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Our conversation turned to me being home and the look of delight on her face made my heart twinge because it wasn’t sooner.
“Tell you what, how’s about when I come home, we saddle up your pony and we can hit the trail? What do you say to a night of camping under the stars with me?”
“Like a daddy-daughter date?” she asked, clutching her hands over her heart. Her eyes widened with excitement.
“Yeah, a daddy-daughter date,” I mused, realizing apart from taking her to see Grace’s grave; I’d never done anything with her before. She’d had parties, and I’d taken her places, but I’d facilitated her play and she’d done the activities alone. This was something we’d be doing together.
“You’d ride out with me?” she asked, and I nodded.
“Yeah,” I replied. I hadn’t ridden since Grace had passed. I was rusty, but I’d been riding since I was a child and no matter how long passed in between, it was pretty much like riding a bike—so long as I knew the horse’s temperament.
Bouncing up and down with excitement, she squealed with delight, and the next thing I knew Dorian’s face was staring down the lens at me, his hands braced on my office desk.
“Don’t go exciting Layla when I’m babysitting, she won’t go to bed for me,” he joked, smiling warmly.
Babysitting? “Babysitting? Has Harper gone home for the evening?”
“No, Daddy, she’s out on a date too. Not a daddy-daughter date or a playdate. She’s going out with Ruth’s daddy.”
“Ruth’s daddy? Layla, go get your pajamas on while I speak to Uncle Dorian for a few minutes, then you can come back,” I told her, my heart rate erratic with the shocking revelation Harper was out with some other guy.
Pouting, she thought for a moment then complied with my request, and Dorian sat down in her chair. “How’s the tour going?”
“Great, almost done. Can’t wait to come home.” The last thing I had wanted to do was to talk about my work. “Harper’s on a date?”
Dorian gave me a wry smirk, “Yeah, she looked happy about it. Luke, a single dad who has a child in the same class as Layla. From what she says he’s a great guy. Divorced, one kid, and he works from home.”
“I don’t want Layla around strange men,” I snapped. It was true, but I also mentioned it as a condition to keep Harper away from him as much as possible.
“Layla has only met him when he was with his kid. They’re in the same playgroup.”
“So, what? This guy just rocked up and hit on my kid’s nanny when she was waiting for my daughter to come out of school?” I knew I sounded ridiculous, but the question sounded reasonable enough when I thought it up in my head.
“Whoa, where is this coming from?” Dorian’s eyes were huge as he stared at my anally retentive response to the situation.
“I’m serious, Dor, I don’t want guys I don’t know around Layla. He could be a fucking kidnapper for all we know. Have you read the newspapers?”
“Jesus, you are the last person who should be throwing that sentence around. Look at the way they’ve tried to crucify you over the years.”
Hearing his comment made me stop ranting and absorb what I’d said. He was right, of course. I couldn’t believe everything I read, because in my case it was one-percent truth, nine-percent bending the truth, and ninety-percent bullshit.
Dorian tried again. “Look, according to Harper, they got talking. He was having some issues with his kid, Ruth, since his wife abandoned them, and he asked Harper for some behavioral advice.”
“Well, he gets six out of ten for originality,” I replied, fighting to keep the bitterness from my tone.
“Cole, can’t you just be happy for the girl? She’s gorgeous, and she’s given Layla a good six years. Think of it this way, if she gets with this guy, nothing much will change. She’d still be living locally, his kid is at the same class as Layla, and she’d probably still be available to work for you.”
Not once during the conversation had I thought about it from Layla’s future, because I felt stronger to face the daunting task of bringing my daughter up and taking full responsibility for her. I was acting out of envy for the single father who was able to see what a catch Harper was.
“How often has she met him?”
“Christ, I don’t know. Not when she has Layla, I know that much. Maybe a few times for coffee when the kids were in school, but tonight is their first real date.”
I felt crushed at the words ‘real date.’ Jealousy reared its head for the second time in as many months about another man courting Harper. First Dorian, now Mister No Name.
“Ask her to call me when she gets in, will you? It doesn’t matter how late. I’ll be up,” I requested, not knowing what the hell I’d say if she did.
“Can’t it wait?”
