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I let out a relieved breath similar to Dallas’s. “I’ll be there.”
She smiled, thanked me, and moved to sprinkle her sunshine and glittery nature on the car behind me.
I bit the inside of my cheek and tightened my grip on the wheel, then I pulled away from the school. Though as I drove, a ball of dread formed in my stomach. A meeting with Kim felt ominous, like the appointment with my OBGYN I’d made six months ago but kept rescheduling. I liked Kim. She was one of the best teachers the boys had ever had. Dedicated, loving, hard-working. But she was also one of those teachers who went overboard with everything.
I suddenly had a feeling that where these upcoming events were concerned, I wouldn’t be getting away with donating a set of dry-erase markers or a twenty-four pack of glue sticks.
Being a parent was weird. One minute, I wanted to pull out my hair because my four-year-old twins constantly fought over the remote. Then, suddenly, they were ten. It was hard to comprehend how big they’d gotten when all I wanted to do was squeeze them into little balls and keep them as keychains forever.
That was why, even though it wasn’t my week, I’d texted Marigold and asked if I could take them for ice cream.
She’d responded with a simple sure.
Not to brag, but I’d become somewhat of an expert at reading my ex-wife’s texts. It took a precise skill that couldn’t be taught in school.
I guess. = I’d really rather you didn’t, but I’m not going to stop you either.
Sure. = I need a break and you are my hero, you dear saint.
No response, I was pretty certain, meant along the lines of go rot in a sewer.
The punctuation alone was fear-inducing, her periods a practical punch to the gut. She was lucky I was a wizard at reading the underlying messages. It meant I could come save her from an evening of impromptu living room wrestling matches or ear-splitting shouting at a first person POV holding extra-large artillery on the TV.
She wouldn’t say thank you, but she didn’t have to. I sensed it. Jedi mind tricks and whatnot.
No matter how many times I had done it, pulling into Marigold’s driveway felt weird. Her car—that I could guarantee needed an oil change—was parked by itself on the cracked concrete. The boys’ bikes were usually resting on the front lawn. A green and pink sign that said Welcome hung on the front door. Every time I was here, I felt like I was crossing a boundary. A spy on enemy land.
If she had it her way, we would only communicate via texts so that we never had to see each other face to face. But the woman had been with me for twelve years. She knew I was more stubborn than that. Every time an opportunity to see her popped up, I took, and it infuriated her. The anger building inside her when we just so happened to bump into each other more than twice a week was palpable. But she tamped down her annoyance for the most part. After all, I was a devoted and loving father looking for time with my sons. Seeing her was just a bonus.
Those serendipitous run-ins allowed me to push one of the hundreds of buttons on what I considered my Marigold control panel. Each button was tiny, innocent. But when I pushed them enough, when she finally, finally reacted, she’d give me this heated look that made it very clear that if there weren’t witnesses around, she would be choking me out. Steam practically poured out of her ears like she was a cartoon. It was cute.
I stepped onto the porch and tapped out my signature knock on the front door. While I listened for the sound of the boys stomping to the door, I took in the small porch. On one side was the tiny bench the boys probably hadn’t fit in for a good five years. It was collecting dust and covered in cobwebs.
The broken banister I’d mentioned to her last week hadn’t been repaired. That didn’t surprise me, I guessed. I was almost positive the woman didn’t own a single tool. Not if the frequency with which she asked Adam if he’d stop by to change air filters or remount a TV was any indication. If she did get around to fixing it, she’d probably use superglue. I assumed this because it’s exactly what the boys had done to my back porch.
I turned my back to the door and assessed the banister, lifting the post cap. It was missing a screw. I probably had an extra, along with a screwdriver—
The door swung open behind me, and Marigold’s voice stopped my train of thought. “Hey, sorry. It’s been kind of crazy. You can come on in.”
She sounded so calm, so friendly. As though I’d found myself in the eye of the storm. The tiny sigh that had left her when she opened the door hinted at the relief she felt when she’d seen me. That made absolutely no sense. In fact, I was certain that most days, she’d love nothing more than to chase me off the porch with a broom like an old lady fighting a mouse.
I stood to my full height and turned around, confused. There was no way she was talking to me. Not with that sugary-sweet tone. I didn’t get that version of Marigold, not like everyone else did. I got the fire, the little phoenix inside her that held tight to all her pent-up frustration.
She blinked at me, and in a heartbeat, her light expression turned heavy, her brows drooping and her lip twisting. “Oh. I thought you were…” She didn’t finish that sentence.
“Who did you think I was?” My voice came out gruff, like I had a sheet of sandpaper in my throat.
She was wearing leggings and a tiny compression crop top. And she was not the kind of person who left the house or entertained company wearing something so formfitting. As I gave her another long look, my mind began to wander.
Who was coming over here?
Not that it mattered. Or that I cared. But my sons lived here part time, and their safety came first.
“Nobody.” She refused to meet my eyes. “Stay here. I’ll get the boys.” She closed the light blue door in my face, leaving no room for explanation.
Clearly, I wasn’t welcome in her home. The door hanger was full of lies.
I wanted to peek in there. Or have one of the boys draw me a map. Just to see what the forbidden territory on the other side of this door looked like. It had been a few years since I’d stepped inside, and even then, I was quickly rushed out.
