Читать книгу Second Chance Seduction - Monica Richardson - Страница 13

Chapter 3

Edward sat sunk back in the leather seat of his car and watched as youngsters hopped into their parents’ vehicles. The petals of a plumeria flower rested against the leather seat, right next to a plastic bag filled with Laffy Taffy, Nerds, Milk Duds and Skittles. He watched for Chloe. Expected her to rush to his car as she had every single Friday afternoon—her thick ponytails would be flying in different directions, the plaid skirt that she wore would be twisted in the back, and she’d offer him the biggest snaggletoothed smile that he loved so much.

Surely she remembered it was Friday. And not just any Friday, but the one on which her favorite movie came out at the theaters. They would smuggle the bag of candy into the auditorium in her backpack. They would order a large bucket of popcorn and a large Coke to share, and they would sit in the middle of the theater. Not too close to the screen, but not too far in the back. Right in the center.

Miss Jennings marched out of the school, a row of kindergartners following close behind. Edward sat straight up in his seat. He didn’t want to be caught slouching as he scanned the row of children in search of his daughter. When he saw her, he smiled. Her ponytails flew in opposite directions, just as he’d suspected. She rushed to the car when she spotted him, Miss Jennings following close behind. Chloe pulled on the door handle and hopped inside. Miss Jennings stuck her head inside.

“Hello, Mr. Talbot.” She gave him that same flirty smile that she always gave him.

The first time he saw the smile, he thought he was mistaken. Thought it was innocent until the time she gave him a raise of the eyebrows followed by a slip of her phone number during a parent-teacher conference. He never called. Feared that it would be a conflict of interest, dating his daughter’s teacher. Not to mention, she wasn’t his type.

He’d dated a few women after the divorce. Freda was the attractive psychologist that he’d met at a conference. She was the total package—beautiful, smart, independent. A nice catch, but she was too bossy. She wanted to dress him and mold him into what she wanted him to be, and he wasn’t that type of man. He had his own agenda. Miranda was conservative and laid-back, accommodating. Too accommodating for his taste. She was the total package, too—beautiful, smart, independent—but there was no mystery. He’d managed to find something wrong with every woman he dated.

“Hello, Miss Jennings.” Edward was cordial.

“Her homework is in her backpack,” she said.

“Thanks.”

“Have a great weekend, Chloe. I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Bye, Miss Jennings!” Chloe exclaimed before shutting her door. “Hi, Daddy!”

“Hello, Princess.” He tapped the side of his face until she leaned over and kissed it.

“How was school?”

“Awesome!”

“For you, madam.” He handed her the single yellow flower.

She smelled it and then stuck it into her hair. “It’s pretty, Daddy. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“You got the goods.” She grinned wickedly as she peeked into the plastic bag filled with candy. She fastened her seat belt.

He knew that he shouldn’t let her ride in the front seat. She was supposed to be buckled up in her car seat in the back, but some days he made an exception. And this was one of them.

“I got the goods.” Edward smiled as he pulled out of the school’s parking lot.

Chloe stuffed the bag of candy into her backpack. “What time does the movie start?”

“Four o’clock,” he said. “If we hurry, we can make it before the previews are over.”

“Cool.” She toyed with his stereo until she found her favorite satellite radio station. She sang along with Katy Perry.

* * *

The theater was crowded. It seemed that every child in America had shown up for the premiere of the movie. Edward purchased tickets and then the two made a beeline for the concession stand. He held on to Chloe’s hand.

“How’s your mommy doing?” he asked as they stood in line.

“She’s fine,” said Chloe. “She misses you.”

“Really? How do you know?”

“She talks about you all the time.”

“Really,” he asked, and tried to seem unfazed by her remarks. But he couldn’t help prying. “Like what?”

“I don’t know, Daddy. Just saying stuff like ‘your daddy and I used to listen to this type of music’ or ‘your daddy really likes this kind of food.’”

“I see,” said Edward.

“Do you still love her?”

“I will always love your mom. And you. We’re always going to be family.”

“Even when we move to London?”

“Your mom talked to you about London?”

“She said we’re going to live with her mother, Nyle.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“I don’t want to go, Daddy. Please don’t make me go. If we go there, I won’t get to spend the weekends with you anymore.”

“Don’t worry, baby. You’re not going anywhere.” Edward kissed Chloe’s hand. “I’ll make sure of it.”

He intended to speak with Savannah about filling his daughter’s head with her fantasies of moving away. As soon as the movie was over he’d confront her.

* * *

At home, Edward poured himself a glass of Merlot and began to prepare a vegetarian Caribbean meal for two. Being reared in the Bahamas, he’d learned his way around a kitchen. Growing up in a large family with three sisters and a mother who could cook, he was spoiled. Never had to worry about cooking. But after marrying Savannah, he was forced to become a great cook, considering his wife could barely boil water. He would call home to his mother in the Bahamas and she’d equip him with her recipes.

After his father’s heart attack scare, Edward had become obsessed with his diet—only feasting on fish and chicken and incorporating more vegetables into his diet. He insisted on healthy eating in order to prevent heart disease and other ailments that bad eating caused. He needed to be healthy for his daughter, and he wouldn’t compromise that. He visited the gym every other morning, if for nothing more than a run on the treadmill.

“You think you can break up the broccoli?” Edward asked Chloe.

“I can do it.” She stood on a step stool in front of the kitchen’s island with the granite top.

“Good!” He pulled her ponytail. “You do the broccoli and I’ll cut up the peppers and onions.”

He headed into the living room and tuned the stereo to his Afro-Cuban playlist. He could hear his phone ringing in the kitchen.

“Daddy, it’s Mommy!” Chloe called from the kitchen.

He grabbed it from the granite countertop and answered it. “Hello.”

“Hi.” Savannah’s voice was sweet in Edward’s ear. “What’s Chloe doing?”

“She’s preparing vegetables for our dinner,” Edward said. “We’re making a vegetarian gumbo.”

“Yum. You always were a great cook,” said Savannah. “The movie was great, I hope.”

“It was fantastic,” Edward said. “Your daughter fell asleep midway through, but I enjoyed it.”

Chloe laughed, and so did Savannah.

“She’s so bad at movies.”

“The worst.” Edward laughed. “Would you like to speak with her?”

“I actually called to speak with you. I’d like to talk to you about London.”

“There’s nothing more to talk about.” Edward was calm for Chloe’s sake.

“I would really like your blessing, Edward. I would hope that we could come to an agreement about it.”

“That won’t happen,” he said, and then smiled at Chloe, who was listening intently. Edward stepped outside onto the back deck where he could speak freely. “I haven’t changed my position on this, Savannah.”

“Would you really deny me the opportunity to connect with my mother? You of all people know how important this is for me.”

“Then you should go to London and connect with your mother. But leave Chloe.”

“I can’t leave my child, Edward. You know I would never leave her.”

“Then you won’t be going. Because she’s not going!” He was adamant. “I would never agree to that.”

Savannah was quiet for a moment. “Then I don’t have a choice. I’ll have to petition the courts. I don’t want to, Edward, but you’re leaving me no choice.”

“Do what you have to do, Savannah. But know that I will fight this.”

“I know that you already have your bulldogs lined up,” she said, referring to Edward’s lawyer friends.

“I’ve already consulted with counsel. Yes.”

“Fine.”

“And just so you know, Chloe doesn’t want to move to London. Have you considered that?”

“You’ve been talking to her about it?”

“She brought it up,” he said. “Apparently you’ve been filling her head with this bullshit.”

“How dare you discuss this with her without me.”

“You’ve created this, Savannah! So deal with it.”

“I will!” she yelled and hung up.

Edward stood on the deck for a moment, trying to gather himself before going back inside. If Savannah was looking for a fight, she’d surely found one.

After dinner, he tucked Chloe into her bed.

“Are you mad at Mommy?”

“No, sweetheart. I’m not mad at your mommy,” he lied. The truth was, he was furious with his ex-wife. “Now get some sleep. You’re in charge of the pancakes in the morning.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

“Good night, Daddy.”

“Good night, baby.” He kissed her forehead.

He poured himself another glass of Merlot and plopped down on his leather sofa. Turned on CNN to find out the latest goings-on in the world. He leaned his head against the tan leather and thought of Chloe. He didn’t know what he would do if a judge found that she’d be better off in another country. He wouldn’t survive without her, and thinking about it took his breath away. He blocked it from his mind. Thought about work instead, and before long his eyes grew heavy. He gave in to the fatigue.

* * *

When he pulled up in front of Savannah’s home on Sunday afternoon, his emotions got the best of him. Usually, she’d suggested that the drop-off take place somewhere else, but this time she wanted him to drop Chloe at home. In the past, when he’d dropped Chloe off there after his weekend, he would at least walk her to the door. Occasionally, Savannah would invite him inside for a cup of coffee and a quick chat. But today he wasn’t in the mood to stand on her doorstep, and even less in the mood for a conversation with her. He sat in the driver’s seat of the car, leaned over and kissed his daughter.

“I love you, sweetheart,” he said.

“Love you, too, Daddy. You’re not coming in?”

“No, not today, baby. I’ll wait here until you go inside.”

Chloe hopped out of the sedan and skipped to the front door of the two-story traditional brick home. The home that he and Savannah had shared before the divorce. The one that he still made mortgage payments on. She rang the doorbell and within seconds Savannah appeared in the doorway. She took Chloe’s backpack and gave her a strong hug. She glanced toward the car, as if waiting for Edward to step out of the car or at least wave. He refused to do either of the two, and as a result she ignored him, too. She grabbed Chloe’s hand and went inside, shutting the door behind her.

He sat there for a moment. Part of him hoped she’d return and at least beg him to come inside, start a fight or something. He needed to engage with her, even if it was negatively. With a long sigh, he slowly pulled away from the curb. They’d reached an impasse. And the only logical move was to allow the courts to make a decision. They’d been down this road before, allowing the system to decide the fate of their family. They had vowed never to do that again, to allow a third party to come into their lives and make decisions for them. They were educated and reasonable, and fully capable of deciding what was best for Chloe. However, they had broken yet another promise. They had all but started a war.