My Best Friend's Ex (Daring Divorcees)

by Shannyn Schroeder

  One thing at a time. If she managed to tackle one issue in her life, then she could move on to others. The job was the most important, but thinking about making that decision was depressing, so she decided to move on to something that made her happy: Trevor and the kids.

  She crossed the yard and walked into the kitchen. As soon as she did, she heard yelling. No, not quite yelling, but strained voices. She followed the sounds to the living room, where Trevor stood at the bottom of the stairs, glaring up at Evan.

  “You said you wanted to work. This is the real world. You don’t just decide not to work because something more interesting popped up.”

  “Why not? The job will still be there the next day.”

  “But your paycheck won’t. If you don’t work, you don’t get paid.”

  “I know that. I’ve been working all week. One day isn’t a big deal.” He crossed his arms as if to dare Trevor to argue.

  “Yeah, easy to say that when you live in my house, eat my food, and enjoy the water and electricity I pay for.”

  “It’s one day. What’s the big fucking deal?” Then he turned and stomped across the hall.

  Trevor opened his mouth, but Callie laid a hand on his arm. He stopped and turned to her.

  “Things are kind of heated. Maybe let it cool before continuing the conversation.”

  The muscle in his jaw twitched. “You’re probably right.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Tomorrow’s supposed to be beautiful, and he wants to go to the beach with his friends.”

  “And?”

  “He’s supposed to work.”

  Callie licked her lips. “He’s seventeen.”

  “I know.”

  “He wants to have fun. That’s what teenagers do.”

  “I’m aware. But he said he wanted to work. This is how he wants to spend his life. Having him work for me this summer was your idea, remember?”

  “You don’t have to snap at me. Having Evan work with you is a great idea. But you have to remember that he’s still a kid. His summer is supposed to be about not doing anything important, hanging out with his friends, playing video games too late at night, sleeping in all morning. It’s what we all did.”

  “That’s not going to show him what real life is like, though. If I let him work whenever he wants, that’s not going to give him a taste of adulthood without a college degree.”

  Callie crossed her arms. “You only want him to work with you to make him miserable so he’ll decide to go to college?”

  “Yeah.”

  The way he said it made her feel like she was stupid for even asking, as if there could be no other reason. “He might not ever want college. He obviously likes working with you. What would be so bad about him being a carpenter?”

  “I don’t want him to have to bust his ass the way I had to do. I want something better for him.”

  “It’s already better for him, because he has you to teach him and help him.”

  Trevor’s face softened. His gaze darted up the stairs, then he leaned in and kissed her briefly. “Thanks for saying that.”

  “Are you going to let Evan spend the day at the beach?”

  “Nope.”

  She tugged his hand. “Come on. Let him be a kid.”

  He studied her face for a minute and then said, “I’ll think about it.”

  She smiled, knowing that was as good as she was going to get. She vividly remembered what it was like to be a teenager dying to get away from her family, to have fun, live her life. Her parents had never wanted her to have any fun, which had led to a whole lot of rebellion.

  Walking backward into the kitchen, she asked, “What’s for dinner?”

  Trevor moved past her, a quick slide of his hand down her back. He did that a lot, she realized. A sneaky touch here and there. Innocent but not.

  Callie looked back over her shoulder to make sure the kids were still upstairs. “As long as we’re alone…” she started.

  He peered around the refrigerator door. “Not here,” he whispered.

  She smacked his arm playfully. “Get your mind out of the gutter. I want to tell you about a conversation I had with Hannah.”

  He backed away from the fridge and shut the door.

  “Just a heads-up. I told her to talk to you, but you know, she’s a teenage girl and you’re her dad.”

  Trevor’s whole body stiffened as if he knew exactly where she was headed.

  “There’s a boy—”

  “The hell there is.”

  Callie shook her head. “This is not the first boy. Surely you know that. She’s fifteen.”

  “So?”

  “This is a boy that she knows from band. They’ve been friends for a while. He asked her out on a date.”

  “No.”

  “First, you can’t just say no. Second, this isn’t her first date. Lisa let her date a guy last year.”

  “What?” His voice rose sharply.

  Callie immediately wanted to defend her friend, but staying in the moment was more important. “The first girlfriend Evan had was when he was fourteen.”

  “So?”

  “Whoa. Double standard much? Hannah is a smart girl. You need to trust her.”

  “I do trust her. It’s the boys I don’t trust.”

  Oh Lord. If she had a dime for every dad who’d ever said that. “Treat her like the responsible girl she is. We had a lengthy conversation this afternoon about safety.”

  “You talked to my daughter about sex?”

  Callie nodded. “Among other things. Not just being safe for sex. I talked about not taking a drink from anyone at a party and not going to deserted places with a guy unless she’s sure about who he is and what she wants.”

  “What?”

  Just when Callie didn’t think he could get louder, Trevor did.

  “Calm down.”

  “Do not tell me to calm down. You had no business giving my fifteen-year-old the green light to party and fuck around.”

  Callie slapped her hand on the counter. “I did no such thing. This was a review of conversations she’d already had with Lisa, her mother. I was simply providing a refresher. In case your brain is too old to remember, teenagers rarely wait for a green light. They just do shit. I want to make sure she knows how to handle herself.”

  “She’s fifteen.”

  “Open your eyes, Trevor. She’s not a baby. What were you doing at fifteen?”

  “Don’t go there.”

  “Someone has to. You’re being unreasonable. No wonder she came to me instead of talking to you.”

  His face reddened, and Callie knew it was time to go. She stepped back. He didn’t scare her, not physically, but she didn’t want them to say things that would get out of hand. “I think I’m going to go out to dinner. Think about what I said. You keep this up and you’ll lose her.”

  When she turned around to leave, she caught sight of Hannah standing at the bottom of the stairs, eyes wide. Callie shrugged an apology. She’d tried.

  Now she was going to go out and have a good strong drink. She didn’t have to worry about offending Trevor tonight. She doubted they’d be hanging out.

  Chapter Eleven

  Trevor watched Callie stomp out of the kitchen and through the backyard. Hannah came up behind him.

  “That was mean.”

  “What?”

  “Everything you said to her. I don’t know why she likes you. You’re kind of a jerk.”

  At least his little girl didn’t call him an asshole, which he’d both been expecting and deserved. Everything Callie said had made sense. He just wasn’t ready to hear it. He looked at Hannah. He wasn’t ready to talk to her, either. He put cash on the counter and said, “Order a pizza for dinner. We’ll talk later.”

  Trevor went for a drive. He thought about going to a meeting, but alcohol wasn’t what his restlessness and poor attitude were about. Instead, he called Tess to see if she was free for coffee. As a fellow parent of a teenage girl
, she would be able to relate to what he was going through. She was on her way home from work and since her boyfriend, Miles, was with her kids, she could stop to meet him.

  He drove to the El stop where he knew Tess would get off. No need for her to walk or catch a bus to the coffee shop when he was driving there. When she emerged with the crowd, he honked his horn.

  Tess jogged over to the truck and opened the door. “I thought we were meeting at Sunny’s.”

  “I knew this was your stop, so it didn’t make sense for you to walk.” He pulled back into traffic and drove toward Sunny’s Diner.

  “What’s up?”

  “I need to talk.”

  “Everything okay?”

  “Fuck if I know.” He parked in Sunny’s lot and they got out.

  When she walked around the front of the truck, she took a minute to study him. He knew that look. It was the one people gave when they were trying to figure out if he’d fallen off the wagon.

  “Don’t worry. I’m sober.” They walked into the diner and grabbed a small booth instead of the large corner one they usually took in the mornings. As soon as the waitress poured them each a cup, he blurted, “Callie and I have been sleeping together.”

  If Tess hadn’t paused with her cup halfway to her mouth, he might’ve thought she didn’t hear him. She said nothing.

  “It was simmering there, you know. We both wanted it but didn’t think we should want it. Then we kissed.”

  “Is that the problem?”

  “Maybe. I don’t know.” He toyed with his cup, not drinking anything. “The whole week the kids were with their grandparents, we were a couple. I spent every night in her bed. Woke with her in the morning. But then the kids came home.”

  The corner of Tess’s mouth lifted. “And you were back in the real world.”

  He knew if anyone could understand his relationship with Callie, it would be Tess. She’d had to struggle with how and when to bring Miles into her kids’ lives. “Yup. I don’t think the kids are ready for that. We talked and agreed to keep our relationship under wraps for now.”

  “How’s that working out?”

  He blew out a heavy breath. “It’s rough.”

  “I would think it would be harder. Miles and I dated during the day. It was easier to sneak around because he wasn’t literally living in my backyard.”

  “That’s not the problem. I don’t think. Tonight, she told me that Hannah talked to her about some guy that asked her out. Callie talked to her about sex and safety and I lost it.”

  Tess snorted. “Such a dude.” She set her cup down. “If you’re smart, you’ll go home and kiss Callie’s feet. She had a difficult conversation with your daughter. One you sure as hell don’t want to have.”

  “Of course I don’t want to have those conversations. Hannah’s too young.”

  “No, she’s not. You need to have those conversations early and often. If she’s not prepared, things might go bad. You can’t disseminate the information and advice after the fact.”

  “I know. But she’s fifteen.”

  “Zoe is almost there and we’ve been talking for a couple of years now. If you don’t raise your daughter to have expectations and high standards, she’ll be lost.” She took a sip of coffee. “I have a feeling that coming to terms with the fact that Hannah is growing up is only part of the problem.”

  “She went to Callie. Not me.”

  “Callie’s a woman she trusts. She lost her mom. Would you be bothered if she talked to Lisa?”

  “Of course not.”

  “I’m sure Callie knows that she’s not Lisa’s replacement, but she’s someone you want in your kids’ lives. You can’t pick and choose when you want her to have a role. If your relationship with Callie is serious, you can’t get mad at her for being involved.”

  Trevor didn’t know what he’d wanted from this conversation with Tess, but it wasn’t a verbal slapdown. “Does it ever get any easier?”

  “Being a parent or starting a new relationship while being a parent?”

  “Both.” He drained his cup.

  “Parenting alone sucks. Having someone to lean on helps. The relationship part gets easier. You’ll fight and make up, but if it’s worth holding on to, you will.” She, too, finished her coffee.

  “You want a refill?”

  “Nah. I’m going home to my family.”

  “I’ll drop you off.” It would give him time to think. He needed to deal with Hannah. Then Callie.

  After dropping Tess off at home, Trevor stopped at a drugstore and then went home to have one of the most difficult conversations he’d ever have to have. At least he hoped it was the worst of it.

  In his kitchen, the remains of a pizza sat on the table. He trudged upstairs with the box of condoms in hand. Knocking on Hannah’s door, he said, “Can I come in?”

  “Yeah.”

  She sat at her desk doing something on the computer and twisted in her chair to face him.

  “We need to talk.”

  “About what?”

  “Callie told me you talked to her.”

  “Oh God.” She hung her head.

  “I just…I want you to know that it’s okay to talk to me about stuff. I’m not going to pretend to be cool with it, but I don’t want you to run away, either.” He reached into the plastic bag and held the box of condoms. “I want you to be safe. Do you need to go to the doctor—”

  “Oh my God. I am not talking to you about condoms and sex. You’re my dad! Leave. Please.” She jumped out of her chair, face red.

  Trevor stood, still totally confused. How had he made this worse? “Hannah, if you’re thinking about sex, you should be able to talk about it.”

  “Not with you!” She flung her door open and stood at the threshold, hugging her middle.

  He set the box on her desk and left. Downstairs, he put away the leftover pizza and figured he’d go try to fix things with the other female in his life. He couldn’t screw that up, too, right?

  He knocked on Callie’s door, but she didn’t answer. She’d said she was going out to dinner, so he sat down and leaned against her door. The sun was sinking, sending a glow across the garden. About three plants were thriving. The rest were struggling. He sat there as the air cooled. He didn’t know how much time passed, but the sky darkened. He just enjoyed the silence and peace.

  When the gate creaked open, he sat up.

  “Stalking me now?” Callie asked.

  “If I were stalking you, I would’ve figured out where you were instead of waiting here. Technically, I’m just sitting in my yard.”

  “I’m not in the mood, Trevor. Go home.”

  He rose and waited for her to near. “I’m sorry I overreacted.”

  She completed a slow eye roll.

  “I tried talking with Hannah. I bought her a box of condoms with the intention of talking to her about everything.”

  Callie’s eyes narrowed. “You gave your daughter a box of condoms.”

  He nodded.

  She burst out laughing. She laughed so hard, she doubled over and stumbled. Trevor caught her shoulders and a whiff of alcohol.

  “You were right in that I do treat Evan and Hannah different. But she’s my little girl.”

  Callie stepped away from his grip. “How did that conversation go?”

  “She shrieked and told me to leave her room.”

  Callie fell into another bout of laughter. Maybe waiting for Callie to get home wasn’t such a great idea. She’d obviously been drinking, and she found every difficult thing he’d experienced hilarious.

  “Are you done?” he asked when she regained composure.

  She inhaled deeply, and he watched the rise and fall of her chest. He reached for her hand. “You were right. She wanted to talk, and you handled it. I want her to come to me, but at least she’s talking to someone.”

  Callie was still distant, not moving toward him or responding to his touch.

  “Callie?”

  She pulle
d from his grasp. “So happy I can be someone for your daughter.” She waved a hand. “Now can you move so I can go to bed?”

  “But—” He closed in again.

  Her hand flattened against his chest. “I wasn’t kidding. Not in the mood.”

  Her face showed no sign of the woman who was laughing like crazy moments ago. “I don’t want you to go to bed mad at me.”

  “I’m not mad, Trevor. Just tired.”

  He held still for a moment and looked into her eyes. “If you’re not mad, why can’t I come in?”

  “Because I’ve been drinking.”

  “So?”

  She tilted her head and stared at him. He had no idea what she expected.

  “Callie, I’ve been sober for seven years, three months. I’ve been around people who drink. I’m not going to run off to a bar because I see that you’re buzzed.”

  “But what happens when you kiss me and taste the alcohol?”

  He hadn’t thought about that. Every date he’d been on and every woman he’d slept with since his divorce had been sober. Alcohol hadn’t been part of his relationship with Callie. She was painfully aware of his past, both the successes and failures.

  The fact that she worried about causing him to relapse touched him. She didn’t want to risk what they had. She cared so much about his well-being and peace of mind.

  Man, if he hadn’t already figured out how awesome she was, he’d totally fall for her right now. He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her into a hug, kissing her temple.

  “Good night, Callie. See you tomorrow.” Then he released her and went to his own bed alone.

  …

  Callie had a fitful night’s sleep. She’d grown used to falling asleep with Trevor, even though he got up in the middle of the night and left. She liked having him here. Dehydration hadn’t helped matters. She lay in bed, trying to convince herself that she should get up, when there was a sharp knock on her door downstairs.

  Was she supposed to drive Hannah to camp today? She scanned her memory, and as she did, the door swung open.