“I have soccer games on Saturdays in the summer if you ever want to come,” she said.
“Brook,” Cori said in a scolding tone. “He might not be—”
“I’d love to,” I said, cutting in. “I mean, if it’s okay with your mom.”
Cori nodded. “Sure. If you want to. But remember that if you say you’re coming, it’s important to be there.”
She didn’t know if I could be trusted. I understood that. She’d singlehandedly guarded Brooklyn’s heart all these years, and I couldn’t expect to just walk in and have her trust.
The waitress walked up and eyed us all, waiting for our orders. Brooklyn ordered a grilled cheese and I felt a twist of happiness in my stomach over knowing she liked grilled cheese sandwiches. I wanted to know everything about her.
Our lunch ended too quickly. That hour with Brooklyn wasn’t enough. I’d told myself all I needed was one meeting with her, but now that I knew–really knew–what I’d been missing, I didn’t want to go back to life without her.
“Thanks again,” I said to Cori on the way out of the diner. “I don’t want to overstep, but if there’s any chance I can see her again . . .”
“How about dinner at our house this weekend?”
I looked at her, surprised. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. Just make sure you show up if you say you will.”
“I will. Text me when and I’ll be there.”
“When do you work?”
“I can come anytime.”
She gave me a skeptical look as Brooklyn escaped the bitterly cold wind by getting into Cori’s beat up old sedan.
“Do you work? From the way you sent all that money so fast after . . . you know . . . I just wondered where it came from.”
She thought I was a drug dealer. I could see it in her eyes. And no surprise, since I’d been strung out every time we were together ten years ago.
“I’m above board these days,” I said. “No drugs or alcohol. I’m an owner of a club downtown.”
Her eyes brightened. “Which one?”
“Six.”
“Oh, wow. Really? I’ve heard of it.”
I nodded. “I swear I’ll be a good influence in Brooklyn’s life. This chance means so much to me. I won’t fuck it up.”
“Okay.” She moved to open her car door but stopped. “Hey, did you ever get married and have more kids? Does Brook have any half siblings?”
The question caught me off guard. “No.”
She smiled. “Okay. So we’ll see you this weekend.”
I looked in the backseat, where Brooklyn sat looking at me through the window. I raised a hand in a wave and she waved back. And smiled.
I reached into my pocket and took out my phone to call Viv and share every last detail with her.
Viv
For once, Henley answered his cell phone.
“Miss Marceau, nice to hear from you.” His tone had its usual smooth confidence. But then, the guy was a twenty-something multimillionaire actor, so confidence wasn’t unexpected.
“Hello, Mr. Cartwright,” I said, rubbing my eyes. “I’m working on our counter proposal for a settlement and I need to ask you a few things.”
“At this hour? Isn’t it almost nine in New York?”
“Yes.” I bumped up the size of the text on my screen since it was starting to blur after my long day. “How do you feel about letting her have the Manhattan place? She’s offering to buy it out at market value.”
He sighed into the phone. “I like that place. It was mine before we even met.”
“But we were going to sell it and divide the proceeds.”
“Yeah, I’m better with that than I am with giving it to her. She shouldn’t get to fuck her new boyfriend in my apartment.” He paused for a second and spoke again. “I’ll take market plus another million. She can decide how much it’s worth to her.”
I rolled my eyes at the ceiling. This case was never going to end. “I’ll include that in our counter, then.”
“Excellent. So I have a confession to make.”
“Uh . . . what’s that?” I wanted to get the hell out of here and meet Kane for dinner at the club.
“I looked you up on the law firm’s website. That photo of you looking like a naughty teacher is something, Miss Marceau. I had a feeling you were hot and I was right.”
“I do not look like a naughty teacher in my headshot.”
“You do, actually. In that business suit, with that come hither smile.”
This time I sighed into the phone. “You’ve got an active imagination, Mr. Cartwright. Can I email you the counter for your review?”
“Sure. Send me a naughty pic, too, would ya?”
I cringed. “No. Can you have this back to me within twenty-four hours?”
“Maybe. Can you just send it to my assistant?”
“This is important. It requires your attention.”
“Do you require my attention, Vivian?”
“Are you drunk?” I demanded.
“Nah. I’ve just got a good buzz going. Have you ever been to L.A.?”
I clicked the ‘send’ button on my email. “No. I just sent you the counter proposal, Mr. Cartwright. Please review it and get back to me.”
“What are you wearing right now?”
“I’m hanging up now.”
And I did, texting Kane as soon as the call ended.
Me: Longest day ever. You still want to do dinner?
Kane: Sorry, can’t. Bartender called in sick and I’m covering. Come sit at the bar and eat while I work.
I thought about it, but the club’s loud music and a spot at the crowded bar didn’t appeal right now. I just wanted Kane all to myself.
Me: I’m beat. I’ll just eat at home.
Kane: Come on babe. There’s nothing but an old tomato in your fridge. Get over here and let me feed you.
Me: Tomorrow night. I miss you.
Kane: Miss you too. Sleep well. Eat something besides that damn tomato.
Smiling at the phone, I pictured him standing at the Six bar with a white bar towel hanging from his back pocket. My man was one sexy bartender.
I yawned and resolved to get home as quickly as possible. Ten more minutes. As soon as I finalized this and sent it to Henley, I was going straight home. Maybe I’d pick up some Chinese takeout on the way. Kane was right about the tomato.
Kane
CORI’S NUMBER SHOWED UP ON the screen of my phone and I sat up in bed to answer it, wide awake now.
“Cori? Everything okay with Brooklyn?”
“Yeah, everything’s good. She’s at school.”
I laid back down, relieved.
“I’m off today,” Cori said. “And I wondered if you might be free for lunch.”
“Lunch?” I wrinkled my face, still out of it from being woken out of a dead sleep. Hadn’t she just said Brooklyn was at school?
“Yeah, you know . . . we can talk, decide where to go from here.”
She had my full attention now. Dinner had gone well the other night, with Brooklyn giving me a tour of her room and telling me about what she was learning at school. And now Cori seemed open to letting me see more of her. I’d figured it was too soon to ask for one on one time with my daughter, but maybe not.
“Sure,” I said. “In the city?”
“We can meet halfway.” She named a deli I knew of and we agreed to meet there in an hour.
I took a quick shower and drove there, thinking about the possibilities this opened up. I could bring Brooklyn to the club for lunch sometime since we didn’t open til evening. She could cook with the chef and made something fancy. We could get all you can eat pancakes at the diner near my place. I’d need to get a better place so she could have her own room when she visited me. We could paint it together.
I could introduce her to Viv and we could all spend time together. The thought of the two most important people in my life getting closer made me emotional. Viv would know more about what a nine-year-old
girl liked, too. We’d go places together.
This was beyond my wildest dreams. I was on cloud nine when I walked into the deli and slid into a booth across from Cori.
“Hey,” she said, smiling.
“Hey. How’s it going?”
“Pretty good.”
A server came by for our orders and once he was gone, I waited for Cori to take the lead in the conversation. I wanted her to think me seeing more of Brooklyn was her idea, even if it was also mine.
“So,” she said, fiddling with her paper straw wrapper. “I sometimes wonder if I should have come to visit you. Written letters. You know, tried.”
My brows shot up with surprise. “Tried? I was in prison, Cori. You did the right thing making a clean break from me.”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged. “I had it really bad for you, Kane. You were always so dark and mysterious. Kind of angry at the world. But there was something more there, and I saw it when we were together.”
I’d been high every time we were together. I couldn’t remember a single encounter. But I didn’t think it would be wise to tell her that.
“I fucked things up so bad,” I said. “Getting this second chance with Brooklyn means everything to me.”
“So you believe in second chances?” Her eyes were hopeful when they met mine.
“I didn’t used to,” I admitted. “But my girlfriend has made me believe in things I never did before.”
“I didn’t know you had a girlfriend. You’ve never mentioned her.”
“Yeah. Vivian. I’ve never brought her up because I wanted to keep the focus on Brooklyn at first. I like spending our time together talking about her life, you know?”
Cori nodded. “She’s so happy you’re coming around. And I am, too.”
Her gaze flicked to mine for just a second and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I was kind of fucking clueless about women’s subtle signals, but I didn’t like the feeling I had right now.
“So . . .” I cleared my throat. “Is there anything I can do to help with Brooklyn?”
“You’ve already done a lot. I used the back child support money for the down payment on our house. I never could have afforded it without that.”
“It was nothing,” I said. “I can’t ever thank you enough for always giving her a happy, stable home. You’ve done a great job with her.”
She smiled. “Thank you. I’m crazy proud of her.”
“I don’t just mean money, though. I mean like . . . taking care of her while you’re at work or just taking her out to dinner in your neighborhood so you can have a break.”
“Oh.” Cori frowned slightly. “You don’t like hanging out with both of us?”
Shit. This conversation was like a minefield.
“No, it’s not that,” I said. “It’s just . . . being a single parent for so long . . . you’ve never had much time for you. To do adult stuff, like date. When’s the last time you went out?”
“You’re asking because . . . you want to watch Brooklyn while I go out?”
“Sure, yeah.”
Cori shook her head. “I’m always working or with Brooklyn. I don’t exactly have men clamoring at my doorstep.”
“So go out and try. You’re pretty and smart and . . . all that shit.” I ran a hand over my short hair.
“You still think I’m pretty?”
Fuck. There was no winning this conversation.
“Course you are. Any man would be damn lucky to have you. Maybe Viv and I can come over this weekend and take Brooklyn out to dinner so you can give it a go.”
Cori shook her head. “Look, Kane. You’ve only known Brooklyn a couple weeks. I don’t want you bringing women around her.”
I bristled. “It’s not women, it’s only one. Viv and I are together.”
“Sure, but . . . for how long? It’s not good for our daughter to meet every person you go out with.”
The server returned with our sandwiches and we ate in silence. This wasn’t going according to plan. When we finished eating, I picked up the check from the table.
“I have to run payroll at work today so I need to go in early,” I said, getting up from the table.
“Okay, well . . . thanks for lunch. Do you want to come over for dinner this weekend?”
Did I want to have dinner with Cori? Not really. But for now, it was the only way I could see Brooklyn.
“Sure. Text me when and I’ll be there.”
She smiled. “Great. See you then, Kane.”
I drove back to the city in a pensive mood. This shit, I hadn’t seen coming from a mile away. Cori didn’t want Brooklyn meeting Viv. I couldn’t possibly hurt Viv by telling her that.
For now, I’d have to keep the peace by only seeing Brooklyn on Cori’s terms. But I sure as fuck didn’t have to like it.
Viv
I dialed Kane on my cab ride to the airport. When he answered, all I heard was the din of music in the club behind him.
“Hang on,” he said loudly. After a minute, the sound of the music went away. “Hey, sorry. Had to come back to my office.”
“Hi,” I said, missing him already.
“Hey. You on your way? We’ve got that spicy soup you like tonight.”
I sighed. “Sadly, no. I’m on my way to the airport.”
“The airport?”
“Yes. I have to go track a client down in LA. A childish, inconsiderate client who makes me want to scream most every day.”
“On Friday night, though?” His tone was disappointed. We hadn’t seen much of each other this week due to work schedules.
“I know. I’m going now so I can fly home tomorrow night. I didn’t want to get in on Sunday night and have to go right back to work Monday morning. Can we raincheck on dinner til tomorrow night?”
“I’m going to Cori’s tomorrow night.”
“Oh. Damn. I mean, good because I want you to see Brooklyn, but . . . I miss you.”
“Miss you, too. How ‘bout I come over when I’m done over there? She goes to bed by nine and I should be back in the city around ten.”
“Yes. I’d love that.”
“Text me when you get to L.A., alright? And don’t stay in some shithole motel, they’re not safe.”
I smiled. “I’m billing the client, so I will definitely not be staying in a shithole.”
“Okay. See you tomorrow, babe.”
“Bye.”
I hung up and laid my head against the window of the cab. Nothing like ending a busy work week with a quick cross-county trip. Especially when I was going just to get a signature from a playboy actor with nothing to do but annoy me.
Hopefully I could sleep on the flight. And I’d have extra time with Kane soon. I was already planning to take most of next week off for Christmas. He and I were spending the day together and flying out the day after to see my parents. He didn’t seem freaked out by it at all.
Everything was going so well. Now I just needed Henley’s signature on his divorce papers.
Henley Cartwright was playing games with me. We’d texted back and forth about where I could find him, but he wouldn’t give me a straight answer. I was sitting on the bed of my hotel room eating macadamia nuts from the mini bar–which he’d be paying for–when my phone rang with another text from him.
Henley: Got plans tonight? How do u feel about threesomes?
Me: My plans are to get your signature and fly home. Where can I meet up with you?
Henley: Where’s that naughty teacher?
Me: I’m very close to telling Marcus you don’t seem to actually want this divorce.
Henley: Vivian Marceau, you’ll have to play nicer than that to win me over.
I texted several more times about where he was but he ignored all of them.
Asshole.
I finished the nuts and went back to the mini bar, opening a candy bar and taking one bite before tossing it in a trash can. My means of retribution against Henley weren’t much, but it made me feel slightly better.<
br />
Still wiped out from the long flight last night, I curled up on the bed for a nap, leaving my phone next to me in case Henley decided to act like an adult and write back.
WHEN BROOKLYN OPENED THE DOOR and smiled up at me, warmth spread through my chest. I’d never get take that beautiful face for granted.
“Hi, Dad. Want to see my new cheer?”
My throat tightened, burning as I fought back tears. The sound of my little girl calling me ‘Dad’ was like nothing I’d ever heard. It was a gift I’d never thought I could dream of deserving.
What made a good father? I sure as hell hadn’t had one. But I wanted to be one. For now, I knew I needed to focus on Brooklyn and make up for all the time I’d missed. Get to know the person she was. Hopefully give her a look at the person I was, too.
“Yeah, I’d like that,” I said, walking inside and closing the front door behind me.
The smell of baking herbs, tomato sauce and cheese reminded me of the kitchen at the club. Cori kept a neat, clean house for her and Brooklyn. School pictures of our daughter lined the walls. I wanted a home like this one day, where Brooklyn could see how important she was to me.
“Hey,” Cori said, smiling and wiping her hands on a dishtowel as she walked out of the kitchen. “Glad you came.”
“Thanks for asking me.”
Brooklyn took my hand. Another first. Her tiny fingers pulled on mine and she led me to a small sunroom in the back of the house.
“Stand right here,” she said.
I watched as she went to the other side of the room and did a cheer, clapping and yelling and kicking. Cori stood beside me.
“That was amazing,” I said when Brooklyn was done. “You have to be the most kickass cheerleader at your school.”
She smiled and shrugged. “Not really. Madison Porter is.”
I furrowed my brow. “I doubt it. Can she clap as loud as you?”
“She can do eight backflips in a row.”
“You’ll get there, Brook,” Cori said. “Dinner’s ready, guys.”
We all went into the kitchen and sat down at the small table against a wall. Cori had made lasagna and salad. I ate and made small talk with Brooklyn about school, but I had an uncomfortable vibe about this whole thing.
Maybe I was just paranoid. It was only dinner. Cori was letting me get to know Brooklyn in their home, which was probably a lot easier for her. And people had to eat.
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