Charity Case - The Complete Series - Piper Rayne Page 0,54

keep my voice level when I really want to rip the phone from her grasp and unleash a series of vulgarities at my ex-husband.

“Okay.”

“Is that your mom you’re talking to?” I smile to myself, knowing his worst fear is it’s my mom.

“Yep,” she says, moving the phone to show me at the sink.

“Hey, Vic,” he says.

I wave, my hand full of soap. “Hey.”

“Can you bring the ocean with you?” Jade quickly hijacks the conversation. Not that I blame her. She waits weeks for his calls sometimes.

“I can bring you some sand and water.”

Fat chance.

“Then I can take it to show and tell. My friend, Henry, has never seen the ocean.”

“Never seen the ocean? What kind of sheltered life is this kid living?” He chuckles like that’s actually funny.

“What does sheltered mean?”

“It means he hasn’t seen everything yet.” My mom walks by, tapping Jade’s hip so she’ll slide over and sit properly on the chair.

“I want to show Henry everything. Can he come with me to Los Angeles?” Jade bounces up and down on the chair and whines.

“Of course he can, but I’m not sure his parents would agree.”

“Henry doesn’t have parents.” The sadness I hear in her voice every time she has to tell someone that is ever present.

“He doesn’t. Who takes care of him?” Pete asks.

My mom joins me at the sink, and we share a look of mutual disgust that my ex-husband is rarely present in Jade’s life but wants to play dad of the year when he is.

“His grandma and grandpa, oh and he’s got a big brother.”

“I’m glad he has his grandparents.” I overhear the shuffling of paperwork. “Because I’m not sure a big brother would be much help.”

Jade giggles. “No, Daddy, Henry’s big brother is an adult. Mommy said it’s a program to help make him a man.”

“Make him a man?” Pete sounds skeptical and my mom laughs, patting my shoulder.

“Yeah, Re—”

“Time for bed, Jade.” I cut her off and sit down next to her at the table before she says Reed’s name. I’m not even sure why I care if she does. It’d be like a big middle finger to Pete, but it’s not something I want to discuss with Pete in front of our daughter. Besides, I’m not ready to share something when I don’t even know what that something it is yet.

Jade pouts and hugs the phone to her body. “That’s a hug from me to you, Daddy.”

He kisses his hand and blows it her way. “Do you see it, Jade, floating from L.A. to Chicago? I sent it express so it should be there at any moment.”

I smile at the exchange. Pete’s good at sweet-talking his daughter. She pretends to search the space between her and the ceiling. Runs out of the kitchen to the front door. “Got it!” she screams and runs back in with a clasped fist, sits down and flattens her palm to her cheek. “It couldn’t get through the door.”

Pete smiles the genuine smile that is rarely seen. It might only be reserved for his daughter. He wept the first time he saw Jade and it was the truest emotion I’ve ever witnessed him bear. Although she’s out of sight and out of mind to him most of the time, she’ll always be his number one.

“Good night, Bug,” he says, his hand up in the air. “See you in a couple weeks.”

“Night Daddy,” She kisses the screen and I refrain from telling her how gross that is because she’s way too cute and these rare phone calls light up her day.

Jade slides the phone my way and there I am in the little screen at the top right. My stomach revolts over the fact that I’m going to have to have a full-blown conversation with my ex. That, and the fact that I only have coffee and a bag of Doritos in my stomach.

Pete continues to concentrate on his paperwork.

“Go get ready and I’ll tuck you in after I get off the phone with Daddy, okay?” She nods and hugs me, then kisses my cheek.

“Okay.” She steps out of view and pauses. Her fingers in her mouth, nibbling on her nails.

“Jade,” I sigh.

“You aren’t going to yell, are you?” she asks.

Pete and I are more indifferent then argumentative, but the scars of our failed relationship are only a layer deep to our daughter. The one thing I wish I could take back is that. I should’ve never allowed us to fight in the next room. I’m sure