”
“Okay.” She yawned.
When my eyes slid back to Callen’s, there was a very forced-looking smile on his lips. He gave me a curt nod, not even trying for a hug.
“I’ll call you, Tiffeny. You have a good night now.”
“Yeah, you too.” I got out of the car, but I watched them drive away. There had been something very wrong with that smile and the coolness in his voice when he told me he’d call me.
Everything had been fine all night, though.
Blowing out a breath, I decided to ignore it. He’s probably just tired.
Chapter 23
Callen
“Have a great day, honey,” I called to Winter as I dropped her off, waving until she disappeared into the center.
With a heavy sigh, I shifted my car into gear and merged into the traffic. All weekend, it had been a struggle to keep my mind off Tiffeny and on doing things with Winter.
Since it was Monday morning and she was back at school, I finally allowed myself to really think about what was bothering me about Friday night.
Winter had told Tiffeny that she loved her, and she’d meant it. I’d asked her about it on Saturday and she’d confirmed.
Hearing those words out of her mouth was like having someone shove a red-hot brand into my chest. The word it felt like it had seared into my skin was traitor.
Logically, I knew it wasn’t true. Winter loving a woman who wasn’t her mother didn’t equate to me betraying Alice. Emotionally, however, it felt like that was exactly what I had done.
Navigating the relationship Winter was f
orming with Tiffeny was proving as perilous as trying to navigate my own with her. On the one hand, I was glad they got along so well and that Tiffeny loved her, too.
On the other, that part of my heart that still belonged to Alice revolted. It rebelled against the idea that another woman would hear those words from her daughter when Alice herself had never gotten the opportunity to hear them herself.
Lost in the warring parts of my heart and brain, I drove home. It was only when I got there to find an unfamiliar car in my driveway that I snapped out of it.
Furrowing my brow as I parked, I craned my neck to see a figure sitting on the step outside the front door. Unlike the car, the figure was very much familiar.
A wide smile spread on my face as I shut the engine down and hopped out of the car. “Clark? What are you doing here?”
Already in the process of standing up, he walked over to me and offered me his hand while pulling me into a hug. “I came to see you obviously. How’s it hanging, man?”
“We’re good.” I stepped out of his back-thumping hug and fished my house keys out of my pocket. “How about you?”
“Well, it took me a while to find your house, but here I am. I was hoping to catch you before you took Winter to day-care.” He followed me in after I unlocked the door.
Stopping in the entrance hall, his eyes swept across the modest space, the pictures and album covers on the walls and the rug beneath his feet. “Wow. Looks like you’ve really settled in here.”
“Yeah, well, what can I say? I was tired of living with a thousand boxes.” I shrugged and tossed my keys into the bowl on the side table, jerking my chin in the direction of the kitchen. “You want some coffee? You still haven’t told me what you’re really doing here.”
“Coffee would be great,” he said, dragging a hand across his face. “I’ve been up since three a.m., so make mine extra strong.”
“I can do that.” Clark took a seat at the island while I flipped on the coffeemaker and grabbed some mugs from the cabinet above it. After getting the sugar and cream ready, I leaned my hip against the counter and faced him. “Why have you been up since three?”
“Last leg of the drive,” he said. “I was really hoping to catch a glimpse of my goddaughter this morning. I miss that kid.”
“So you got a new car, then?” I asked, tipping my head to the front of the house. “I didn’t recognize that one.”
“Yeah, the label gave it to me to sweeten the deal during negotiations for a new album. It’s an Audi. If you like it, you can have it. I was happy with my truck.”
“Why’d you take it?”
He lifted a shoulder. “One of the meetings we had was at this beachside bistro. Jared, you remember him right? The exec? Anyway, he saw me admiring one leaving the parking lot, and the next day, this one arrived on my doorstep. Felt rude to give it back.”
I laughed as the pot started filling with coffee. “Being given a car and feeling too bad to give it back? Now that’s a different level of first-world problems, my friend.”
“Yeah, I know.” He flashed me a sheepish grin. “Which brings us full circle to your first question. I’m here because I have this swanky new car and contract, but I really don’t want to record without you. I’ve been in the studio a few times, but something just feels off.”
My brows rose. I filled our mugs, fixed the coffee, and handed his over. I joined him at the island, putting my feet up on the rung of the stool. My knee started bouncing because I wasn’t sure I liked where this was going. “You came to lure me back to LA? Because I gotta tell you straight up, that’s not happening right now.”
“You don’t have to come back to LA necessarily. I have a tour starting in a few weeks and we can record on the road. Wouldn’t be the first time.”
With a firm shake of my head, I flashed him a small, apologetic smile. “I can’t go back on the road in a few weeks. Winter loves it here. She’s really settled in at the day-care center and I just finished unpacking the other day.”
Clark’s shoulders lowered, and disappointment flashed in his eyes, but he nodded. “I figured you were going to say that, but I had to give it a try.”
“Just because I’m saying no to touring and recording right away doesn’t mean I can’t help you at all. It’s like I said. I need some time to sort things out, but I have been writing. There are a few more songs you can record and I can help you fine-tune them to your style before you leave.”
“Yeah, okay. That’d be great. It’s not having you with me, but I guess it’s the next best thing.” He took a sip of his coffee and cracked his neck. “What are your plans for today?”
“I was actually going to do some writing, so you’ve got good timing.” As I lifted my head to take a sip of my own, my eyes landed on the light green depths of his. “I’m glad you’re here. It’s good to see you, even if I have to turn down your offer.”
His lips curved into a grin. “I’m glad I’m here, too. I can’t wait to see Winter and I’m even excited to spend some time with your sorry ass.”
“Hey, my ass isn’t sorry. It’s hot.” I smirked, but it dropped when I saw the surprised expression on his face. His brows were slightly pinched, his lips pursed, and his head fell to the side. “What?”
“Nothing. I just haven’t heard a comeback like that from you in a long time. For the record, one’s ass can be hot and sorry at the same time, but just hearing you say something like that in that tone makes me think it might not be so sorry anymore. What gives?”
“I met someone,” I admitted, then brought up a hand to squeeze the back of my neck.
Clark choked on his coffee and banged his fist against his chest as he lifted his watery eyes to mine. “You what?”
“You heard me.”
“Yeah.” He grinned and rubbed his finger at the base of his ear. “I’m just not sure what I heard was correct. Long drive, early start. Air pressure differences. Maybe my ears aren’t functioning properly because I could’ve sworn I just heard you say you ‘met someone.’”
He made air quotes with his fingers on the last two words, then scooted forward on his seat and propped his elbows on the table.
I laughed. If only his fans knew how much their tattooed, charismatic, supposedly bad-boy idol loved gossip, his reputation would be shattered.
“Calm down, Clark. You look like your tongue is about to loll out and you’re going to start panting.”
“Any second now,” he agreed. “So what gives? Who is this someone? Have you finally broken your celibacy vows? What does she look like? Do you have a picture?”
Dropping my head back as I laughed, I lifted my hands with my palms out. “Slow down, bud. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, but I can only remember so many questions at a time. Her name is Tiffeny. I don’t have a picture, but I really should. She’s gorgeous and yes, we’ve been intimate.”
He let out a loud whoop and gave the air a victory punch. It was ridiculous, but his theatrics also made me smile.
“Way to go, Tiffeny,” he hollered, his hand cupped over his mouth before he started a slow clap. “My boy’s finally back. And I’m here, too. Guess the boys really are back in town, am I right?”
Shaking my head at him, I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle, though. “Yeah, I guess we are. Just not in the way you’re thinking. I’m not about to climb into the bed of every groupie who throws herself at me, and Winter is still my first priority.”
“Of course.” He scoffed. “But at least you’re partway back in the game. You dating her?”
My cheeks puffed up with air as I arched a brow and lifted my shoulders. “I mean, I like her and she likes me. We’re seeing where it goes.”
“Seeing where it goes?” He brought his fingers up and tapped his chin a couple of times before giving me a nod. “I suppose that’s better than nothing. When are you seeing her again?”
Damn it. I really was going to have to go there, talking about my feelings and shit that was
bothering me. Fuck. “I don’t know.”
“Why don’t you know?” He narrowed his eyes at me. “Seeing where things go kind of requires actually seeing her, doesn’t it?”
I blew out a frustrated breath. “Yeah, but we went out on Friday night. Winter was with us. When we dropped Tiffeny off, Winter told her she loved her. It freaked me out a little.”
He stuck his bottom lip out and scratched his head, then frowned at me. “Okay, why is that a bad thing? You definitely said that like it’s a bad thing, but I can’t figure out why. It’s good for Winter to have a positive female influence in her life, unless you’re telling me Tiffeny isn’t a positive influence.”
“No,” I said firmly. “No, it’s not that. Tiffeny’s great and she’s definitely a positive influence. I just don’t think Winter needs a woman in her life. It’s too soon and I don’t want her getting confused.”
“What are you going to do?” he asked after a brief pause. “Are you so freaked out you’re going to stop seeing her?”
“No.” I sighed. “Maybe. I don’t know. I don’t want to stop seeing her, but I also want to do the right thing by Winter.”
Clark reached across the island and gave my shoulders a quick squeeze. “You’ll figure it out. In the meantime, I’m going to stick around here for a bit. We can work together and I can meet this Tiffeny of yours.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “It’ll be nice to have you around again.”
Maybe I hadn’t figured out what to do about Tiffeny and Winter’s feelings about her, but it really was good to have Clark around. Telling him what was going on had lifted a weight off my shoulders and made it easier to breathe again.
Women had the right idea about most things, I’d realized a long time ago. I was starting to think they were right about talking about feelings, too. Not that I’d ever admit it out loud, least of all to Clark.
Chapter 24
Tiffeny
“I’m so hungover,” Julia complained as she slid into the seat across from me. “I’m never drinking all weekend for my birthday again.”
Keeping Secrets Page 16