Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 137077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
“Where’s Grace? We’re going home. I have to make dinner and she probably has homework.”
Kayla chuckles. “Nice try. We sent her out back with Dani when Cole saw you pull up. Have a seat.” She points at a dining room chair that’s already been pulled into the circle, but left vacant for me.
“Guest of honor?” I ask mockingly, pointedly ignoring both the chair and the order.
“We saw Riley yesterday,” Kayla informs me, her lips pursed into a confident smirk. She knows the effect that small statement will have on me, and when I slowly lower myself into the chair, her lips lift into a chilly, predatory smile. “I thought you’d see it my way.”
“How is she?”
“Better than you.” That dig came from an unlikely and unexpected source—Janey. The always-sweet, perpetually-happy woman is staring at me like I’ve brought dog shit in on my shoes and rubbed it all over her clean carpets.
Ironically, it makes me feel better that Riley is doing better than me. I wouldn’t want her to feel the way I do. It might sound weird, but I want her to be happy still. It just can’t be with me and Grace.
“She’s worried about you and Grace, feels guilty about what happened with Austin, and is remarkably understanding about why you kicked her to the curb like the trash she’s apparently always been told she is.”
Kayla’s clipped out, but more detailed answer is precisely crafted to hurt me as much as possible. And to make me angry. It works just as she knew it would. “She is not trash, and don’t ever call her that again,” I growl, pointing a finger at her in warning. She’s not the least bit scared of me. Not that I’d ever hurt her physically, but words can be equally damaging, and while Kayla is skilled, so am I.
“I didn’t. You did,” she informs me, her face perfectly impassive, and like that, my anger evaporates.
Fuck. She’s right. I certainly didn’t say that outright, but my actions spoke volumes. Worse, Kayla’s not done.
“When you fired her,” she finishes.
“You WHAT?!” Grace yells, blasting through the back screen door. Her eyes are wild, her hands thrown out, and her gaze is locked on me accusingly.
“Grace, honey,” I try to say, soothing her. I should’ve known she was listening at the door, but I figured Dani was keeping her busy while everyone raked me over the coals. Dani walks in behind Grace, not seeming the least bit apologetic about blowing things up even worse than they already were. In fact, she glances at Kayla, and I half-wonder if this was the plan all along, but I don’t get the chance to ask because Grace is shouting.
“What did you do, Dad? Where’s Riley? I thought she was talking to the police or something. You didn’t really fire her, did you?” Every question is hot on the heels of the last, her voice getting higher pitched with each one as she gets closer to hysterical. “I love her!”
The last one is a plea from the depths of her soul and breaks my heart all over again.
“Grace,” I say again, “let me try to explain.”
“No, you can un-fire her or whatever. Just get her back.” She points at the ground next to her like I can make Riley magically appear there. “Things were going so good! I just need more time to make you see.” She’s rambling… no, she’s ranting at me, and I’m trying to prepare some sort of rational, calm response right up until the end, when I get really confused.
“Make me see what?” I ask, instantly suspicious. My daughter, while sweet as can be, is also damn smart and I have no doubt that she’d use my being wrapped around her finger to manipulate me into getting something she wants. The only question is, what does she want?
Grace clamps her mouth shut, realizing she’s said too much. Her eyes jump around as she looks for someone to help her, but they’re all staring back at her, wanting the answer to that question too. She huffs as she rolls her eyes. “Fine. You wanna know?” she snaps. “I’ve been trying to get you two together since Riley got here, Dad. And it was working! You sit out on the patio every night, and I finally got you sitting beside each other.” She flashes me an annoyed glare. “You really have no rizz at all, do you?”
I have no idea what rizz is, so hopefully, I don’t have it. But she’s still going…
“I got you to dance together at the Fall Ball.” She starts ticking off things she’s done on her fingers. “I wanted to give you time alone so I’ve been hanging out in my room, doing my homework, which is also why I have straight As now. I’ve organized sleepovers to leave you two alone, thinking you’d take Riley on a date, but you just stayed home. Seriously?” She rolls her eyes again, somehow exasperated with me. “I hype you up to her all the time, but you’ve got to work with me here.”