Page 18 of Prickly Romance

With a deep sigh, I answer the call.

As usual, I say nothing.

It takes only a few seconds before my ex-wife speaks. “Hi.” Her voice is bright and smooth. Perfect for a singer.

“I was not expecting a call.”

“Yeah, I just… figured I should check in.” Ashanti clears her throat. “How are you?”

“Well.” I leave it there.

“Niko told me she had an exciting day yesterday.”

“Did she?”

“Yeah. She mentioned that she made a new friend. Someone who helped her with her piano lessons.”

My lips tighten.

I wait.

“Niko really seemed to like her new friend,” Ashanti adds.

I sigh heavily. What is she trying to figure out?

“Are you… dating her?”

There it is.

I feign ignorance. “Dating who?”

“Day-jon… Day… what was her name again?”

It’s Dee-jonae. Not Day-jonae.

I keep that thought to myself.

Another passage of silence flows between us.

“We agreed that we would inform each other when we started seeing other people seriously.”

Is this a scolding?“That agreement still stands.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me about her?”

I close my eyes and rub my temple. “There is nothing to tell.”

“So you’re not…”

“No.” I frown. “Why does this concern you?”

“For Niko’s sake, of course.” She laughs nervously. “Our daughter’s a very special little girl. I don’t want her making new friends only to lose them without warning.”

“I am raising Niko to be a strong, discerning person. She will not break so easily.”

There’s a shuffling on the other side of the line. “This is different. You should have seen her gushing, Ryo. I’ve never seen our daughter that excited about another woman before. It… it kind of made me jealous.”

“You will always be Niko’s mother.”

---