“Grayden is not my boyfriend.”
“I’m willing to forget about it, okay? I’ve already moved on. You should too.”
Bullshit, I wanted to shout. Danny was gaslighting me, and I wished it were the first time.
Yet that wasn’t even the worst part of his so-called surprise.
“This isn’t fair to Ollie,” I sputtered. “You can’t stand him up at Thanksgiving, make pathetic excuses, and then waltz in here like everything’s fine. It’s beyond manipulative.”
“I’m here now, aren’t I? I’m trying, Piper. I thought this would be a good opportunity to reconnect with him. And as his parent, I have every right to be here at a school event.”
Legally, he was correct. That didn’t make me any less furious.
“Fine. But after this, we’re going to have a real conversationabout scheduling and consistency. Ollie deserves better than occasional surprise appearances.”
Danny nodded, his expression contrite. “You’re right. Absolutely. We’ll talk.”
I didn’t believe him. But there was nothing I could do about it now, not with a handful of other parents watching us from down the hall.
We headed back toward the classroom. The door opened, and Ollie’s teacher smiled at all of us. “Thank you so much for coming, everyone. We’re ready for you now.”
I walked in first, still carrying my tray of cupcakes. Ollie’s face lit up when he saw me. Then his gaze shifted past me, and his eyes went wide.
“Dad?” The pure joy in his voice made my chest tighten like a vise.
Danny grinned and gave a little wave. “Hey, champ.”
I pasted on a smile as the presentations began. Somehow, I got through mine, barely aware of what I was saying.
Seeing Ollie’s happiness crushed me, because I knew how much it would hurt later when Danny let him down again.
My phone felt like a lifeline in my purse. I could text Grayden. He’d asked me to let him know if Danny showed up again, and he’d been so amazing with Ollie the other day.
But I’d spent years dealing with Daniel Carmichael, and I would continue dealing with him for years to come.
Grayden was… I didn’t know. Just a friend. He’d been there for me and Ollie more than once over the past week, but I couldn’t allow him to fight my battles for me.
By the time the career day presentations wrapped up, it was the end of the school day. After cleanup, the kids grabbed their backpacks and filed outside together, as they always did.
Danny walked beside me, not saying a word. I didn’t speak either. I was too busy stewing in my anger.
As we headed toward the parking lot, Ollie was practically vibrating with excitement. “Dad, I can’t believe you came!”
“Wouldn’t miss it, champ.”
A flicker of hesitation passed over Ollie’s features. “Are you staying in Silver Ridge for a few days?”
“For as long as I can. Yeah. Cleared my schedule.”
No mention of the fact that he’d been in Silver Ridge days ago. Had he been in Hart County the whole time? Or had he been driving back and forth? I had no idea what was going on with Danny’s new dental practice. If he’d driven it into the ground the way he’d destroyed his practice here.
Danny’s gaze moved to me, turning calculating. “How about the three of us grab an early dinner?”
Ollie stared at me with a worried frown as he waited for an answer.
“I can’t,” I said stiffly.
Danny shrugged like he hadn’t cared either way. “Hey Ollie, you’ve got a three-day weekend, right? No school tomorrow. That’s what the schedule said.”
