A pause. I smiled despite myself.
“No, that’s normal. New schools are chaos. You’ll have it mapped in a week.”
Another pause. Softer now.
“I miss you too, baby.”
I leaned a hand on the table, head dipping slightly as I listened.
“No, I’ll call you tomorrow. Same time. Get some sleep, yeah? Big day tomorrow.”
A quiet beat.
“Alright. Night, love.”
I ended the call and stood there for half a second longer than necessary.
Then turned.
Juliette hadn’t moved. Still leaning against the table, my shirt on her, glass in hand, watching me like she was cataloging data points.
“Daughter?” she asked.
Direct. Clean. No hesitation.
“Yeah.”
“How old?”
“Fourteen.”
Her brows lifted slightly. “That explains the tone shift,” she said, her eyes narrowed as she recalibrated her view of me. “The frequency just dropped an octave. It’s… paternal.”
I huffed. “You’re thorough.”
“Yes.”
She took a sip of water, considering me over the rim. “You sounded… different.”
I leaned back against the table, folding my arms loosely. “How’s that?”
“Like you weren’t three steps ahead.”
“Didn’t realize those were my default settings.”
“They are.”
I smirked. “Not with her.”
“No,” she said quietly. “Not with her.”
Silence settled between us again, less charged now. More grounded.
“She’s in Virginia,” I added. The question sat there between us, unasked but heavy, even if she wouldn’t lower her guard enough to say it. “With her mom. Just started high school this week.”
Juliette nodded once, like she’d filed it away. No pity. No probing.
“You like her,” she said.
