24. Falling – Tess
The guys are in the middle of working on a new song that Dakota and Brad have written, and Ian has taken his daughters to register for school in the fall, so it’s me and Charlie left on the couch, playing Tic-Tac-Toe on the iPad while snacking on pretzels. She’s kicking my ass, but I’m distracted by the song. It”s heartbreaking and makes me wonder about the story behind it.
I still need to have a sit-down with Dakota to get his history, so I know what I’m dealing with press-wise. Eliza said they did a background check and things like that, which were fine, but there’s always something getting ready to pop out of the woodwork. I need to know what it is before it shows itself. If this song is any indication, I’m in for some heavy emotions.
“I win again!” Charlie cheers, popping another pretzel in her mouth proudly.
“I think you’re cheating,” I say, clearing the screen for another round.
“Well, I think you’re just bad at the game,” she declares. Point taken.
“I think you’re right,” I smirk. “Want to play something else?”
“Nope.”
I sigh. “Of course you don’t. You’re kind of murderizing me here. Not sure how I feel about your liking that…”
“My dad likes you,” she whispers out of the blue, glancing over at the band.
I look over to make sure they’re not paying attention to us, or at least didn’t hear her.
“Well, I like your dad, too,” I whisper back conspiratorially. It’s starting to feel like a horribly kept secret. We’re not necessarily hiding it from anyone, but there’s still an air of secrecy around us. We sneak glances, and small touches, when we can if we think no one is looking. Chances are that we’re wrong, and everybody knows.
“Are you going to go on another date?” Charlie asks, placing an ‘X’ on the game that blocks my win. Again.
“We are,” I say distractedly, frowning at the game as I try to figure out a strategy to finally beat her. I’m starting to hate this game. “This Friday, actually. When you go for your next sleepover at Hayley and June’s house.”
“Aww. I wanted to go with you guys,” she says, a small whine in her sweet voice.
I look over at her, an eyebrow arched. “You want to go on our date with us?” It seems like an odd request, but then, coming from Charlie, it’s not really that out of character.
“Yeah. Remember that time we all went to dinner? And you guys were talking about work and stuff? I want to do that again.” She takes another bite of a pretzel and wins yet another game with a tap of the screen.
Jesus, I suck at this game.
But Charlies request at least pulls my mind from the song the guys are working on. Would Brad want us to go out like that again? The three of us? After what happened yesterday with the post, I’m not sure. The hug he gave me earlier and his reassuring words make me think he might be open to it.
“Well, we’ll have to ask your dad and see what he says,” I finally admit. I don’t want to promise her something that Brad would be against. I need to be very careful with how I handle Charlie. The last thing I want to do is cross another boundary that I can’t see.
While things might be fine between us, I still feel like I’m walking a tight rope. Trying to balance work, the band, Brad, and his family, while not completely losing myself or screwing any of it up is starting to feel like more than I bargained for when I took this job. But then, I didn’t expect to find myself falling for the singer, either. Or growing to really like his daughter.
I wonder if the walking on eggshells feeling will ever go away now that it’s settled in.
The band wraps up for the day, and I corner Dakota briefly to set a time for us to chat tomorrow before rehearsal. I should have done this days ago, but it’s better late than never. He’s a little hesitant and is obviously uncomfortable about having to talk about his private life with me. Yesterday’s incident must be affecting everyone after all. I don’t know why I hadn’t considered that prospect. Of course everyone would be affected by it.
After a little more convincing, he agrees to talk. I sigh inwardly with relief that I can at least make some progress. Getting his story and setting parameters around it about what can be public, and what can’t, will get his introduction to fans off on the right foot. To be honest, I should have done that with everyone. Maybe I still should do that.
As I’m gathering my things to leave for the day, Charlie pulls Brad over to me by the hand, and his smile at her antics warms my heart.
“Daddy, Tess said we should all go to dinner tonight,” she announces, and my mouth drops open.
“I did not say—” I start, shocked at her twisting of my words.
“Oh, really?” Brad asks, arching an eyebrow at me, knowing full well I didn’t say that. I love that he’s playing along with it, even though I was not prepared for this ambush.
Charlie bounces on her toes, excited that her scheming might be working. “Yup. She said we should all have dinner like last time. Maybe we could go to the same place and get burgers again!”
Her excitement is contagious, and I can’t help the hope that wells up inside of me at the prospect of repeating our first dinner. It was when I initially took a real liking to Brad, seeing him interact with his daughter. It made him a real person to me for the first time. I’d love to recapture that feeling again.
“I mean… I’m happy to go along with you guys if you want…” I stumble, still not sure that everything is mended between us. Yes, he said it was, but my guilt won’t let me accept that completely yet.
“What are you talking about? Of course we do,” Brad says, reaching out with his free hand, and taking mine. The three of us are now a linked chain, and it just feels right. There’s no other word to describe it.
He leads us both toward the door, and Charlie leans back to peek at me behind her dad, her triumphant smile beaming. I can’t help but beam right back at her.
She knows exactly what she’s doing. And, God damn it, I don’t mind it one bit. I should feel like a pawn being played on Charlie’s chess board, but even if I am, I’m not going to complain.
I’m happy to be here.