Page 54 of Gross Misconduct

I was seeing a pattern. Either Bill had incredibly terrible luck with women, or he was a piece of shit. How could a guy marry two women who were awful? The chances of that weren’t great, although Laura did sound pretty awful.

“You divorced your second wife years ago. Why not call Jill then?”

“She was in her twenties. She wouldn’t talk to me.”

He finished off his muffin and moved to his coffee. I watched him and couldn’t help but notice his yellow fingers. Not only did the dude chain-smoke, he was also full of shitty excuses why he hadn’t reached out to his kid.

“And you still don’t want a relationship with her now?”

He looked at me with his tired and dead eyes. “I know what you’re up to. You want to reunite her with me so she can have a relationship with me. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t want one, so I’m not sure why you’re here digging this up. I’ve got nothing to offer her.”

Now that I’d met Bill, I wasn’t sure why I’d called him either. This had been a terrible mistake. “I guess you’re right about a lot of things, Bill. Maybe it’s best the two of you don’t reconnect.”

I was looking for an exit strategy, but it appeared that Bill wasn’t finished with me yet.

“I know you think I don’t care about her, but I’ve been following her life as best I can. I know she got a fancy job with Richardson’s. I google her name sometimes. I also know she got hired by the hockey team you play for. And that the two of you are together. She’s done well for herself.”

And yet he didn’t say he was proud of her. I didn’t understand anything about this man.

“Yes, she has. She’s very successful, smart, funny, and I care about her. It’s probably best that she stays on track and lives her life.”

If nothing else, he wasn’t a stupid man. He knew what I meant by that.

“Well, you’re the one who contacted me.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to go. I’m guessing I didn’t live up to your expectations, and you never want to hear from me again? And that I shouldn’t bother my daughter?”

“It’s probably for the best.”

He smirked now. “Thanks for the coffee and muffin. And congratulations on the engagement,” he said without much fanfare.

He sulked off, and I regretted this meeting. I also couldn’t believe that jackass was Jill’s father. How had she been so unlucky with two crappy parents? But a lot made sense to me now, and Jill had mostly risen above her past, and I hoped that one day she could rise above the rest of it too.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Jill

The next two weeks flew by, and for once in my life, I didn’t hate the sound of Christmas carols. With Jeremy due back in a few days, I hit the shops on the weekend to pick up some items for his family. Gwen loved books, so I got her some new releases that I hoped she’d like based on her Facebook tastes. She also liked to review books on Instagram, so I checked out what she hadn’t read yet.

His little brother loved video games just like his big brother, so I got him the latest war game and hoped it was a good choice. Jeremy assured me it was, all the while texting me that it wasn’t necessary to pick up gifts. For his mom, I got her favorite chocolates—again, coming from Jeremy—and a journal. Jeremy said she loved keeping a journal. For his dad, the most difficult of all, I got him a custom Kodiaks jersey with his name and the number he used to wear when he played minor hockey.

I got Tangi a gift card because she was too picky. I got Wolseley a ticket to Vancouver—and I was insisting she show up. And Maddy got some cute outfits and age-appropriate toys that helped with learning. Ethangot socks.

As for Jeremy, he got a bottle of his favorite cologne which had quickly become my favorite-smelling cologne. I also got him custom-made socks with Chloe’s face on them. For fun stuff that he would appreciate, a case of different craft beers seemed perfect since he liked trying different ones. I glanced at my watch; he was due late that night. He said he didn’t want to disrupt me and would stay at his place, but I insisted he stay with me. After all, Chloe and I missed him.

I got home and stared at all my bags, and it felt good to have this much to wrap. Normally, I had three gifts at Christmas: Tangi, Wolseley, and Mom. This year felt different, something to look forward to.

The Kodiaks were playing in Winnipeg tonight for the early game, and if all went well, he’d be home not long after midnight. I fed Chloe, took her for a short walk, watched the game while wrapping presents, and groaned when the Kodiaks lost, but at least the game was close. I then made myself dinner and tidied up. I’d thought about getting a Christmas tree and decorating the condo, but since it wasn’t my place, I decided against it. I couldn’t believe Christmas had snuck up on me so fast. How could it be less than two weeks away?

I spent the rest of the evening catching up on work. I hated bringing it home, but I’d taken time off before and after Christmas, so I wanted to get ahead of what I could, with my added responsibilities starting in the new year. After one last bathroom break for Chloe, I crawled into bed and read. I must have fallen asleep because I woke up to Jeremy crawling into bed with me. He snuggled up against me, wrapping his arm high up on my stomach. I opened my eyes when his cold hand traveled up under my shirt and caressed one breast. My nipple immediately hardened at the cold touch.

“I see you’re home,” I said in a sleepy voice.

“I was thinking about you the entire flight,” he said,then gently kissed my neck. Between his hands and the kisses, the good kind of shivers went through me.

“What kind of thoughts?” I said, turning onto my back to face him.

“I was thinking about what I planned to do with you when I got here.”

“And to think you were going to go home tonight instead.”

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