He doesn’t like that. His tone hardens. “Don’t start. You’re lucky I didn’t go straight through my lawyer. I’m giving you the chance to do this civilly.”
“By threatening custody?” I whisper.
“I’m not threatening shit, I want to meet my kid.”
“This was a bad idea. You’re not in a place in life where you can be consistent, Kyle, and I am not?—”
He cuts me off. “Consistent?” He laughs. “You barely know me, Claudia. You spent a couple of months in my bed, and now you think you’re an expert on my life?”
“I know who you were when it mattered,” I say.
He exhales sharply, tired of the fight. “You’re impossible. I’m done arguing. Three o’clock. Washington Square. Bring her.”
“That’s not?—”
“I’ll pay for your cab,” he adds, like that’s some kind of olive branch.
I bite down the instinct to tell him what he can do with his money. “Fine. Three.”
He doesn’t respond to that. Just hangs up.
The silence after the click feels heavier than it should.
Nalani whispers, “You okay?”
“Yeah.” My voice cracks, but I cover it with a half-smile. “I’m good.”
“Bullshit,” Sofie says softly, but with that teasing edge she uses when she’s trying to lighten the mood. “Let’s go eat. My treat.”
I shake my head, still clutching the phone. “No, I’ll?—”
“Too late,” she says. “I called dibs.”
Nalani looks between us, the tension still hanging in the air.
When I don’t say anything, Sofie arches a brow. “What?”
I finally huff a short, humorless laugh. “Who the hell are you?”
She grins. “The person who’s about to get you a pancake bigger than your problems.”
And just like that, she walks toward the door — and I follow, because anything’s better than sitting in this silence thinking about what’s waiting for me at three.
FOUR
Walks
Claudia
It was sointeresting to find out that Sofie and Nalani met in college, and both were also KET. We had brunch, brought Paul home lunch, and I looked for a hotel. Then they insisted that they go to the park with me, and pretend to have a picnic — far enough away not to be seen, but close enough that if I needed them. How could I say no to that? They are truly amazing.
They also know that I keep in contact with, what I assume they just suppose, is family, Lydia, and Maya. They’ve taken a million pictures of Savannah and I and send them to me so I could text them. Sofie is dead set on me having good memories here on Savanah’s first trip to NYC.
I knew they were keeping me busy, and yes, I appreciate it.
He’s already waitingby the fountain, phone in hand, sunglasses on, the picture of practiced nonchalance. Even from a distance, he looks like someone who’s used to people noticing him — standing a little too straight, smiling a little too easily.
The closer I get, the more my stomach knots.
