LOVE ‘EM(78)

“You like that, don’t you, little man?” I tickle his belly and he chuckles as he grabs my hands, rolling to his side.

My phone vibrates. I dig it out from my pocket as I start stacking the blocks for Xavier to knock down all over again. “Hello?”

Someone breathes on the other end.

“Hello?” I say again.

A tremulous sigh comes across the line.

I look at the screen, but the number isn’t one I recognize. “I’m hanging up if you don’t say something.”

“Wait.” A young woman says, “Is this Mona Lisa Clark?”

“Yes. How can I help you?”

The silence stretches. Did she hang up? I check the screen, but the time for the call is still counting.

“Are you there?”

“Yes. I’m here. I’m sorry. I’m Samantha Robins. I’m your dad’s ex-girlfriend.”

“My dad?” My voice is shrill in my ears as my throat tightens.

Another sigh comes through. “Yes. He—well, he took off about five and a half years ago.”

I grip the phone. “Why are you calling now? Why call at all?”

“Because Cassie won’t stop asking. And I finally told her about you.”

“Cassie who?” I prop my phone between my shoulder and my ear as I grab Xavier before he gets too far from me. Dragging him back to sit in my lap, I let him gnaw on my fingers.

“My little girl; her name’s Cassie. She’s five now. And she keeps asking for a sister. You’re the only one she’s got.”

My core goes cold. “I’m her sister?”

“I’m sorry. I thought maybe you’d know about her—us.”

I pull Xavier to my chest, giving him a squeeze as I stand and carry him to Donna, another volunteer.

I hand him off as I answer, “I have no idea why you’d think I know about a sister. I’ve never even met my father.”

“Oh.” A sharp intake of breath and then rushed words. “Anyway, Cassie keeps asking about our family. I don’t really have any to speak of. I hoped maybe you’d want to meet her.”

I pull in a deep breath, my brain scattering in twenty directions. “Wow. I mean, I didn’t even know my dad had other kids. This is—”

“A lot, I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to tell her.”

What do I do? What am I supposed to say? What’s the appropriate answer for this?

“Listen, I’m in the middle of something right now. Can I call you back sometime? Give me time to digest this?”

“Of course. I caught you off guard.”

“No, it’s all right. I need a bit of time, but I’ll call you.”

“Okay. I look forward to it.”

I swipe my finger across the screen, ending the call.

So my father did it again.

Deadbeat asshat.





Danny’s bike winds up as it buzzes down the half mile driveway. Good. He’s gone.

I grab my towel and head to the pool. I’ve managed to avoid him for the better part of a week. No telling where he’s going on a Thursday afternoon, but I’m off to enjoy a cool swim.

He’s got some nerve to tell me not to use the pool.

Well, screw you, Danny Jennings. You can suck it.

The idea of Danny sucking anything sends a thrill through me, especially when I think about what happened the last time I saw him. Okay. He probably can suck it and lick it—and do it very well. Still, I’ll use the pool if I want.

I spread my towel on the lounge chair, and then pull off my T-shirt and shorts. My bikini is from year-before-last, so it’s a little small. Somehow, my boobs have gotten bigger over the last couple of years.

Oh well, I can’t buy something new when what I have will do. No one’s going to see me anyway. It’s after five, so Laney, the housekeeper, has gone for the day and the gardener is only here Monday through Wednesday.

I slice through the water, letting it wash over me. This time of year, the pool is more like a warm bath than anything, but it’s big and wet, therefore it’s perfect. I do ten laps, mulling over my dad, Cassie—meeting Cassie, the sister I didn’t know I had. Well, whether or not I should meet her.

Why the man would father more children, knowing he didn’t want to be a dad, is beyond me. What’s wrong with him? Isn’t abandoning one kid enough?

I come up after my last lap, chest heaving.

I prop my elbows on the side of the pool and wipe my eyes.

Feet.

His feet.

He stares down on me.

I swipe the water away from my mouth. “Well, there goes my lovely swim.”

Danny’s one eyebrow quirks. “I told you not to use the pool.”

“Because you’re an A-hole.”

His chuckle tightens my gut and my fists.