“Curious enough to call me out of the blue for the first time in a months?”
I sighed. “Okay, maybe a bit more than curious.”
“Question, does this have anything to do with that short, demanding, headstrong secretary of yours that we briefly met at the docks?”
The hairs on the nape of my neck stood on end. “Why? What are you thinking?”
He barked with laughter. “I never thought I’d see the day.”
I scoffed. “See what day? This sounds halfway insulting, and I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know? Dude, is she the mother of this daughter you’re randomly talking about getting to know?”
I rolled my eyes. “That obvious?”
He cackled. “Man, you couldn’t be more obvious if that were the task at hand.”
I shook my head. “Fine. Sorry I asked.”
“No, no, no, no. Don’t hang up and do that defeatist thing you’re known for. That’s not going to get you anywhere with anyone. Now, what’s this secretary’s name?”
“Leslie.”
“Great. And her daughter?”
I chewed on my lower lip. “Aurora.”
“Beautiful name. Okay. So, you want to get in good with the daughter so you don’t fuck it up with her. Right?”
I nodded. “More or less.”
“Great. All right. So, with Asia? There were two things I needed for her that Eva provided right off the bat: stability and kindness.”
“So, I give that to Aurora and I’m in, right?”
He chuckled. “Not so fast. No two children are ever the same in what they need from someone who isn’t their biological parent. The bond is different, see? Asia knew she could trust me. Asia knew I’d be a staple in her life when I was there. But, she needed constant stability and kindness. You know, around-the-clock kind of thing.”
“You mean, Asia could always go to Eva and get those two things every time.”
“Bingo. Now you’re catching on. What you need to do is figure out what Aurora needs because that’s the only way you’re getting in with Leslie. If you are a good match for her daughter, she’ll be more open to making things work.”
It made sense. I’d be the same way if I were a father. Not that I’d ever be one, since I had already worked away my better years trying to build these fucking companies.
“Oh,” Gavin said quickly, “gotta go. I’m needed back on set. Do me a favor and call me tonight, will you? Say, around ten? We can talk more then.”
I nodded. “I can do that, sure.”
“Great. We’ll talk this evening. And Trey?”
I licked my lips. “Yeah?”
“Don’t overthink it. Kids are easier than we give them credit for. They want love, they want to feel safe, and they want to feel accepted for who they are, even if who they are is always morphing.”
“Easy enough to remember. Just treat her like a person.”
I heard someone call for Gavin in the background, so I straightened my back. “Thanks for taking my call. You get back on set, and we’ll speak this evening.”
The smile was prevalent in his voice. “Wonderful. We’ll talk soon. And hey! Maybe we can get together for a drink soon, too. I miss our Wednesday whiskeys.”
