Page 26 of Second Down Darling

Jesus, I was anidiot.

What else did Imiss?

I force myself to concentrate on the week before Charlieleft.

Oh, shit. Dakota pretended we were fucking in the other room. She thought it was hysterical. We argued about it afterward when I opened the bedroom door a minute later and realized Charlie had takenoff.

And then Dakota baited me into walking out into the bedroom right after a shower while she was on a video call with hersister.

I wasnaked.

And sportingwood.

I groan and lean my head against the window and close my eyes. I’m not easily embarrassed, but that moment definitely goes down in my personal hall ofshame.

At that point, my relationship with Dakota was hanging by a razor-thin thread. If it weren’t for Charlie, I’m not sure we would’ve lasted that long. She was the buffer between me and her sister. Always being the peacemaker. Always doing things to ease our stress. Always helping however she could. Making us dinner. Babysitting Asher. Running our errands. Helping mestudy.

If the roles were reversed and I had to watch a woman I had feelings for be with another man, watch her walk into the bedroom naked, clearly to have sex, it would fuck meup.

And Dakota rubbed it in her face.Christ.

Did her sister know how Charliefelt?

Now that I think about it, Dakota’s snide jokes that I spent too much time with her sister make sense. Maybe she never believed that we were completely platonic. Never believed that Charlie and I really and truly were the best of friends—but that’sit.

If I’m being honest with myself, I kept waiting for the kind of friendship I had with Charlie to take root withDakota.

It obviously never did. By the time we broke up, I pretty much hated her. That’s a horrible thought to have about the mother of your kid, but Dakota wrecked me, one small criticism at a time, and hammered the last nail in our coffin by fucking one of myteammates.

My mind snags on the letter Charlotte says she left me. She said she gave me her phonenumber.

I sit with that a moment… and I believeher.

I’m guessing Dakota found the note and figured her sister must’ve left me one too and tore up the apartment to find it. Then she pretended like she was cleaning to explain why everything was out ofplace.

I close my eyes, wondering how different the last two years would’ve been if I’d been able to reach Charlie. Just to make sure she was all right. Shit. She must’ve thought my silence meant I hated her. That I didn’t call her ’cause I waspissed.

And I was, but only because she ghosted me and Ash without aword.

Suddenly, all the anger I’ve been harboring since Charlotte took off deflates. I get it. I do. Sweet, shy Charlotte couldn’t deal, and since she didn’t feel she could talk to me or her sister, she did the only thing she could—sheleft.

Without that veil of anger, I can see everything more clearly. Charlie probably thought she was doing us a favor. By taking herself out of the equation, she was protecting me andDakota.

I close my eyes.I was a total dick to her at the park. And the coffeeshop.

I’m anasshole.

I need to apologize toher.

It’s possible she’ll want space right now. Hell, she moved four hours from home to get away from me, and now we’re living down the street from each other. If that’s not ironic, I don’t know whatis.

I drag myself out of the car and up to my apartment where Buffy greets me with way too much cleavage on display. I swear she was wearing more clothes when she got here earlier. Averting my eyes, I drop the keys on the kitchen counter and check on Asher. He’s sleeping soundly in his bed, sprawled out like astarfish.

When I return to the kitchen, I lean back against the counter. “Thanks for watching him, Buffy. How did thingsgo?”

“So great! After dinner, he played with his Legos. I read him a few books before bed, and he went to sleep without aproblem.”

That’s promising. Asher doesn’t always go to bed without a struggle. “Perfect. How much do I owe you?” This was a trial run. Just two hours to see how things went before I put her on any kind of permanentrotation.

---