Page 112 of Gabriel & Skye

“Oh, thank God.”

“She told me she had golden hair like Celeste, but bouncy curls like mine. Sound like anyone you know?” I pull the plastic pot out of Daisy’s mouth and throw her toy, so she’ll chase that instead.

He goes quiet. “You’re shitting me?”

“No. Who is it, Gabe?”

“Fucking piece of shit,” he mutters. “It has to be her. But why would she be coming to Trin’s school?”

This can’t be good. “Who?”

“Tiffany. The woman who gave birth to my daughter. Not that I’d call her a mother. Why the fuck she’s here, I don’t know.” His tone is angry, and I can hardly blame him.

“Well, we don’t know anything yet. Maybe check the security footage and we’ll go from there. Find out what she wants.”

“If she thinks she can waltz back into town and take my kid from me…” He trails off.

“I’m sure she’s not doing that, but we’ll get to the bottom of it.” I glance through the window and see Trinity chatting away to herself as she colors. She’s such a sweet little thing. “She’s home safe and we’re all okay, so don’t be rushing home like a madman.”

“I’m leaving now. I’m going to stop off at school to check the security footage.”

“Okay. Well, drive safe. We’ll be here.”

“I’ll pick up some dinner.”

“If it’s okay, we’re going to make Geraldine a cake.”

“You don’t have to ask me if it’s okay to cook.”

I smile. “Alright. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t overstaying my welcome.”

He sounds equally frustrated as he is annoyed. “You’re not doing that. I want to see you, if you’d like to have dinner with us.”

I smile. “Thanks, Gabe, that would be nice.”

“I’ll be home in an hour.”

We hang up and Daisy follows me into the house as I get the cake baking things ready on the counter. I hope for Gabe’s sake that it isn’t his ex back to haunt him. It gives me an uneasy feeling in my gut as I think about how that exchange would go.

What if she’s back? What if she wants custody? I mean, I don’t know if she’s paid any kind of child support, but from what I’ve heard from everyone all over town, she abandoned them. So I doubt she can just come back and have some claim over their daughter. Then again, I don’t know how these things work.

It might be a question for Hartley.

By the time Gabe gets home, it’s almost dark. His tie is loose with his suit jacket thrown over his arm, his hair is ruffled; he looks about as unkempt as I’ve ever seen him.

Trinity greets him the usual way; wrapping her arms around his legs. He lifts her into his arms and gives her a hug, then kisses her face and head until she’s giggling and telling him to put her down. He looks over at me and gives me a chin lift.

Something’s definitely off.

Daisy jumps up at his shins, and he leans down to pat her head.

“How was your day?” I ask, before he can give me the Spanish Inquisition all over again.

Trinity runs off to get her picture, which she laid out on the dining table.

“About as good as it can get when you find out your ex-wife has been hanging around your child’s school.”

My eyes go wide as I lower my voice. “So, it was her?”

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