Page 45 of Whisper Sweet Nothings
I probably didn’t hide my confusion very well as I studied her. “Keep doing what?”
“I don’t know, but Melody is sounding out words all the time now and asking for books during free time. She’s also writing stories every chance she gets, and I’ve been very surprised, because she’s got quite the imagination.” She chuckled.
My chest squeezed at her words. We read together every day, and she liked writing, so we’d come up with stories in the car ride home or after her riding lessons.
“That’s so wonderful to hear. She’s a talented little girl.” I glanced over at Melody, who was helping her friend Bernice tie her shoes.
This little girl was all heart.
“Agreed. We’ll see you in a few hours?” Mrs. Groucher said, and she winked at me.
Mrs. Groucher winked at me.
I guess I hadn’t completely failed.
I made my way out to the SUV that Bridger had loaned me. I climbed in just as my phone rang, and my father’s name came through the Bluetooth speaker.
“Hey, Dad,” I said, always happy to start my day talking to him.
“Hi, sweetheart. I’m looking forward to seeing you soon,” he said, and just the sound of his voice comforted me.
“Me too. Did two big boxes arrive at the house for me?” I asked, because I’d shipped my Christmas gifts home.
“They did.” He chuckled. “I don’t want you spending money right now while you’re catching up from that asshole ex of yours bleeding you dry.”
“I received my first royalty check since being officially divorced. Luckily Jaden signed off on future earnings if I’d agreed to give him what the books had already earned.”
“Luckily? That shithead doesn’t deserve one penny of that money. He should get off his lazy ass and get a job. It’s despicable that he’s taken your hard-earned money,” he hissed.
My father was ridiculously protective, and I loved him for it, but I didn’t want my divorce to be dragged out for longer than it had to be, and Jaden was a guy who wanted instant gratification. He saw the money in the account and he wanted it, and he didn’t believe the books would continue to make money.
“It’s over now, and that’s what matters. Now everything that I make is mine, and there’s freedom in that, you know?”
“Proud of you, baby girl. I’d still like to put my fist through his face,” he said.
“That’s the holiday spirit, Dad.” I chuckled.
“All right. Enough about that. You’ve got the holiday show for Melody today, right? She’s going to be a reindeer?”
“Yes. Cutest reindeer around. I’m so excited to watch her onstage. She’s worked really hard on memorizing her lines. She’s just the cutest thing ever.”
“This is good for you. You’re away from all the drama that surrounded your divorce, you can focus on your writing, and you’re enjoying your time with Melody. Uncle Oscar said Archer is a good guy, and you know he rarely has anything good to say about anyone.” He laughed.
“He is a good guy. And a really great dad.”
“It’s nice to hear. See, there are still good men out there. Don’t let the one you married scare you off for the rest of your life.”
I pulled into Archer’s garage. “Are you seriously giving me dating advice?”
He chuckled. “No. I’m just saying, don’t close yourself off completely. Finalizing this divorce and moving away was the first step, but you’re young, and I don’t want you to be so guarded that you’re afraid to be happy just because things didn’t work out with the asshole.”
“Says the man who’s been single most of my life.” I turned the ignition off and held the phone to my ear as I walked inside.
“Hey, I get out plenty. But I’m way too old to be looking for forever. I’m slightly set in my ways. Plus, I have you, so I don’t need anyone else. You don’t have a Winnie, so you need to keep looking.”
I dropped my purse on the counter and turned on the lights to the Christmas tree as I made my way to the kitchen. “Okay. This is starting to feel like an episode ofThe Bachelor.”
He laughed some more, and I heard a bunch of voices in the background. “All right, sweetheart. I’ll see you in a few days. I’ll pick you up from the airport, and we’re going to meet Nana and Gramps for dinner that night at Carlino’s.”
