Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
I’ve been tossing and turning ever since before finally giving up on sleep around six. Now, I’m a zombie, waiting for Sandy to respond to my text.
Me
You up?
Sandy
Unfortunately, yes.
How was it?
Me
Is Stella sleeping?
Sandy
What do you think?
Closing our text thread, I press the little green headset and wait for her voice to fill my screen.
“Why are you up so early?” she asks as soon as she picks up.
“Couldn’t sleep.”
“Ooh, was it that exciting?”
“Well, it was pretty exciting.” I chuckle. “But not in a good way.”
“What do you mean?”
“You were right.” I sigh. “He’s in a motorcycle gang. And he left after maybe twenty minutes to deal with a shipment.”
“A shipment?”
“A shipment of stolen cars and/or motorcycles. That would be my best guess.” The coffee machine is done, so I pour some creamer and sugar into my cup.
She winces. “I knew there were some rumors. But I thought it was small town gossip, you know?”
“Well, I guess small town gossip is correct.”
“So, he left you there? How did you get home?”
“He left me money for a ride home. But actually…” I grow flustered. “Logan was there, so he gave me a ride.”
“Logan?”
“Umm, my contractor.”
“Oh, Looogan .” Her voice turns sultry before a chuckle escapes her. “He was there?”
“Yeah, he was there with some friends.” I shrug, playing it off, as if she can see me.
“That was a nice coincidence. So, why couldn’t you sleep last night?”
“Period cramps.” Mostly.
She lets out a hiss. “Ugh, I don’t miss those motherfuckers.” A sharp wail fills the phone, making me push it away from my ear.
“Guess you need to go.”
“You guessed correctly. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Love you.”
“Love you, too. ”
Bringing my coffee with me, I get comfortable on the couch, pulling my favorite soft blanket over myself.
I don’t know why I haven’t told her about Logan and me having dinner.
She would probably take it too far, pushing me toward him.
Which would be a horrible idea. He’s this attractive guy, building his company and enjoying his life.
He couldn’t possibly be interested in anything serious, and having something casual with a person working in my house every day would be way too awkward.
Not that he expressed interest in a relationship with me—casual or serious. And not that last night was actually a date.
Olivia and Asher coming home is like a tornado moving through the house. Shoes, jackets, and bags line the length of it, but I’m so glad to have them back.
“I want to hear all about your weekend at Dad’s.” I shoot them a warm smile, gesturing for them to join me on the couch.
They each cuddle on one side of me, and I pull them even closer, relishing these precious moments before they get too old for them.
“It was fine,” Liv mumbles, while Ash starts a story on pretty much everything they did.
I love that he’s having a good time, but I wish Liv would enjoy it more. The last thing I’d want is for her to feel like a weekend at Dad’s is a punishment.
“That’s great, Ash,” I say when he finishes the story. “How about you put away your stuff now?”
“O-k,” he groans, not a big fan of tidying up.
Liv stays in my arms, not speaking. While Asher will fill every moment with words, Liv prefers the silence.
A few minutes later, her voice is soft as she asks, “Will Logan be here in the afternoon? So I can help him out.”
“I don’t know, baby. I can ask him.”
She hasn’t told me what happened at Dad’s, but I know them both well enough to take a guess. He was probably forcing her to be less like herself and more like her peers. And she probably felt like shit.
My heart squeezes with pain. I’ll need to talk to him. He will drive her away if he continues to act like that.
“You want to go take a shower, and I’ll brush your hair out?” I ask her.
“What if I’d like to cut my hair short?” Her voice is barely about a whisper.
“You have a haircut in mind?” I pick her chin up, wanting to show her I’m not mad.
She shrugs. “I don’t know. But I’d like it shorter.”
“Sure. How about you go take a shower and I find a few pics of haircuts online? Then you can show me what you’d like.”
The worry in her eyes disappears, replaced by the childlike excitement I see far too rare. She nods before jumping to her feet.
By the time she’s done with her bath, Asher’s already in his bed, playing with his two favorite dinosaurs.
“Twenty more minutes, and I’ll come kiss you goodnight.”
“Yes, Mom,” he responds with a sigh.
Liv waits for me on my bed, in her dark blue pajamas. I grab the hairbrush from my dresser and sit behind her.
“It’s gotten really long, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah,” she replies quietly. “I don’t like it this long. It gets in the way.”
Her dark hair currently falls half way down her back and brushing it out takes forever.
“I can see that. Grab my phone, will you? I found some hairstyles you might like.”
She takes my phone from the dresser, and I start to brush her hair. It’s impractical and time-consuming, but I would be lying if I said I won’t miss these moments if she really gets rid of the hair.
“What do you think? Found any you like?”
“Yeah, um. I’m not sure. I can’t really picture it on me. ”
“Oh, yeah. Give me a sec.” Placing the brush on the bed, I take the phone, searching for the hairstyle filter.
I upload a photo of hers into the filter and give her the phone back.
“Wow, this is cool.” Her eyes widen as she tries out different hairstyles.
From buzz cuts to bobs, there are a ton of styles to choose from.
“I think I like this one.” She shows me a combination of a pixie cut and a bob that looks adorable.
“I think it would look great on you.” I smile.
Her lips pull up. “You think it would? Can I do it?” The excitement in her voice is palpable.
“Why not?”
Her smile gets even wider before it suddenly falters. “I don’t know if Dad will let me.”
My heart squeezes in my chest again. “Let me worry about that.”
“Thanks, Mom.” She embraces me in a hug, and my chest fills with air.
“Of course, honey. Come on, it’s time for bed.”
She jumps up and leaves for her room. I kiss them both goodnight, turning their lights off before retreating into my room.
I’m not looking forward to my conversation with David, but it’s time we had one. He can’t keep doing this to her.
I dial his number, taking a deep breath.
“Sadie, hi. Is everything ok?”
“Yeah, of course. The kids just went to bed. I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Ok…” His voice drips suspicion.
“I’m going to take Liv to get a haircut.”
He chuckles lightly. “O-k. Not really a thing we need to discuss, but I appreciate you informing me, I guess?”
“She would like to cut her hair shorter. Kind of like a change of style.” Silence is the only response I get, so I continue. “The summer is getting closer, and she has a ton of hair. It gets sweaty, and it itches her neck and back. And it gets super tangled up. It’s not practical.”
“I see. Well, if you think it would be more comfortable for her, then sure.”
“Great.”
“Good night, Sadie.”
“Good night, David.”
I rub my eyes with the heels of my hands.
I took the easy way out, giving him a plausible explanation.
One that isn’t quite the truth. But the thing is, the hair doesn’t bother Liv’s physical comfort, it bothers her emotional one.
She doesn’t like her long hair. I don’t think he would understand.
And I’m done with making her pretend to be something she isn’t.