Page 71 of Flawless

I blow out several breaths, and then I drop my head into my hands and think about my daughter’s words. Yeah, I fucked this up royally. I know that Dani’s struggling with her sobriety and with her past. The last thing that she needs is to feel weighed down by the burden of guilt for something that was beyond her control.

Pushing up from the stairs, I head back into the house.

Zee Zee isn’t in her room. I spot her discarded clothes on the floor. Leaving her room, I head to the other side of the houseto Danica’s room and knock on the door. When I don’t get a response, I hesitantly open the door.

I head into her bathroom and then leave back out.

Not finding her inside the house, I head outside to the car, and I don’t see her in there either. Her Jeep is still parked here.

I head down to the water and see Zee Zee already talking to a small group of teens. A couple of the boys in the group are paying her more attention than I would like. The moment she spots me heading her way, her eyes widen in panic, and I know that she thinks I’m about to embarrass her.

As much as she would prefer for me to keep walking, I can’t.

“Have you seen Dani?” I ask when I approach the group of four guys, two girls, and my daughter.

“No, Papai. I haven’t,” she says softly.

I nod and walk away.

“Papai!” she calls, causing me to turn around.

She jogs towards me.

“If I see her, I’ll tell her that you’re looking for her, okay?”

“Thanks. Be careful,” I say, nodding at the group that she’s with.

“I will, Papai,” she says, smiling as she jogs back to the group.

I walk further down the beach, scanning the growing crowds for any sight of Dani, and I don’t see her at all. My heart races in my chest, and I pull out my phone to call her only to find that I left it back at the cottage.

After walking for another half of a mile because I doubt she could have gotten that far, I head back in the opposite direction. By the time I see Zee Zee and her group again, they’re playing ball in the water.

The sun is high in the sky, and it’s hot as Hades this afternoon. I head back to the house to get my phone so that I can call her. Hopefully, she’s not so pissed at me that she won’t answer.

By the time that I arrive at the house, I’m worried and scared as hell, praying that she hasn’t done anything crazy.

I head into the house and relief pours through me as I see Dani sitting on the couch. Her arms are propped on her knees, and her face looks so forlorn.

“Dani,” I say, dropping on the ottoman in front of her. “I was so worried about you. Where were you?”

Lifting her head, she gazes into my eyes, and I can tell that she’s been crying. Teardrops frame her dark lashes, and her hazel eyes are threaded with strands of red.

My hands cup her face, and I wipe away the remnants of her tears with my thumbs.

“Why are you crying, Dani?”

“I am so sorry, Z,” she murmurs.

“It’s not your fault, baby. I know that I appeared to blame you, and at first, I did, but it wasn’t your fault.”

“No,” she says, shaking her head. “It seems that all I bring to your life is pain. I never meant for Zee Zee to get photographed or be caught up in that.”

“Again, not your fault.”

“She told me about what happened a few years back with the paparazzi, your sister, and her.”

Nodding, I say, “Well, she probably didn’t tell you everything because she didn’t witness it all.”

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