Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 24833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 124(@200wpm)___ 99(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 124(@200wpm)___ 99(@250wpm)___ 83(@300wpm)
I grunt with misery.
“I know. I’m going to pull myself together.”
But Chrissy’s not done yet.
“If you miss Dani so much, why not talk to her? See if you can work whatever fight you had out.”
I shake my head. “I don’t think we can fix this. You don’t know what happened, hon, and it’s bad.” I pause, sucking in a harsh breath. “And it’s not just the argument. With the way I treated her, I know she isn’t going to want to talk to me, let alone make up.”
Chrissy leans forward and reaches across my desk, resting her hand on top of my hand.
“Tell me what happened, Dad. Trust me, I know Dani and she has a soft heart. Besides, it can’t be as bad as you’re making it out to be. I know and love you both, and I know neither of you would do anything to intentionally hurt someone the way I see you hurting right now.”
Tucking my head down, I shove my hands in my hair and take a minute to wrap my brain around everything that’s happening. My mind is in turmoil but the pain is so fucking awful that I can’t take it anymore. I meet my daughter’s eyes and just blurt it out.
“We were dating. Everything was going great until some asshole patient told me all about the escort he’d fucked seven ways until Sunday. He said she told him her name was Danielle and described the unique tattoo she had just above her ass representing her escort service: Three Hole Girls. As soon as he described the tattoo my world turned upside down because guess who has a tattoo just like that? I went straight to Dani’s and confronted her about it. I was angry because I was so hurt that she’d do this.”
I have to pause to take a breath. My chest aches re-living everything, and I can’t seem to breathe. The pain I’m feeling is crushing me from the inside out, and roughly, I swipe a hand across my face. Damn, there’s moisture on my palms.
“She tried to make excuses, but I didn’t let her explain. Right then, I was too raw, and I didn’t want to hear whatever she was going to say to try to justify her actions. I didn’t even wait for her to tell me if everything that asshole said was true because the moment I asked her about it, her face fell and I knew. Dani’s an escort. Your best friend sees men for money, and I just couldn’t be there anymore, in that space. So I left, and we haven’t seen each other or spoken since.”
Chrissy is staring at me like I’ve grown a third eye. She sits back, pursing her lips like she’s trying to think of what she’s going to say, or maybe she’s just processing everything because this is such a fucking tornado. Dani’s been her friend for a long time, but the revelation that her best friend works on her back for a living is sure to throw her for a loop.
“Listen honey, I don’t want this to impact your friendship with Dani,” I begin in a low voice. “Your pal is an adult, and she makes her own choices in life—"
Chrissy shakes her head.
“Hold on, Dad. Before you start with that, I do have a question.”
“Sure.”
“Did you ask Dani if she was still escorting while the two of you were together?”
I blow out a long breath.
“She said she wasn’t, but I wasn’t really listening at that point. I’m not sure it matters. She lied to me and even if it was a lie of omission, I just don’t understand why any woman would do something like that. I mean, are you fucking serious?”
Chrissy nods her head slowly.
“For what it’s worth, I believe her. I don’t think she would keep working as an escort while dating anyone, and especially not you. Obviously, Dani didn’t tell me she was seeing you, but I could tell she was seeing someone in secret that made her very happy.”
I snort.
“Much good that does us.”
Chrissy merely shrugs.
“Everyone has their reasons, and all I can say is that I know Dani was in a pretty tough financial situation. She was only escorting because she had to find a way to pay for essentials, like food and electricity. You know her job at Frosty Freeze pays nothing right, even though she’s done well there? And being an escort isn’t the same as being a hooker. A lot of the dates are just normal dates, but they just happen to be arranged by a service.”
I laugh bitterly.
“Yeah, one called Three Hole Girls.”
My daughter shrugs again.
“It is what it is, but not all of the women working as escorts are doing it for the money. Some women find it empowering to be independent. As an escort, the woman is really the one who sets the rules, and it’s nice.”