Serenity (Inevitable #5)(94)

"Have you confronted her about what you found in her room?" he asked patiently.

"Are you out of your mind?" asked Lindsey in horror. "She'd freak out if she thought I was snooping around. And we already spend so much time fighting, that the last thing I want to do is set her off. Can't you talk to her, Matt? Tell her that this has to stop, that she needs to start obeying the rules and being more respectful? I'm so stressed out by all of this that I'm hardly sleeping at night. It - it's hard being solely responsible for two teenagers, you know."

Matthew ignored Lindsey's very pointed dig, refusing to let her make him feel guilty. "When we separated, I offered right from the start to let one or both of the kids live with me," he reminded sternly. "And I've repeated that offer multiple time, Linz. You were the one who fought me on that, who insisted that the kids wanted to keep attending their schools and be near their friends, even though we both know they would have made the adjustment easily."

"It wouldn't have been as easy as you think, Matt," she argued stubbornly. "And now I'm stuck here taking care of them while you're free to do whatever you like."

He was incredulous at her self-centered attitude. "Should I remind you that I work twelve to fourteen hour days, and often six days a week, so that I can support you and the kids in the very lavish lifestyle you all enjoy? And I seem to recall that I'm still paying the bills every month for a full-time nanny - who the kids certainly don't need any longer - so that you can go to Pilates or the spa or out to lunch with your girlfriends whenever you want. I'd say that between the two of us, Linz, you've got a helluva lot more free time on your hands than I do."

"I'm still the one who has to deal with all of this crap on a daily basis," she pointed out.

"I talk to Hayley and Casey every single day, no matter how busy I am or where I happen to be," he reminded her in a tight voice. "Plus, they know darned well they can call or text or email me whenever they need something and I always respond almost immediately. I have dinner with the two of them once a week, unless I'm away on business, and they're with me every other weekend. Or at least Casey is, since Hayley would rather party with her friends or get her nails done than spend time with me."

Lindsey sniffed. "It's because of that - that girlfriend of yours, you know. Hayley doesn't like to stay with you because she feels you care more about your girlfriend than you do about her and Casey."

"Bullshit." Matthew ground the word out fiercely. "Complete and utter bullshit. Sasha is more than willing to give me time alone with my children when they visit. And she never spends the night, as you already know after grilling Casey on the subject multiple times. And Hayley is well aware of that fact, so don't be using Sasha as an excuse. Now, look, I'm having the day from hell here, and I have to get back to work. I'll give Hayley a call tonight and have a long talk with her."

"That's not going to do any good," warned Lindsey. "But maybe if you came by the house after work you could spend some time with her. You could have dinner with the three of us, then take Hayley aside afterwards and lay down the law to her."

He hesitated before replying, not wanting to admit that he was supposed to be having dinner with Sasha tonight. "I guess I could come by," he agreed reluctantly. "But don't plan on my staying for dinner. I'm going to be here at the office for hours yet, so I might not get down there until eight at the earliest."



       
         
       
        

Lindsey's tone instantly brightened. "That would be great, Matt! I think it would really do Hayley some good to have you remind her of the rules. You are still the man of the house, after all, and I think she'll respect that. Thank you, Matt, you have no idea how relieved this makes me."

It was on the tip of his tongue to correct her, to remind her that he was not the man of the house in any way, shape, or form. But that would have provoked another argument, and he was so exhausted and stressed out already that continuing to fight with Lindsey was the last thing he wanted to do. He grudgingly told her he'd stop by the house this evening, and to make damned sure that Hayley stayed at home tonight.

He buried his face in his hands for long seconds after he ended the call, wondering wildly how much crappier this day could possibly get. A quick glance at his schedule showed that he had a conference call starting in less than ten minutes, followed by two more meetings, so he had precious little time to talk to Sasha.