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 she probably overheard things a little girl shouldn’t.
“No, sweetie. Go.”
She steps back, facing me until she has no choice but to turn around and head down the hall. Once the water in the bathroom is going, I focus my attention on Pete.
“You’re coming for her birthday?”
“Yes, why wouldn’t I? I should ask you to fly her back here.” He closes a file folder, leans back in his seat and stares at me through the camera.
“Well, I’m throwing her a party here.”
“Funny, I haven’t gotten an invitation?” Like he’d know if he did. There’s probably a month’s worth of mail shoved in his new beach house mailbox.
“I haven’t mailed them yet.”
He smirks. “Still the organized one, I see.”
My fist clenches under the table. “Well, raising your daughter, working and going back to school—”
He raises his hand effectively cutting me off. “Let’s remember you chose that.”
My jaw clenches so hard I fear my teeth could crack. But I need to play nice. I’m the one who gets to see our daughter each and every day. “Listen. Why don’t I do the party on her actual birthday and then that way she can spend Saturday night with you and your family?”
“Fine?” he questions. “I haven’t seen her in three months and you’re making it sound like you’re doing me a favor by allowing me one night. How cordial of you, Vic.” He shakes his head. “I knew I should have fought you harder.”
“We both know nothing would be different if I’d stayed in L.A.”
“I would have been able to see my daughter more.”
“What? Maybe twice more. Don’t make me bring up how many times you were a no-show.”
“You’d love that, wouldn’t you? Any chance to portray me as a deadbeat dad. My checks are being cashed. She has health insurance. I’m doing my part.” He lights up a cigarette and blows out a cloud of smoke. “The martyr bit is growing old, Victoria.”
“When did you start smoking again?”
“Since you stressed me out so badly that I needed them to relax.” A smile tips his lips. “I have a few big cases.”
Pete has been an on-again, off-again smoker since he first approached me at a bar with an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips and looking for a light. How foolish I was to think there was something sexy about him.
“Smoking isn’t going to help.” It’ll flare up his asthma.
“Yeah, yeah, Mother.” He exhales a drag and a cloud of white smoke covers the screen.
“Take care of yourself. All that stress and smoking—and if I had to guess there’s a whiskey on the rocks to your right. Jade needs a father.”
A chiding laugh escapes him. “She needs a father who cuts her mother big checks, you mean.”
“No, that’s not what I meant.” My fingernails dig into my palm now.
He sits up straight and extinguishes the cigarette, grabs his drink to his right, and downs the rest of it.
“Let’s remember, Vic, you giving me your holier-than-thou advice ended two years ago when you became a Clarke again.”
He’s always throwing it in my face that I took my maiden name back. Why does he care at this point?
“Okay, fine. I’ll send you a carton of cigarettes and a bottle of whiskey. I wouldn’t mind having Jade all to myself.”
A laugh leaves his lips again, but it’s a genuine one. Words that would’ve caused a knockdown, drag-out fight years ago, now halt our tempers because once we hang up, we’re done with one another.
We don’t have to sleep facing away from each other or go about our nightly routine in the same bathroom ignoring one another. We hang up and he goes back to what he loves—his work and on occasion barely legal women, and I get to tuck our daughter into bed. I definitely have the better end of this arrangement.
“I’ll keep you posted once I book my ticket.” He sits up straight, indicating he’s ready to hang up.
“Fine. I’ll let her know you’ll be here for sure.”
“Thanks. Get a good night’s sleep, you look like shit.” He smiles.
“Look in the mirror,” I reply, and his smile grows even larger.
“Night, Vic.”
“Night, Pete.”
I click the button on the phone and bang my forehead against the kitchen table. He still has the capability to deplete every ounce of energy I have.
“Mom, I’m ready!” Jade screams and I push myself up using the edge of the table.
When I step away, my phone dings. Snatching it back up, I see that it’s Reed.