Page 30 of The Single Dad Dilemma
She makes her way over quickly, then takes a seat and looks at me expectantly. She’s got a nervous energy about her, eyes cracked wide open.
“Is this about the night we haven’t spoken about? Because when I came back Monday, I sort of thought you might mention it, but then you didn’t, so I didn’t. And then the week passed and a new one started, and I thought maybe you didn’t want to talk about it. But if you’re going to fire me, I just want to say that I’m still very sorry.” She says it all in one very big breath.
“What? God, no,” I say, and I laugh a little. “I didn’t talk about it, because there was nothing more to talk about and it didn’t matter.”
“I thought maybe it changed your trust in me or you thought I was a bad influence for Lou or?—”
“Darcy,” I say, putting up a hand between us. “I’m going to stop you right there and ask that you take a deep breath.” I pause, waiting for her to actually inhale and exhale. “Now, I don’t know why you’d have any of that in your head. None of that is close to the truth. I know how anxiety works, so I’m being very direct.” I shift forward, making sure she keeps eye contact with me. “You were in trouble and asked for help. That only makes me trust you more. You did the right thing. You were manipulated by your ex, who, quite frankly, sounds like an absolute prick. Not your fault. And I can’t think of a single person who is a better influence for Lou. You’re fantastic with her.”
Darcy doesn’t say anything right away, but I can see the tears pricking her eyes and how she’s fighting desperately to hold them back.
“Which is why… I need your help,” I say with a laugh.
She clears her throat, adjusting a bit. “What do you need?”
“Lou’s grandparents are sick. As you know, she was supposed to go with them tonight, and I’m supposed to be off to a convention tomorrow.”
“Oh no, are they okay?”
“They will be,” I say. And this is a thing I love about her. She’s asking not out of social politeness but genuine care and concern. She’s done it a few times in the past weeks, and it’s been so refreshing.
“Do you need me to watch Lou?” she asks.
“Um, well, yes,” I say. “I was actually hoping you would come with us to the convention. I don’t want you tied up with her twenty four-seven, so in the evenings, after my stuff is over, I can still take over or whatever.”
“Okay,” she says. “I can do that.”
“Oh, really? I mean, I will get you your own hotel room, of course, and add bonus money to your check for this week. Plus, you can go exploring, and I’ll give you and Lou spending money.”
“Yeah, I can do it,” she says. “It’s no problem. We leave in the morning? Should I come here?”
“That easily, huh? Seriously? Because I was prepared to beg and continue to add more incentives.” I smile at her in a way I probably shouldn’t.
Darcy laughs. “Well, if you want to beg, I won’t stop you.”
She gestures to the ground in front of her as if to indicate I should kneel if I’m going to. And let me goddamn tell you something right now. If I ever got down on my knees in front ofthis woman, it would be for one reason and one reason only. And she would be the one who was begging.
I look away, suddenly sure she can see into my mind and knows all the dirty things I’m thinking right now. I clear my throat more loudly than I need to. “Anyway, Lou and I can pick you up from your house in the morning, if you want? I’m already asking so much. I refuse to make you drive over here, too.”
“Oh, okay, that works for me. I’ll pack tonight.”
“And you’re sure this isn’t a problem? I don’t want to uproot you from your life, or if you have plans or something, I can?—”
“I promise, it’s fine,” she says. “Honestly, I could use a few days away. Wait, where is it?”
“It’s in Atlanta.”
Darcy looks like she’s doing math in her head, and I’m guessing she’s trying to calculate the drive.
“Only about four hours,” I say, hoping to answer her unspoken next question.
She nods, seemingly satisfied with that. “Not too bad.”
“We’re leaving pretty early to get there in plenty of time before an evening event, which you guys can actually attend if you want. It’s like an opening ceremony type of thing. It’s pretty cool.”
“That sounds fun,” she says. “Just text me the details and what time to be ready and all that, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
She stands and I follow her lead, walking to the front door with her.
