by Nella Tyler
“This is incredible,” I said.
He smiled as he chewed on his first bite of steak, only answering after he finished. “This is one of my favorite restaurants in town. The interior was an Orion project a few years ago. I know the owner pretty well.” His expression changed, his eyes getting darker with something that looked a lot like apprehension. The first part of the night had been moderately lighthearted, but it seemed as though that was about to change.
“Is something wrong?” I asked. I wanted to face whatever it was head on. We were supposed to figure things out at this dinner, we’re we? Whatever that meant. It had been an odd setup from the beginning.
“I guess now is as good a time as any to ask why you’re doing this?”
I bunched my eyebrows together into a perplexed expression. “You mean tonight? Or offering to come to the Valentine’s Day lunch?”
“Both.”
I smiled, relieved because I’d already gone over my answer to any questions about my motives for attending the lunch. I didn’t intend to share with him that I wanted to get to know him better and was using this as an excuse. There was also another reason I was here, and that was the one I chose to share with him.
“I love your daughter,” I said simply. “She reminds me of myself at her age and I know how rough that was. I was lucky to find a friend pretty soon after I started school who stuck with me and acted as my champion. I want to make sure Sophia has all the tools she needs to succeed. She is a kind, sensitive soul. I don’t want to see that taken from her or twisted into a handicap instead of the asset that it is.” I stopped suddenly, realizing I might have gone too far. The way I’d spoken, it sounded like I was talking about my own daughter. I didn’t mean to overstep my role as her teacher, but, in a way, we were already far beyond that territory.
“Sophia has that effect on people,” he said with a wistful smile. “Anyone who meets her falls in love with her. She sure as hell doesn’t get that from me.” He chuckled, and I giggled politely. “I just wanted to make sure you knew that there isn’t any money in this for you or anything.”
I froze, feeling like I’d just been punched hard in the gut, making it hard to speak for a few seconds because I was struggling to breathe. I had to swallow the food in my mouth first, but my stomach was churning into a tight knot as though it was about to stop cooperating.
“What?” I managed to force out.
“This would be for free,” he said, dark eyes narrowing as they’d done at different times throughout the evening. It seemed to be his way of assessing me. “I just want to make sure we understand each other.”
My cheeks were tingling again, this time with the fury boiling in the knot of my upset stomach and spreading to the rest of my body.
“Oh, I understand you,” I hissed in a whisper. The last thing I wanted to do was create a scene that would draw the attention of everyone in the restaurant. “How dare you think that I was only doing this to get money out of you?”
He opened his mouth to speak, but I just rolled right over him, not even giving him the opportunity.
“I care about your daughter, Drew. It’s a shame you can’t see that.” I stood from the table, gathered my things, and stormed off, not even looking back. I put my coat on before stepping out into the winter’s night, still fuming. I ran to my car, not wanting to give him the opportunity to catch up with me if he decided to give chase. What a complete and total jerk. He could take the Valentine’s Day lunch and stuff it where the sun didn’t shine.
Only after I’d gotten into my car and started the short drive home did I realize that he wasn’t the only one I was walking out on. My heart sank at how disappointed Sophia was going to be to hear this. I should never have asked to come to the lunch in front of her.
I sighed at my own fiery temper. I would just have to find some way to make it up to her, but there was no way in hell I was going anywhere else with her asshole of a father.
Chapter 11
Drew
Monday
I’d been in a funk since Saturday night and hadn’t yet been able to shake it. I dropped Sophia off at school and drove to work under a sky heavy with storm clouds. The weather was as poor as my attitude. Even Sophia had noticed something was off. I told her I wasn’t feeling well, which was mostly true.
I pulled into the office parking lot to find Brian’s red sedan already out here. I hadn’t gone straight home after Abigail ran out of the restaurant, leaving me behind at the table like the asshole I’d been to her. I boxed up my food, paid my bill, and left as soon as I could. But I drove around for another two hours and then feigned exhaustion once I arrived at my place. It had worked. Brian left immediately, instead of sticking around to hear the details, which I’d promised to discuss with him on Monday morning. It explained why he was here this early. He usually didn’t saunter in until after I’d been in the office for half an hour.
Sighing, I heaved my sorry ass out of the truck and went inside. I could smell the coffee brewing as I walked past Karen’s empty desk in the lobby. She was working Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday this week. I had a stack of things for her to do as soon as she came in the following day.
I kept on past Brian, who didn’t lift his head as he told me good morning, and went straight for the coffee. I needed a steaming cup before he started grilling me about my disastrous dinner with Abigail. I’d been thinking about it all weekend, unable to erase the look she gave me after I mentioned the money. Even after all the time spent going over everything I did and said that night, I still had no idea just what the hell had made me bring that up.
I took my steaming mug of coffee to my desk and sat down. Brian looked up, smiling, and then caught the beleaguered expression on my face. I must’ve looked a lot worse than I felt to wipe the smile off of his face that quickly.
“What the hell happened to you?” he asked. “It looks like you only got an hour or two of sleep all weekend.”
That wasn’t far from the truth. I’d spent Saturday and Sunday night staring up at my ceiling for hours in the bluish darkness, trying to sleep, but unable to turn my churning thoughts off long enough to do it. What sleep I’d managed had been unsatisfying and light.
“Things did go so well with Abigail on Saturday night.”
Brian lifted his light eyebrows, but didn’t say anything else, giving me the opportunity to continue the way I thought best. He could show pretty good restraint when he wanted to.
“Things started off great. We were enjoying the restaurant and talking about our lives and how we’d ended up in our professions.” I smiled at the memory of Abigail describing her love for children. That love seemed so sincere, and it was apparent in the way she smiled and acted around her students. I could plainly see how much she loved Sophia by how brightly she lit up just talking about her. I’d messed all that up with an insensitive comment. I don’t know why I brought money into it. Abigail had never asked for money, and she had been the one to make the offer to me, not the other way around. I was a damned fool.
“Then what happened?” Brian asked, and I realized I hadn’t spoken in several long seconds.
“Then I fucked everything up by saying something stupid.” I spat out the words, and he looked surprised. Outbursts weren’t like me, but I did always own up to mistakes after I made them. “She stormed out of the restaurant without looking back, and I can’t really say that I blame her.”
“What the hell did you say?” His face had crumpled into a frown, his brows pulled tightly together and mouth drawn down.
I was ashamed to say it out loud because it sounded terrible, but if I didn’t tell him Abigail wasn’t coming to the Valentine’s Day lunch, Sophia definitely would. I’d have no choice but to break the news to her sooner rather than later.
“I asked her why she’d offered to come with us to the lunch and then made sure she understood that there was no money in it for her, if that’s what she was looking for.”
Brian’s expression didn’t
change, though his mouth dropped open slightly. His silence spoke to how surprised he was by what I’d just said. He didn’t usually hesitate to respond. I decided to take this rare opportunity and attempt to explain myself.
“The words were out before I could really think about them. I didn’t even get a chance to apologize before she stood up and left.”
“I can’t say that I blame her, Drew. Damn.” Brian shook his head as he sat back in his seat, his eyes never leaving my face. His disappointment was a smell in the air, the odor filling my nostrils and turning my stomach. It wasn’t like I expected him to side with me, but a slightly less harsh response would have been nice. I already felt bad enough.
“Now, I don’t know what to do. There’s no way Abigail is going to speak to me again after what happened, but Sophia already knows about our set up. She’s going to be crushed to find out it’ll just be the two of us.”
“Have you even tried to talk to her?”
“No.”
He titled his head to one side and narrowed his eyes as the disappointment washed over his face again. “Maybe you should give her a call and apologize for being a complete asshole. It’s not like you were looking to date this woman, right? You just wanted her there because Sophia loves her. That’s your reason for calling and begging her forgiveness.” He watched me for a few seconds, waiting on my response. When I didn’t offer one, he continued. “Just so you know, all Sophia talked about on Saturday night was how excited she was to be going to this lunch with you and Abigail. Her teacher not going isn’t an option. You will do more than crush that little girl.”
I dropped my eyes to my desk. I already knew that. Sophia had done nothing but talk about the lunch all day Sunday, too. We’d bought her dress over the weekend and she’d talked me into another new pair of colorful tights for the occasion, as well. The more she talked, the more I knew I had to figure out a way to make this right. I didn’t want her crying over the lunch again. The first time wasn’t my fault, but this time would be all on my shoulders.
“Figure out what you want to say and then apologize when you pick up Sophia today after school,” he said, this time in a gentler tone. “You owe it to that little girl.”
“Yeah, I’ll talk to Abigail this afternoon.” I wasn’t happy about it, but understood I didn’t have another option if I wanted to keep from disappointing my daughter.
I worked through the rest of the day in relative silence. Brian was considerate enough to stay away from all non-work conversation. He talked, and I listened.
“Good luck,” he said, smiling up at me as I rose from my desk when the day was done.
“Thanks,” I replied. I went out to my truck, my stomach heavy. I was sure Abigail wouldn’t even give me the time of day. But I had to try for Sophia.
I parked in my usual space at the school and got out of my truck to pace while I waited, full of nervous energy that I needed to expel before my daughter and her teacher came walking out of the side entrance. I jumped when the bell rang. I forced myself back to the driver’s side door of the truck and leaned casually against it, the way I always did. Here went nothing, for better or worse.
The kids came out of the side door like they always did, led by the older kindergarten teacher. Sophia came out slightly before Abigail, but they were holding hands. I waved at Sophia, and she waved back, beaming. Her smile calmed me. For her, I could do anything, even convince Abigail that I wasn’t the huge jerk I’d made myself out to be on Saturday night.
Instead of waiting for the car loop to clear out enough for Sophia to cross the parking lot to me, I went to her, striding on my long legs to close the distance. Abigail was watching me, her light brows pulled slightly together as I approached. I stepped onto the sidewalk and Sophia launched herself against my legs. I scooped her up in my arms and covered her chubby cheeks with kisses.
“Hi, Daddy!”
“Hi, sweet girl.” There was a small bench next to the side entrance to the school. I turned Sophia so she could see it. “Can you sit there for a second? Miss East and I have to talk about something important.”
Sophia’s brown eyes widened excitedly. “About Valentine’s Day?”
“That’s right.” I set her down, and she skipped over to the bench to sit. I looked at Abigail, who was watching me closely. I couldn’t quite read the expression on her face, but at least it wasn’t openly hostile.
“Can we talk for a second?” I asked her. The other kindergarten teacher had already gone inside, leaving us alone.
She nodded, but kept her red lips pressed together.
I stepped closer to her and spoke quietly so that Sophia wouldn’t be able to hear what I was about to say. “I want to apologize for how I acted the other night. I don’t know what the hell came over me. I really appreciate everything that you’ve done for my daughter. I can see how much you care about her. She’s so excited about this lunch. Do you think we can try again? I promise not to act like an ass if you’ll just give me another chance.”
She didn’t look convinced. It took her such a long time to reply, I was sure she was going to tell me never to speak to her again. But, instead, she nodded and didn’t look very happy about it.
“Yes, we can try again.” Her eyes were like green chips of ice and her mouth was a grim line. “I don’t want to disappoint Sophia. I told her I’d come to the lunch, and I intend to keep my promise to her.”
That stung. But, right now, I’d take whatever I could get.
“Thank you,” I said. “I’ll make this up to you. We can go out on Saturday, if you’re free.”
She nodded, her face tightening.
“Okay. I’ll call you.” I didn’t want to try my luck any further. I gathered up Sophia and carried her to the truck while she chattered on and on about her day.
Chapter 12
Abigail
Friday
I led the class to the lunchroom, getting them in line and making sure each child either bought a lunch or sat down with the meal they’d brought from home. Once they were all situated and eating happily, I sat down next to Sophia. She hadn’t stopped smiling at me since last Friday when she overheard me asking her father if I could join them at the Valentine’s Day lunch. Every time I started to regret agreeing to go out with Drew again, I caught sight of Sophia smiling at me with such open hope and love and resisted trying to twist out of it. It was just one afternoon, anyway. It wasn’t like Drew and I actually had to date. It was a shame he’d turned out to be such a jerk. I’d really been enjoying our dinner before his rude comment.
“Daddy said he’s taking you to a surprise tomorrow,” Sophia said, speaking in a low voice that stayed between us. That was good because I really didn’t want anyone to know about any of this. It wasn’t really dating, but it was me going out after hours with a student’s father. It might not look so great out of context.
“Oh yeah?” I’d never seen her as happy as she’d been this last week. I kept that at the forefront of my mind whenever I started to think about just telling Drew I was busy this weekend — and every weekend, including Valentine’s Day. This little girl’s happiness was well worth another uncomfortable date.
She nodded as she took a bite of the chicken nuggets on her lunch tray. “He’s gonna get us flowers, too. On Valentine’s Day. I’m gonna wear mine on my wrist like a watch.”
I had to smile at that. I loved to see Sophia this way. She spent so much time inside of her own head, the troubled look on her face letting you know how anxious she was. But now it was as though a weight had been lifted from her tiny shoulders.
She had to really miss her mother. I had no idea what the story was there, but I hoped the woman would come to her senses and get involved in her daughter’s life again before it was too late. Kids grew up and moved on. I certainly did where my father was concerned. He’d come back after I became an adult, looking for a relationship that he should have been worried about cultivating years before. I realized that I didn’t really need him
in my life at all, not after he’d spent so many years actively shunning me. We could be cordial, but I didn’t see a reason to bend over backwards to include him in a life he hadn’t cared about until recently — and only then because he’d broken up with a longtime girlfriend.
“Did your daddy tell you what the surprise is for tomorrow?” I asked.
Sophia shook her head. “He just said it was fun.” She grinned again, her entire face lighting up. “Brian’s gonna take me someplace fun, too. He’s my backup daddy.”
I laughed at that. She mentioned Brian a lot. I’d never met him, but he seemed like a great person from everything Sophia had said about him. It was good that she had so many positive male role models. She could use a few more positive females in her life, but her grandmother sounded like a great person. We kept talking throughout the rest of the lunch period, mostly about the Valentine’s Day lunch. She had her outfit all planned out, down to the shoes she was going to wear. I hadn’t given much thought to it, since I’d been on the fence about going, but seeing her obvious and growing excitement made it clear that I just needed to suck it up. I’d find something to wear that would complement the dress Sophia had. She wanted to show it to me tomorrow when I came by their place to meet up with Drew.
After lunch, I led the kids outside for recess. The end of the day went by much more quickly than the beginning, and before I knew it, the final bell was ringing. The kids were excited for the weekend, making it harder to corral them outside, even with Mrs. Wallace at the helm. We got them all outside without incident and delivered to their parent’s cars.
Drew was just pulling up as we stepped outside. Usually, his car was alone in that part of the parking lot — all of the other parents came through the car loop, driving in and then driving out again without exiting their vehicles. Today, there was another car parked a few spaces over from his that I recognized. It was Peyton. She had the day off and was meeting me to go over some of her wedding plans.
