“I really don’t know.”
I still hadn’t quite figured out how to explain her mother’s true whereabouts. As for now, all Dakota knew was that her mother was on a work trip that required her to be gone for a very long time.
“Well, I miss her.”
“I know you do,” I replied. “But we can keep writing her letters. I’m sure she appreciates it, and she’s probably writing you one right now.”
Taking a moment, she gazed out of the window. “Do you think she liked the picture that I made for her?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t she? It was unicorns. Everyone loves unicorns.”
Finally, she smiled. “Unicorns are super pretty.”
“Yes, they are.”
“So, when can we go back to see G-Ma and Titi Nova?”
“Um…that’s a good question. I’ll have to let you know about that one.”
“Well, I hope it’s soon. I don’t like being so far away.”
Not wanting to take away anything that she was looking forward to, I simply nodded and peeked up in the rearview mirror. “I’ll keep that in mind, sweetheart.”
15
Nova
What I’d done, I’d never done before, and now I was questioning if I’d made the right decision.
When I woke up this morning, I found myself in a weird headspace. None of my thoughts made sense, and I was annoyed by everything. But what messed with me the most was that in two weeks, I still hadn’t heard a peep from Don. In all the years we’d known each other, things had never gotten this bad between us. So, now, four hours later, I was parked outside of his condo gripping the steering wheel like a stalker.
With my cell on speaker, I placed it on the armrest and dropped my head back against the seat. “Why in the hell did you let me drive to Dallas, Izzy? This is crazy.”
“Yes, it is crazy. But that’s okay. A little crazy never hurt anybody.”
“Yeah, but what is he going to think when he sees me? I haven’t talked to this man in days. Clearly, he doesn’t want to talk to me.” The more I said the words out loud, the more I realized, “I need to get my ass back on the freeway and go home. I never should’ve come here.”
“Girl bye, you’re there now. Get your ass out of the car and go see what the hell is going on. What’s the worst that could happen?”
My eyes widened. “Are you serious? What kind of question is that? How about he opens the door and slams it right back in my face? Or what if he calls the damn police on me? Like, there are quite a few things that could happen.”
“Okay, so maybe you’ve got a point. But I highly doubt that any of those things are going to happen.”
“Oh yeah? And what makes you feel that way?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. But for your sake, I’m just hoping that he won’t do you like that.”
“You and me both.”
“Mmhmm, now, get your ass out of the car.”
“Wait a minute,” I said while glancing around the parking lot, “let me make sure he’s even here. I don’t want to walk all the way up to his place for nothing.”
But within seconds, I knew it wouldn’t be a wasted trip. Like always, his car was parked in the second row, which was just a few feet away from the entrance of his building. Like he did with anything else, Don spared no expense on the place he chose for him and his daughter. Dallas had a lot of nice condos, but this was by far one of the best I’d seen. Then again, I’d only seen a few. But that was neither here nor there. The two-bedroom condo was a lot to take in, and that was just from the parking lot.
Once I got inside, I was met with a lobby area that gave off a luxurious hotel vibe and an elevator that made it known that the cleaning crew wasn’t slacking on the job.
Leaning forward, I pressed the button that would take me to the sixth floor.
