Page 16 of Reckless Single Daddy

It’s situations like that bridal shower that make me dislike small towns. I love Rose Valley. It will always be special to me and be called home, but the small-town mindset always has its caveats. For one, everyone knows everyone. That means everyone knows your business or at least tries to know your business. Secondly, if they don’t know your business, they insert themselves into your business, thinking they know it.

That’s a lot of business, but none of minding of your business.

“With that logic, no wonder you’re still a bachelor,” she replies.

I shake my head, smiling.

“But you’re right,” she says. “I still have much to do and learn about myself, both personally and professionally.”

I nod firmly at her sound answer. “You’re more than welcome to use the estate should you need a place to get work done or escape—whichever,” I say, hoping I can offer her some form of comfort.

She smiles once more. “I think you just want to get me alone again.”

I chuckle. I’ve entertained this idea all day, but as I think of flirting back, Mike’s face pops into my head, stopping me short.

Suddenly, I look away and clear my throat awkwardly. “The room upstairs at the end of the hall, I think you’ll like it.”

She suddenly sits up straighter. “Why?”

I smirk. “You’ll just have to come back and see for yourself,” I reply, winking suggestively, but she seems to ignore it.

I wonder what that’s all about…

“Oh, shit, what time is it?” she cries out, her panic pulling me away from my thoughts.

I check the time, and tell her it’s around six in the evening.

“Oh no, no,no, my mom and Mia are going to kill me!” She rises from the stool she is sitting on.

I round the counter to calm her down. “Hey, listen, I can drive you—”

I’m cut off as my phone rings and Sloane looks down at it. I lift it up and see it’s Janet, Liam’s grandma.

I meet Sloane’s eyes. “I have to take this.”

She nods firmly and starts backing away. “It’s fine,” she says tersely.

“I can still drive you—”

She holds her hands up and shakes her head. “It’s okay. I’ll call a rideshare. Have a good night, Cade,” she says as she quickly turns back to walk out the front door, leaving an echo as it closes behind her.

I sigh heavily and rotate my neck before answering the phone. “Janet, is everything alright?”

“Liam wants to come home early, Cade. I told him that it’s only a few more days, but I don’t want to force him,”she says.

I sigh heavily. Between what just happened with Sloane and now this with Liam, it feels like all the good things I was starting to put together are slowly falling apart. I just wish I knew what I did wrong with Sloane to make her leave so abruptly. I showed her my life, let her into my home…

“Sure, Janet,” I reply. “I’ll book a flight home for him tomorrow afternoon. Have a good rest of your night.”

I just offered Sloane to come by whenever she wanted, and my son—the son I’ve yet to inform her about—is coming home tomorrow. Something tells me this will not go well.

Chapter eight

Sloane

Red. It’s the color that evokes passion and love, but it also evokes anger. How you place it on a canvas and what you complement it with determines how the eye perceives it.

In this case, the red on the canvas facing me stokes anger. It’s complemented by blues, yellows, and purples, which all have their own meanings. Blue evokes sadness, but also coldness. Yellow evokes caution, and purple is moody.

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