Page 27 of Enemy Daddy Next Door

She freezes and eyes me. “Were you listening to our conversation?”

Dammit, Hunter. I usually can manage a level of smoothness with women. I mean, after all, I do utilize the modern equivalent of a little black book, keeping a few girls on rotation. With Amy, though, all of that is out the window. She makes me nervous. I haven’t felt nervous since…well, not since my ex-wife. “Not listening, not at all, just – just couldn’t help but overhear,” I say adamantly.

She twists her lips to the side. Likely story.

“S-so, what are you doing all the way down there?”

Amy sighs as if speaking to me is draining her energy. “I’ve got a book signing down there.”

“Ah, well, that’s a perfect place. Maybe someone from Disney will stumble upon you and want to buy up the rights to a Petunia Playpark,” I ramble nervously.

To my surprise and delight, Amy smiles. It’s subtle, but it’s there. “Maybe someday. But today I’m just reading at a local bookstore. Small potatoes.”

“Petunia is not small potatoes,” I say. If only I could make her truly understand the level of Jessica’s obsession. Or mine at this point. She’s a genius in my eyes.

Amy becomes suddenly aware she has deigned to smile at me and presses her lips into a firm line. “Anyway, I should really be going. Traffic and everyth—”

She’s cut off when Jessica proudly clomps out the door in her teeny hiking boots and cries out, “Is everything ready for our mission today?”

I smack the hood of the car. “Just warming her up, Captain.”

Jessica surveys the landscape hawkishly and then drops the act to skip over to the car.

“Well, you look like a true explorer, Jessica!”

Like a scared deer, Jessica’s eyes grow wide and she hurriedly finds a place beside me, wrapping her arms around my leg. You’d think she had never seen Amy in her life or spent hours in the world of Petunia that Amy created.

“What do you say, Jess?”

“Thank you,” Jessica squeaks.

I half-laugh. “You know, even explorers can be a little introverted.”

“So can grown-ups,” Amy says, eyes on Jessica, smiling. “I’m the same way.”

Jessica smiles and bashfully turns her face into my leg.

“Okay, let’s get this explorer buckled in, huh?” I say, lifting her off the ground and popping her inside the backseat of the car.

Just as I reach in to help her get buckled, I hear the Jaguar start. Damn, I wasn’t ready. “Just a sec, Jess,” I say before quickly striding over the property line to the Solace driveway. I bend down and wave through the tinted front window. A brief moment passes. Amy can pretend she didn’t see me if she wants to.

I start to lift my fist to knock when the window rolls down just a crack. “Do you need something?” Amy asks. I can just see her eyes peeking over the glass.

“Um, yes, sorry, don’t mean to hold you up any, I just –” I’d tell myself to get to the point but I don’t even know the point. The only thing I’m trying to do is get her to stay a little bit longer. Act like she doesn’t hate me. “Would you send along my thanks to Gillian for recommending this camp to us? It’s been really great for Jess. She just loves it.”

The tension in the corners of her eyes drops, but before I can read her expression any further, she turns her face forward. “Will do.”

The window rolls up and the Jaguar clicks into gear, reversing out of the driveway right in front of me.

I watch the entire time as Amy backs out into the road and then speeds down the street until she’s just a speck of memory.

Dammit…I really fucked this up.

“Daddy! I’m going to be late for my mission!” Jessica crows.

I jump to attention. My daughter needs me. “So sorry, Captain! On my way!”

Jessica is my first priority. I’ll put my feelings in a box and leave them until later. That’s my job.

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