I invited her to my Hampton's party, and it was then that I knew I was in trouble. Right then, I should have put these feelings in check and locked them down. It was my intention, in fact. Come to the party, meet the people. It would be good to have her as part of my network. But then she sat down next to me, and I spent the rest of the night with my eyes on her. If Hazel hadn't been upstairs, I'm sure I would have asked Sophia to stay over.
Since then, I've tried to get back on the track of a professional relationship. That's one reason I wanted this project. I figured if we were working together, it would shift us into that friendly but strictly professional zone, but now all I do is find excuses to be part of the production meetings when I have no reason to.
I'm not sure what kind of hold she has on me, but I need to get it in check. Maybe I just need to get laid. She's not the one-night-stand type. At least, I don't think she is. She's always escorted by her brother, and the only man I've seen her connected with is that douchebag Connor. She's been pretty busy with work, so I understand how hard it is to date. It's one reason I don't.
First, I'm not boyfriend material. I've known for a long time that kids and marriage would not be part of my world. And while Hazel was the shock of my life and also the best thing that ever happened to me, I don't believe it would ever work that way with a partner.
Hazel has to like me. I'm basically all she's ever known. I raised her from the beginning of life, so her beliefs are my beliefs. Well, mostly. She is starting to exert her independence. But it's different when it's your own flesh and blood. The wildcard is when you bring someone else into the mix. They can change their mind or leave. How can you ever really know someone if you didn't raise them or grow up with them?
Maybe, when I get home, I'll flip through some contacts and get out of the house tonight. I just need some fun time to get my head shifted from the gorgeous doll following me to my house and relieve some of this sexual tension bottled up inside me. I'll be fine with a release with someone, anyone, at this point.
I pull into my driveway and wait until she pulls up next to me before I get out of the car. I'm compelled to go open her door for her, but I restrain myself. It's shit like that that I need to stop doing. I need to stop caring about her like she's mine and like she belongs to me.
"Your house is beautiful," she says as she crawls out of a Range Rover of her own. Look at us, in matching cars. Her eyes take in the mid-century, split-level home. It's a point of pride for me because it belonged to Frank Sinatra at one point.
"Thank you. I've tried to keep as much of it original as Ican. Shall we?" I motion toward the small square building to my left, where she'll be staying. You have to walk through the driveway gates to get into the backyard, where the entry to the small bungalow is accessible.
"Dad! Come look at how long I can hold my breath!" Hazel yells as soon as we click the gate closed, and I turn to see her in the pool. My sister sits on a nearby lounger, with one eye on my kiddo and another on her book of the week.
Hazel immediately dunks underwater, and Sophia and I walk over to the edge of the pool right as she resurfaces.
"Did you see? I was under there for so long!"
"I did see, nugget. Impressive!"
"Very impressive, Hazel. It was a whole 22.3 seconds long. Is that a record for you?" Sophia bends down to get closer to my daughter, and I'm stunned she was timing the event.
"I don't know. I've never timed it before, but I say the alphabet, and I can get all the way through the song now."
"Sounds like a record to me!" Sophia tells her, and I watch as Hazel's face lights up at the attention and acknowledgment.
"What are you doing here?"
"Hazel, don't be rude."
"That wasn't rude, Dad. I was asking a question."
"Yeah, Dad, she was just asking a question. Hi again, Sophia. I'm Sarah, Grant's sister. We met at the Oscars." My sister joins us, and Sophia stands back up to shake her hand.
"Yes, of course. Nice to see you again."
Sarah gives me a glance with a raised eyebrow, and I rollmy eyes. Thankfully, Sophia is talking to Hazel again, so she misses the interaction.
Hazel is asking if Sophia came over to swim, and all that does is force my imagination into wondering if she would wear a bikini or a one-piece. Either way, more of her skin showing would be sexy as fuck, but a tiny string bikini top to cover those small, perfect tits would be something I'd pay to see. Wait. That's not what I meant. Fuck, I'm finding someone to meet up with tonight. It's imperative.
"Sophia is going to stay in the guest house for a few days. Her house had an accident, and she can't stay there right now," I tell Hazel and my sister, since she seems extra invested in this anomaly of another woman in my backyard and talking to my daughter.
That's the other thing. I never, ever introduce women to my daughter. I mean, other than a casual "Honey, meet this person I work with" type of introduction. No women come to this house; no dates or flings are ever within restraining-order distance of my daughter. Nothing relationship-like exists in my life with Hazel, and I'll never budge on that.
Except now, I guess. But technically, Sophia is a co-worker, no matter what my sister's eyebrows say to me.
"My whole bathroom upstairs fell through the ceiling right into my kitchen," Sophia explains.
"Why?" Hazel asks.
"Seems there was some kind of a leak upstairs. I'm not sure. I'm waiting to get more details about the whole thing."
"Ok, well, my room isn't big enough for two people to stay, so you'll have to sleep with my dad."
