by Lexy Parker
She shrugged a shoulder. “It’s okay. I don’t want money. It’s time to wake up.”
I moaned, knowing she wasn’t going to give me the sleep I wanted. “Fine, I’m awake.”
“How was your date? Uncle Clay said you ate dinner with a really pretty girl. Is she pretty? What did you eat?” she asked.
“Slow down. That was a lot of questions,” I told her.
She took a deep breath. “Okay, first question. Is she pretty?”
I nodded. “She is.”
“Next question, will you go out with her again?”
“Sadie, she is a friend. That’s all. We had a nice dinner. I had steak, by the way,” I told her.
She wrinkled her nose. “A girlfriend? What’s her name?”
“No, a friend who happens to be a girl,” I clarified.
“Her name?” she pressed
“Jamie, her name is Jamie, and she owns a flower shop,” I told her, hoping to satisfy her curiosity.
“So is she your girlfriend,” she asked.
“No, she isn’t my girlfriend.”
“But you went on a date with her,” she insisted.
“A date?” I said with surprise.
She sat up and looked down at me. “Dad, I’m not a little kid. It was a date, like the kind on TV. You got dressed up and I bet she did too. What did she wear?” she pressed.
I smiled. “She wore a very pretty black dress.”
Sadie grinned. “See, I told you it was a date. Did you wear your good clothes?”
I nodded. “I did and my good shoes.”
She grinned. “That’s a date,” she said, nodding.
“Fine, it was a date,” I muttered, knowing she wasn’t going to let it go.
“Is she nice?” she asked, clearly satisfied she’d gotten the answer she wanted.
I nodded. “She is very nice.”
“How old is she?”
I laughed. “I don’t know for sure. That isn’t something a man ever asks a woman. I think she’s probably my age, maybe a little younger.”
“Why can’t you ask a woman how old she is?” she asked curiously.
I smiled. “Sadie, if I could answer that question for you, I would. Men learned a long time ago that it was not good to ask.”
“Why?” she persisted, always inquisitive.
“It just isn’t polite. Now, she might tell me how old she is and that would be okay, but I cannot come out and ask her,” I explained, hoping she didn’t ask me again.
She let out a deep breath, clearly not satisfied with my answer. “That’s silly. Did you have fun?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yes, I did. It was nice to eat dinner with a pretty woman.”
“Are you going to have another date with her?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know. I haven’t asked her.”
“Daddy, does she make you happy?” she said, cocking her head to the side.
I looked at her, my shock at her very adult question had me sitting straight up in bed. I ran a hand over my face, trying to school my features.
“What? Where did you hear that?” I asked, already thinking about the lecture I was going to give Clay about filling her head with adult things.
She gave me a look that was all her mother. I got a glimpse into the future of what she was going to look like as a teenager. She was going to be even more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. That pleased me and terrified me at the same time.
“I want you to be happy. You’ve been sad a long time,” she said.
“Sadie, I am happy,” I told her.
She slowly shook her head. “Not like you used to be. I want you to be happy like you were when Mommy was here.”
It hurt my heart to think she had been worried about me all this time.
“I am happy, it’s a different kind of happy, but I am happy,” I promised her.
She smiled, her prominent front teeth on full display. “I want to meet her,” she declared.
I grimaced. “I don’t know about that.”
“Please, Dad,” she asked again.
“I’ll see what I can do. Right now, let’s worry about breakfast,” I told her.
I had no intention of letting Sadie meet Jamie. I wasn’t sure what was happening between Jamie and I, but I wasn’t about to involve Sadie in whatever it was that we had going. If things didn’t work out, I didn’t want Sadie to get hurt. I couldn’t afford to have her get used to a woman in our lives only to have the woman ripped away. She’d already lived through one loss, I would do everything in my power to prevent another one.
“I think today I want strawberries on my pancakes,” she stated.
“Sadie, I don’t have any strawberries,” I told her.
“I guess we have to use chocolate chips then,” she said with a smile.
“Oh, you little sneak,” I joked, climbing out of bed.
She was giggling as she ran down the short hall. I shook my head, pulling my T-shirt on. She had known damn well we didn’t have strawberries. The girl was crafty. By the time I got to the kitchen, she’d already pulled the bag of chocolate chips from the cupboard along with the box of pancake mix.
I lifted her up onto the counter, then dumped the pancake mix in the bowl. She eagerly added the chips while I poured in water, giving her the fork to do the honors.
“Sadie, I talked to Miss Parker a few days ago,” I said, ready to broach the topic of the picture.
“Why?” she asked.
“She wanted to show me a picture you drew,” I started.
Sadie shrugged a shoulder. “We draw a lot of pictures.”
“This one was special,” I told her.
“My picture was special?” she asked.
“Yes, it was a picture you drew of our family.”
She nodded. “It was okay,” she reasoned, not understanding what I was saying.
“Sadie, the picture, it had a picture of a tombstone,” I said softly.
She shrugged. “I know.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s where Mommy is.”
I nodded. “How come you didn’t draw a picture of Mommy?”
She continued to stir. “Because Miss Parker said to draw a picture of our family. That is my family.”
Sadie was right. I wasn’t going to argue with her. It was what I had suspected was the case. She wasn’t being difficult or trying to do anything to gain attention.
“Okay,” I said for lack of anything better to say.
“Was that bad?” she asked, looking up at me with innocent green eyes.
I shook my head. “No, it wasn’t bad.”
“Did Miss Parker like the picture? She smiled when she saw it,” Sadie asked, completely oblivious to what the picture had meant to the adults in her life.
“She did like the picture. She wanted me to see it,” I told her, not really lying.
“I think the batter is ready,” she stated, the picture topic dismissed.
I turned on the stove and heated the pan, feeling as if I had done my parental duty and broached the subject of the drawing. I was satisfied with her explanation and would defend her to anyone who suggested it meant anything else than what she said.
With her help, we made another batch of sugary-sweet pancakes. Sadie chatted through breakfast, talking nonstop about her night with Uncle Clay. I should have remembered her sweet-filled night and put up a bit more of a fight before serving her chocolate chip pancakes. She was going to need a sugar detox by Monday.
“It’s a nice day today. Should we go to the park?” I asked her.
She shrugged. “If you want to.”
I laughed. “Sadie, I’m not the one who plays at the park.”
“I think I’d like to go to the beach,” she said firmly.
“The beach? Sadie, it’s the middle of winter.”
She sighed. “You said they had a beach here. We haven’t been to it yet.”
“Because it’s cold and winter and there are
plenty of beaches around, but you’ll have to wait until it warms up.”
“Okay, fine, we can go to the park,” she said with no enthusiasm.
“Let me take a shower. We’ll get some frozen yogurt and maybe we can catch a movie. I think there is a new movie we can watch,” I offered.
She shrugged. “Okay.”
I had a feeling her dour mood was brought on by the fact I wouldn’t take her to meet Jamie. She’d get over it. I wanted to wait it out a little longer and see how things went. She’d snap out of it eventually. In the meantime, I would bribe her with fun and sweets, just like every other self-respecting parent, I thought with a smile.
Chapter 18
Jamie
I tossed the load of clothes into the dryer, proud to have actually caught up on the laundry that always seemed to get away from me. I was only one person, but the amount of laundry I had would suggest there were five people living in the house. I folded the sheets that I had washed yesterday and placed them in my linen closet, smiling as I let myself hang out in the memory of that wonderful night.
I had talked to Philip briefly yesterday, but he had to go. He had been with his daughter at the park and didn’t have the time to talk. I was glad he called. I had been a little worried it would be a one-night stand. That would make things very awkward at work on Monday. Thankfully, he did call. Seeing him again would probably be a little weird and I had a feeling I would blush furiously when I first laid eyes on him. I had relived the sex over and over in my head. It had been delicious and worth savoring.
I heard a knock at the door. I opened it to find Dani standing there with two cups of coffee and a paper bag in the center of the drink tray.
“Good morning!” she practically sang the words.
“You’re chipper,” I said, wondering what her good mood was all about.
“I am. I brought coffee and doughnuts and I’m ready to hear all the juicy details,” she said, breezing past me and heading to my tiny kitchen table.
I shut the door behind her, surprised she had waited this long. She’d been doing some volunteer work at the VA yesterday and had been too busy to come by.
I took a seat at the table, sipping the hot coffee and smiling. “You sure know how to bribe someone to talk. You could be an interrogator,” I teased.
She wrinkled her nose. “No thanks. Spill. How was it?”
I smiled. “It was very good. He’s a nice guy, and I had a great time.”
“You had sex with him!” she practically screamed.
I leaned back, shocked she could tell. I hadn’t told her anything or even hinted at it. “What? Why do you say that?” I asked.
“Look at you. You’re glowing. You haven’t gotten laid in forever. I can’t believe I didn’t see it when you opened the door. How was it?” she asked with excitement.
I grinned, shrugging a shoulder. “Good.”
“I can’t believe you slept with him on the first date. You ho,” she said with a laugh.
I shrugged. “I couldn’t help myself. He is all man and there was something about him.”
“It’s called you were horny. It’s been a while and he was the first guy who piqued your interest.”
“No, I mean, yes, but no, it wasn’t only that. I like him. I think there might be something there,” I defended.
“Tell me all about him. What was it that pushed you to the dark side?” she asked.
“I don’t know if it was any one thing. It was plain, old physical attraction.”
“Did you learn anything more about his wife?” she asked.
I shook my head. “Not really. I know she died while he was away,” I said, my heart stuttering.
“Away?”
I nodded. “Marines.”
Her face fell. “Oh,” she whispered.
“Yeah, it was a little strange to know he’d been in the Marines.”
“He was away, like deployed when she died?” she asked.
“Yes. He filed for early release to take care of his daughter. She died three years ago,” I added, making sure she understood there had been plenty of time passed.
“Wow. Poor guy and the poor little girl,” she said, her mood suddenly subdued.
“She called him while we were at dinner. It was the cutest thing ever. Maybe that was the tipping point for me,” I said with a laugh.
Dani perked up a little. “Us women are suckers for daddies. It’s that maternal instinct inside us, always searching for a man to be our baby’s daddy.”
I laughed. “I’m certainly not looking to get knocked up, but it is nice to know he’s a good father. It is definitely a big check on the pro side of things.”
“Is he a good kisser?” she asked.
I nodded. “Very.”
“I’m glad you finally broke that dry streak you were having. Do you think you two will see each other again and by see, are you going to bang him again?” she asked dryly.
I laughed. “You look like such a lady, but damn, you have such a potty mouth.”
“What? I didn’t say fuck. I said bang, don’t act like you don’t think the same way. I just tend to be a little more vocal,” she said, completely unapologetic.
I rolled my eyes. “You’re right and I wouldn’t change anything about you.”
“So, is that a yes?”
“I hope so. He said he wanted to see me again,” I told her.
She nodded. “Do you think it was a line or do you think he really wants another date?” she asked.
I grimaced. “Honestly, I don’t know for sure. I want to believe him, but that jaded part of me that has been burned before is screaming at me to tread carefully. He seems almost too good to be true. He is hot as hell, has a sensitive side, and seems really kind.”
She smiled. “You really like him.”
I groaned. “I do and that’s probably bad. I’m probably going to get my heart stomped all over again.”
“Maybe not. He might ask you out again. Hell, what if he asks you out for a Valentine’s dinner?” she asked.
I shook my head. “I doubt that; besides we already have plans,” I assured her.
“You can’t turn him down to hang out with me.”
I bobbed my head. “Yes, I can. Besides, it would be too weird to spend Valentine’s with him. We’ve had exactly one date. Valentine’s is way too fast.”
“But what if he does ask?” she asked quietly.
I reached out and touched her hand. “I doubt that he will, and I’m serious. You and I made plans. I’m not going to stand you up.”
She smiled softly. “Thank you, but I don’t want you to miss out on the chance to hang out with him.”
I shook my head. “There will always be other days. Besides, he has a little girl, and I doubt he’d want to go out on a school night,” I pointed out.
“True. So, what else is it about him that drew you in?” she asked.
I smiled. “I don’t know. It’s like he’s this macho guy, all manly, and yet, there is a softer side to him. When he touched me, I could feel the calluses on his hands. For whatever reason, that was a total turn-on,” I confessed.
She burst into laughter. “It’s not so strange. Once again, women are drawn to providers. It’s that blue-collar thing that women fantasize about. You are preprogrammed to want a man who can take care of you.”
I grimaced. “I don’t know about that. I can take care of myself.”
“Of course, you can, but that doesn’t mean you don’t want the option of being taken care of,” she clarified.
“True. It was sexy and he has tats,” I said with a smile.
She slapped her hand to her forehead. “You should have led with that. You love a man with tattoos. Now, I get it.”
I burst into laughter. “Technically, I didn’t know he had the tats until his shirt came off. He’s one of those Marines who kept his tattoos hidden under his uniform.”
She smiled, nodding. “Like Gage.”
“Like Gage,” I confirm
ed.
“Well, I for one am very happy for you. I really hope it works out for you. I’m going to have to meet him one of these days.”
“You can’t say anything,” I warned her.
She gave me a look. “I’m not a complete idiot. I do know how to behave myself around other people.”
I smirked. “Sometimes.”
“Like ninety-five percent of the time,” she refuted.
“Eighty, at best,” I argued.
She giggled hysterically. “Okay, you’re probably right, but if you are going to be dating this man on a regular basis, he’s going to have to meet me eventually. You may as well just get it out of the way.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re right. One of these days. Not tomorrow, though. Give me a few days to work through the first time seeing him after sex.”
“Fine, I’ll give you a few days to work through those silly jitters. I don’t understand how you can be embarrassed to see him after you’ve seen him naked and vice versa,” she replied.
“Exactly the reason why it will be weird—because he’s seen me naked!” I shrieked.
She laughed again. “You’re such a prude.”
“No, I’m not.”
“I have to get going. I’m filling in at the gym for the regular spinning instructor,” she said, getting to her feet.
“You are?” I asked with surprise.
She had worked part-time at the gym before Gage had been killed and then stopped. I was glad she was getting back into the swing of things.
“I am, only this one class. I don’t want to do it on a regular basis, but I figure I need to get my workout in, I may as well get paid for doing it.”
I smiled, nodding. “Good thinking.”
I walked her to the door and waved goodbye. I wondered what Philip would think of her. I had known Dani forever, but I knew her bluntness could be a little much for people to handle. I loved it. Gage had loved it. He always called her his little firecracker, which she definitely was. After he died, she’d lost that inner light for a long time. The past few weeks, I had seen it coming back, starting to shine a little more every day. Her wisecracks and one-liners had always made me laugh. It was good to have my friend back. She wasn’t exactly how she used to be, but neither of us was. We never would be. We had been changed.