Zara closed her red front door behind her and stood in front of it like a palace guard. “You’re late.” Her natural curls were shiny, and her crimson lipstick matched her dress.
I resisted taking a step back on her porch. “I’m sorry, I?—”
“No. You’re lateagain.And now I’m late.”
I summoned up my reserves of patience, which were never full. “I know. I had some work to finish up. I was promoted to CEO this week.”
“Oh.” Her eyebrows smashed together. “Congratulations?”
“It’s a huge career milestone. CEO before thirty-five.”
“What does that mean for Caitlyn?” She crossed her arms.
“It’s huge for her too. We can get her into St. Marcellin.”
“You want to change her school?” Her lips flattened.
“As a CEO, it’s practically expected of me to send my daughter to prep school.”
“She’s inthird grade.”
“When I was in third grade, we were doing pre-algebra. Caitlyn’s class is still learning their multiplication tables, whichshe’s known for a year. The way they’re holding her back, she’ll never get into Harvard.”
“She should be making friends and loving learning. Not prepping for college.”
“It’s never too early to prepare. Especially for girls. The world is stacked against them.”
Her eyebrows flew up. “You think I don’t know about the corporate world being harder for women?”
“No, of course not?—”
“I know what’s best for our daughter, and that’s being in her neighborhood school.”
My pulse pounded in my ears. “I also know what’s best forourdaughter, and that’s getting better educational opportunities.”
She leaned closer. “Too bad I have primary custody.”
“We could revisit that, you know.”
“You want to revisit our custody agreement? Right as you’re starting your big job?”
I flipped up my palms. “What better time?”
“Cole, you never had time for her when you were a manager or when you were a vice president or a CFO. As a CEO, you definitely won’t have time to nurture her like she needs.”
“That’s the fantastic thing about St. Marcellin. They have a residential option.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” She held up a hand. “You want custody so you can send her away?” She shook her head. “This is a terrible idea, Cole. If you proceed, I’m going to fight you on it.”
“Fine.” Although our divorce had been amicable, our relationship had never been smooth. “I’ll be prepared.”
Without taking her eyes off me, she opened the door and shouted, “Cait! Time to go.”
Three seconds later, Caitlyn barreled through the door, clutching her tote bag with her stuffed iguana poking out of the top. “Daddy!”
Zara’s husband, Eli, stepped up behind Zara and put a hand on her shoulder.
I bent to hug Caitlyn, rubbing my cheek against her soft braids, each of them tipped with a pink bead. “Hey, baby. It’s good to see you.”
