8. Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Nate
I ’d put off talking to Katie about the art lessons partly because we generally see each other on Mondays after school when Dani switches houses. But also because I haven’t been sure of what to say. How do I explain the situation?
I’d had a practice run earlier today when I’d asked Taylor if he had Adalie’s phone number. I’d been so distracted by my desire to kiss her again, I hadn’t even thought about exchanging numbers if we’re going to be doing things together. Taylor had demanded to know why I needed it. After I’d explained—poorly—he’d told me he didn’t have it, so I have to call Derek to ask him instead.
But first, I need to talk to Katie.
After I’m done with work, I drop Taylor off at home and swing by the babysitter’s house to pick up Dani. When we get to Katie’s house, I tell her to go in and grab what she needs and that I need to talk to her mom, so Dani rushes in—because she rushes everywhere—and I find Katie in the living room, curled up on the couch with a blanket and the TV on. She has dark hair and pale skin, just like Dani. She’s a tall woman and has always been very confident about what she wants. And what she doesn’t.
“Hey,” I say. “Is David home?”
David is Katie’s husband, but she shakes her head. “It’s tax season, Nate. He’ll be working late for the next few weeks.”
“Right. Can we talk for a minute?” I ask, sitting down.
“Sure.” She pauses her show and turns to me. “What’s up?”
“I wanted to run something by you. I know someone who’s offered Dani art lessons. It’ll only be on my weeks, so it won’t interrupt anything with you. Thursdays, probably for about an hour or so.”
“Dani would love that. Did you need me to help pay for it?” She picks up a steaming mug, probably decaf coffee, and takes a sip.
“No, actually,” I say, glancing down at my hands where I’ve folded them between my knees. “She’s offered to do the lessons for free.”
I don’t really need to explain all this to Katie, but we’d promised each other when Dani was born that we wouldn’t keep secrets from each other. If it affects Dani in any way, we would be open and trust each other.
“I see,” she says slowly. “So a woman has offered free lessons to our daughter.”
I look up at her again. “It’s not weird,” I say, even though it is. “She needs my help with something. We’re kind of doing a barter thing.”
“All right. How do you know her?”
What she’s really asking is: am I seeing this woman? Another agreement we’d had was not to introduce Dani to significant others unless it’s serious. The only person Katie ever introduced her to was David. I’ve never introduced Dani to anyone.
“You remember the paint night I took Dani to a week and a half ago? At Blue Vista. Adalie was the host there.”
Katie smiles ruefully. “Dani has mentioned Adalie a time or two. So she works for Blue Vista?”
I rub my chin, smoothing my beard. “Not exactly. She owns it. Well, part of it.”
Katie blinks. “Someone who owns a high-end event venue wants to give my daughter art lessons? Nate. I’m not trying to pry into your life, but are you sleeping with her?”
“No.”
“Do you want to sleep with her?”
I take much longer to answer this question, and Katie notices.
“No,” I say. She just looks at me. “I’m not going to sleep with her. So whether I want to or not is irrelevant.”
“If you say so.” She takes another sip of her coffee.
“Taylor and I just signed a contract with Blue Vista. They’re ordering beer from us and another local brewery exclusively this summer and fall. If things go well, we’ll continue the contract forward. I’m not going to do anything to fuck that up.”
“Okay.” She sounds skeptical. “She’s pretty though?”
“She’s not at all my type.”
“And yet you want to sleep with her.”
I have no response because I do. Ever since she’d kissed me when I gave her a ride home. Hell, even before that. It doesn’t make any sense.
“If you trust her,” Katie says, “and you think she’ll be good for Dani, I think Dani would love private art lessons. I have no problem with it. But if you start something with this woman and our daughter gets hurt because it goes bad, I’m going to be pissed.”
“Fair.”
“Dad, I’m ready,” Dani calls as she bounds into the room.
After she and Katie sit and chat for a few minutes and they hug each other goodbye, Dani and I head out and drive to my house, where Taylor has already started dinner. I tell Dani about the art lessons and she is as excited as I thought she would be. I tell her to put her things away, then I go out to the backyard to make a phone call.
“Hello?” Derek answers.
I should have rehearsed what I’m going to say, because now that he’s on the phone, I have no clue.
“Hey, Derek. It’s Nate Sinclair. I got your number from Taylor.”
“Hey, Nate. What’s up?”
I squeeze my eyes shut because this is going to sound ridiculous and borderline stalker behaviour. But I can’t show up at her work like she did mine last week. I don’t know when her hours are, for one thing. I walk out and lean against my hot tub, staring up at my house.
“I’m wondering if you’d be willing to give me Adalie’s phone number? Or you can give her mine and ask her to call me.”
The line is silent so long that I move the phone away from my ear to check the call hasn’t dropped.
“This is normally something I would never do,” he says finally. “But I’ll give you her number on two conditions.”
“What are they?” I ask, warily.
“First, you have to call her tonight between 6pm and 10pm.”
“That’s needlessly specific. How will you know if I hold up my end?”
“I’ll know. And second, I need you to swear to me on whatever is most precious to you that you mean no harm to my best friend. Remembering that I know where you work and I know where you live.”
“How do you know where I live?”
“I do my due diligence on the companies we partner with. Also, your brother told me.”
“So you’re threatening me,” I confirm.
“In a manner of speaking. Just think of it as a talk from a concerned older brother. Adalie’s actual older brother is kind of a piece of shit, so Spencer and I act in the role when necessary.”
I rub a hand across my forehead and back through my hair. “It’s not like that between me and Adalie. She’s doing me a favour and I’m doing her one.”
“Sure. I’m still going to need that oath.”
I drum my fingers on the cover of my hot tub when my eyes land on where Taylor and I park our bikes. We don’t have a garage, so we keep them in the backyard under a covered area.
“The most precious thing to me is my daughter and I’m not swearing anything on her.”
“Fair enough.”
“I swear on my motorcycle I mean Adalie no harm.”
“Ah, the motorcycle. Adalie told me about that.”
I freeze. “She told you about the kiss?”
“She told me about the ride home on the motorcycle. She didn’t tell me anything about a kiss. But you just did.” He doesn’t sound shocked or upset. In fact, he sounds downright happy. Fuck. “Tonight, between 6 and 10. You got something to write this down on?”
I record the number right into my phone and I’m about to say thanks and hang up when Derek says, “You know, you could have called the main line. Denise would have patched you through to Adalie. The front desk phone number is on our website. Well, have a good night.”
He hangs up before I can say anything else.
I scrub a hand over my face. Of course they have a main phone line. I could have easily called tomorrow. And if she wasn’t in, I could have left a message. All of that would have been so much easier if I hadn’t been a dumbass. Or if Taylor hadn’t been a dickhead and reminded me about it. Then I wouldn’t have fucked up and told Derek that I’ve kissed Adalie. At least I didn’t tell him how much I want to kiss her again.