quickly, seeing the persistence in his eyes. “So how about a compromise? I’ll call you to check in. Just to ease your mind.”
He frowned. “Every hour.”
She rolled her eyes. “God, you’re worse than a mother hen. Okay, every hour.”
The look in his eyes said he didn’t like the idea, but he wasn’t going to fight her. “Julia has softball practice this afternoon.”
“I can drop her off, then come back and get you.”
He nodded reluctantly. “I guess that could work.”
“Do you want a list of where we’re going too?” she asked, smiling. When his scowl deepened, she leaned in and kissed him. “Will you please let me go shower now before my parents get up?”
He let go of her, but she knew he was still watching her as she headed up the stairs.
“Need any help?” he called.
When she glanced back, the sly smirk tugging at his mouth almost did her in. Right or wrong, she had a sinking suspicion she was going to end up giving him exactly what he wanted.
***
“How about this one?” Kate held up a pink sweater.
“Pink? Are you serious?” With a huff Julia turned back to the rack she’d been studying. She pulled out a frayed, neon-green, fitted T-shirt that looked like it had been through the ringer. “I like this.” With a challenging smile, she held it out to Kate.
Across the front were the words, Pinch Me. I’m Hot and Sexy.
Metal clanged against metal when Kate grasped it and hooked it back on the rack. “I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
Kate wasn’t about to fall for it. She’d already seen Julia’s claws today. “Because you’re nine. And they won’t let you wear that at school. And your father would kill me if I bought that for you.”
“A lot you know. I go to a private school. We wear uniforms.”
Kate stood in the middle of the junior section, staring after Julia. No truer words had been uttered that day. A lot you know. That was the problem here. She didn’t know a lot when it came to Julia. Didn’t know anything, as a matter of fact.
Feeling like a failure, she followed Julia out of the store. They climbed into Ryan’s Jag, and the motor hummed to life. After texting Ryan for the hundredth time to give him a status update, Kate pulled into midafternoon traffic. She and Julia had spent the whole morning shopping and hadn’t agreed on a single thing. If it were possible, this little excursion had done more to damage their relationship than help it.
Kate rubbed her aching head.
“Where are we going?” Julia asked.
Kate changed lanes on the freeway. “I need to run out to my house and pick up a few things.”
Julia rolled her eyes and leaned back against the seat. “You could have dropped me off at home first.”
Kate bit back her temper. She wasn’t going to fall into Julia’s woe-is-me trap. She pulled off the freeway.
“Why aren’t you staying at your own house, anyway?” Julia asked.
“Didn’t your dad talk to you this morning?”
Julia crossed her arms and looked out the window. “Yeah, he did. It still doesn’t answer my question, though. I know why he wants you at the house, but why are you going along with him? You know you don’t want to be there.”
Kate’s fingers gripped the wheel as she made a turn. “I do want to be there, Julia. Your dad and I both think spending time together as a family will help all of us.”
“One big happy family? It won’t last. Not with you.” She turned so Kate couldn’t see her face.
Kate breathed deep, her temper almost to a breaking point. “What’s it going to take for you, Julia? I’ve been bending over backward trying to get to know you, but you keep butting heads with me. What do I need to do to prove I’m not leaving again? That I want a chance to make it up to you?”
“You want a chance?” Julia’s blazing eyes shot to her. “I’ll tell you what you can do. Stop seeing my dad.”
“What?” The car swerved around a corner. Roaring waves crashed against rock off to the right. Cliffs covered in brush rose to the left.
“You heard me. Stop seeing my dad. You don’t love him. You know you don’t. The longer you let this go on, the worse it’s going to be when you decide to leave again. You don’t have any idea what he was like before. I don’t want to go through that again!” Her gaze shot to