“If it’s your night, why aren’t you spending it with her?” Her face, which I used to think was pretty stunning, is twisted into a tight, angry snarl.
“I had a game and she didn’t want to come, so I had Hunter stay with her.” I’m completely pissed that I have to explain anything to her. I don’t report to her or need to tell her my plans when Charlie is with me. We have joint custody of our six-year-old daughter. Our agreement is simple, and we used to get along and work with each other, but now…the last few months, she’s been like this. And I am at the end of my fuse. But I know, as much as I want to tell her to fuck off, I have to work as hard as I can at keeping things between us civil for my daughter’s sake. God, it sucks, though.
“The game ended over two hours ago, Griffin,” she snaps. “I’m here because Charlie had a nightmare and wanted to talk to me. I asked why she wasn’t talking to you, and she said you weren’t home.”
“My goalie had to go to the hospital.” I move past her and punch in the code for the lock on the front door. “I’m here now, so you can go.”
“I’ll go with my child.”
The front door swings open, but I don’t step inside. I turn to face her again. “Yourchild?”
“If she’s yours, why are you not spending more time with her?”
“I had to work, Lauren,” I say in a low voice through gritted teeth.
“You’re home!” Hunter says from behind me, and I turn to see him walking toward me.
“You know he let me stand out here and knock for, like, ten minutes,” Lauren complains to me and glares over my shoulder at my younger brother. Hunter gives her a dazzling passive-aggressive smile.
“I don’t have to open the door. It’s Griff’s night. Being his lawyer and all, I am well aware of the custody agreement, but if you’re confused I can print you off another copy.” His smile widens, and it makes her scowl deepen.
“How’s the wife, Hunter? Did she smarten up and leave you yet?”
“Nah. She believes in love and commitment, unlike you,” he retorts. He winks at her. “Also most sane people consider me quite the catch.”
As much as I enjoy watching my kid brother take her down a peg, I’m worried Charlie might overhear, so I put an end to it. “It’s late. You should go home. Now.”
Lauren just crosses her arms and glares at me from the threshold of my front door. I cross my arms too. I’m not giving Charlie over early. We have a Sunday morning apple pancake thing that I am not giving up. Hunter stops being my snarky younger brother and goes back to being my counsel. “All hate aside, Lauren, you can’t legally just show up here and take Charlie on days when Griffin is legally entitled to her. You get her back at noon tomorrow, so you need to go. And if you don’t go, I can and will call the police, and we will end up back in court.”
She looks like she’s about to have steam whistle out of her ears. I can literally see her swallow down her rage. “You know what? I’ll go, but I’ll see you in court anyway. This isn’t working out for me.”
She turns and starts stomping down the dock.
I walk over and close the door behind her, locking it, and since it’s mostly just a glass pane, I also pull down the shade to block any last part of her retreating presence. “It’s not about you, you selfish psycho nightmare,” Hunter mutters and heaves out a sigh and rubs a hand over his face.
I lean on the peninsula part of the counter in the kitchen. “She’s just venting, right? She doesn’t want to drag this into court again.”
“She’d be an idiot if she did,” Hunter replies, walking past me and opening the fridge to grab two beers. He hands me one and twists the cap off his. “It’s a fair agreement, no one has violated it, and Charlie is happy. So a judge is going to be pissed she is wasting his time if she does.”
I try to relax a little and take a sip of the IPA. “I take it she’s okay? Why didn’t you call me?”
“Because it really wasn’t a big deal,” Hunter replies and drops into a chair at the small, round dining table that separates the kitchen from the living space. “She woke up a little freaked out about some dream and wanted to call her mom. I figured if I didn’t let her, it would be a bigger deal. I know you’re trying to keep things Zen in front of her. Plus I didn’t know Lauren would show up here in evil bitch mode.”
“I just wish I had been here so she couldn’t find another thing to blame me for.” I swallow down another gulp of beer and put the half-empty bottle on the counter. “Charlie’s asleep now?”
“Yeah, she had a few tears, called Lauren, calmed down, and was out like a light again,” Hunter explains, and before he can say more my phone dings.
I look down and see the number Dixie gave me and smile. I smile a lot, especially around my daughter and my family, but this one must look different, because as I glance at my brother he has an eyebrow raised. I turn my shoulder toward him so the nosy bastard can’t read what’s on the phone as I open the message.
Sadie here! Eli went down to neuro for the CAT scan.
He’s still pukey, so we pumped him full of anti-nausea meds.
I promise not to text again unless something is wrong.
Wouldn’t want to keep you up.
I type back quickly.
