Page 104 of Love In The Spotlight

“I take it things went well?”

“Piece of cake,” she said. “And I didn’t even have to give her a piece of cake. But she did have some fruit that Abby went to the cafeteria to get. She never left the office. I’ve got my own bathroom as you know.”

“I’m glad it worked out,” he said.

“What’s going on?” she asked. “Why are you so sad? Want me to bring Penelope next door to Abby?”

“Could you?” he asked.

She picked his daughter up and dashed next door and returned. “What’s going on?”

He filled her in on his mother’s call.

“As you can tell, it went as well as everything else does with them.”

“No,” Laken said. “It went better, but you’re not seeing that.”

“What does that mean?” he asked.

“Your mother called you asking for something. She told your father beforehand and he didn’t say no. Even when it was all done, your mother said she’d talk to your father when last time she said she’d spent years trying to avoid the fights.”

“So?” he said.

“Jamie. That’s their olive branch in their way. You’re stubborn and so are they, but one of you has to give. They aren’t going to change.”

“So you mean I have to?” he asked.

“No,” she said. “You don’t. You just have to accept these interactions and them for who they are if you want them to have a part in your daughter’s life. You put her first all the time and that is what you need to decide now.”

His head went back and forth. “I guess you’re right. It’s not as if I see or talk to them much.”

“No. Take this as a first step. Their fear was judgment by those they serve. That is on them for putting so much stock in it. But maybe not much different than you putting so much stock in how your parents feel about you too.”

“I don’t know why I never thought of that before,” he said.

“Because you’re not as smart as me,” she said, laughing.

He reached for her. “I’ll let that pass.” He hugged her tight. “I love you. I guess I need you in my life more than I thought.”

“Remember that,” she said. “And give it time with your parents. To me this is a step. See what happens when your mother talks to your father. If nothing comes about it, it’s still better than it was weeks ago. Right? They asked you for something. Even if it wasn’t for them, they did it.”

She had a point. Even at Christmas his father didn’t ask him to help those families in need. Jamie had to all but do it on his own and would have if his father hadn’t gone with him to pick things out.

“They did,” he said.

“Just like you asked me to watch Penelope this morning. It was hard, wasn’t it?”

“No,” he said. “Not in the least. Nothing with you is hard and I don’t think it ever will be.”

33

FOUND YOURSELF

The first Saturday in April, two weeks later, Jamie looked at Laken as she turned her back. “Zip me up, baby,” she said.

She wiggled her ass at him in her fitted dress. It wasn’t much of a wiggle because she felt pretty constrained but knew she looked smoking hot too.

She was going to be on Jamie’s arm for a charity event where Jamie and West were being honored for their work in providing jobs to the area.

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