Page 20 of More, Daddy
Leah sits up straight at her desk. “Ooohhh,” she draws out. “She likes herself aDaddy?”
I shake my head and bury the bridge of my nose in my fingers. “Don’t do that. Don’t…do that.”
Leah’s laughter slices through the tension, lightening the air effortlessly. Awkward for me, of course—never for her. Five years ago, in this same cramped office, we got spectacularly drunk after the first day of school, spilling our guts over cheap wine. I laid bare my messy divorce; she unloaded her life’s tangled crap. Since then, she’s made a sport of teasing me, her jabs sharp but warm. And, honestly? I secretly love it. I love knowing someone whoknows meand likes me anyway.
Leah has this way of making my thing feel okay, like the problem isn’t within me but rather the narrow-minded side-eyes from everyone else. In her eyes, I’m not some broken puzzle needing a therapist’s fix—I’m just me, and that’s okay.
“Okay so… you two are moving slowly. Why can’t you just sit back and enjoy the process?” she asks, retrieving the compact mirror again, this time to slather on a new coat of lipstick.
“Because…” I admit, feeling childish in my reasoning, but they are my truths nonetheless. “It’s been so fucking long since I’ve had an enjoyable relationship. I’m goddamn impatient, Leah!”
“Well,” she starts, shoving her things away to get to her feet, righting herself in her two-piece suit. “Life’s a bitch and then you die. Get over it. If your anonymous caller wants to remain strangers a bit longer, she’s got you by the shorthairs.”
I get to my feet, too. “That was horrible advice.”
Leah hustles me out, shutting the office door with a soft click as Cadence Caine sidles up, an awkward smile on her face. I flash Cadence a quick grin while Leah’s voice cuts through, sharp and certain. “That wasn’t advice, my friend—that was straight-up truth.”
CHAPTER
SIX
I didn’t tellLeah that I opened up toDaddysGirlabout my divorce, or that she’s going to reveal her own dating life. But sharing my divorce with her feels seismic, like a quiet pact that solidifies our commitment to growing closer. For me, it catapults our connection into uncharted territory—where trust weaves us together, scary and exciting.
Theguysdon’t even know the details about my divorce.
My meal prep spins lazily in the microwave as the green digital clock counts down. When I was married, I loved cooking. Trying new recipes, feeding my wife the first bite, gauging her reaction, knowing how to alter therecipe the next time—it was a process that brought me pride and joy, and giving her what she needed brought another level of satisfaction to cooking.
I stopped cooking when I moved to Bluebell, and I’m on five solid years of ordering out. When I have no one to cook for, cooking seems like a waste of energy.
After the ding, I pull my tray of meat and vegetables out, grab a beer from the fridge, and settle into my couch. With a sports game playing on the TV, I open my laptop, and navigate to the open tab withVeiledwaiting.
Before she writes a message, she sends a picture, one that I have to accept.
It’s a plate with chicken on it, tossed in a colorful sauce, some broccolini, too—steamed and soft, with some sesame noodles alongside. Her written message comes next.
DaddysGirl
Eating dinner. If you are too then it’s a dinner date!
I look down at my sad tray of microwaved food and decide to skip the photo.
Suede0989
It’s a dinner date then. I’ve got my dinner and beer here.
My heart races as my fingers hover over the keys, unsure if I should even be doing this. I’m not the type to make confessions, spill secrets, or lay my thoughts bare, but she’s got me in a grip I can’t shake. I’ve found myself doing things I never thought I would—things I didn’t even know Icoulddo. Like confess this.
Suede0989
I told someone I’m very close with about you today
My comment is toeing toward the water, itching for a feel, a quick, tease of more. It feels risky and daring. I reread my own words, hammering them out in my mind until they become harmless and innocuous. Until they read as somethingotherthanI’m obsessed with you and talked about you today.
Her dots jump, and finally her message appears.
DaddysGirl
What did you tell them?
