Page 3 of Secret Love

“What have you been doing all this time?” I frown.

“Waiting to go to the bathroom.” She holds her hand toward Cassidy likeduh.

I grumble, pulling out a brush that we keep in the junk drawer, along with some hair ties, and motion for her to stand in front of me. She beams up at me.

“Thanks, Daddy.”

“You’re welcome, peanut.”

I hurriedly brush her hair out and start braiding, while Cassidy and Audrey put their homework in their backpacks.

The braids aren’t my finest work, but they’ll do. I squeeze Gracie’s shoulder and unload the grocery bag quickly.

“How about we eat?” I set the food on the table and turn to grab the plates so they can get started. “We don’t have much time this morning?—”

The sound of glass breaking and a shriek is followed by more arguing. The hell? I glance back to see what happened, and the pitcher filled with orange juice is now on the floor and on Cassidy’s clothes.

Cassidy starts crying and runs up the stairs, and Gracie folds her arms over her chest.

“Stay put, I don’t want either of you to get cut on this glass.” I get a towel and broom and start cleaning up the mess. “Want to tell me what’s going on?”

“Cassidy’s mean,” Gracie says. “All the time.”

I make a face. “Not all the time. She was nice at dinner last night.”

Audrey snorts, and again, I look at her in surprise.

“Noted,” I say.

Cassidy was just barely tolerable at dinner last night, and we all know it.

Audrey grins at me, and I tug on her ponytail.

“Mom says Cassidy’s got big feelings right now,” Gracie says, around a mouthful of bagel.

I nod. Bree and I are in agreement about this. I don’t know what it’s like to deal with the hormones girls do, but my life between the ages of eleven and fifteen were torturous, and Bree assures me it’s worse for girls.

“Your mom’s right. Cassidy does have big feelings right now. I’ll talk with your sister, but let’s try to be extra kind to her, okay? When we’re struggling with something, it helps when the people we love are gentle with us.”

“She’snot being very gentle,” Gracie says, her lips going out in a pout.

Audrey nods in agreement, but when I look at her, her expression turns sheepish.

“We treat people how we want to be treated, even if they don’t do the same. Okay?” I wait and there’s a long pause beforeboth girls reluctantly agree. “All right. Finish up with breakfast and then go brush your teeth. We need to be out the door in ten minutes.”

I get a bagel ready for Cassidy and take it upstairs, knocking on her door.

“Come in,” she says quietly.

When I open the door, she’s sitting on the edge of the bed in her changed outfit. She wipes her face with the back of her hand and lets out a shaky breath.

“You okay, bunny?”

She stares down at the floor and shakes her head, and I’m ready to fight an army and whoever else stands in my way to make my girl feel better.

“Talk to me. What’s going on?” I reach out and take her hand and she clasps it hard.

“I don’t want to go to school,” she says.

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