Page 70 of Game On

I laughed. “I’m not insulted. It’s a force of habit.”

“Rich said you did good work. I talked to Veronica too, and she talked you up. I’m surprised she took my call since I hired her ex after Golden Rose kicked him to the curb.”

I cringed.

His eyebrow shot up. “Wait, do you know Seth? I hate that weasel, but he does good work. My step-daughter’s dating him now, and I don’t trust him. He called out sick the past couple of days, too,” he told me with a shake of his head.

I stared at him unblinking.

Out sick.

Not at a conference.

He was doing it again. The asshole was doing it again, but not to me, to our daughter. Red-hot rage spread through me at the thought he was lying to do God knows what and miss out on time with our daughter.

“Seth’s my ex-husband.”

“Ohhh. Is that going to be a problem for you?”

I shook my head. “Absolutely not. Especially if you don’t need me all that much. We co-parent, so I’m used to being civil.”

He nodded, and we negotiated my rates and expectations. He agreed to my rates, and I made plans to come back in to meet the first quarter deadline for him to file his taxes. On my way out, I checked my phone and was glad it was only a text from Logan and nothing important.

LOGAN: Hey, princess. Liam wants to come to the game tonight, so Mari’s bringing him. Wanna come too?

I chewed on my lip as I thought about it. I had a good time at the last Bulldogs game I went to with Veronica. If Mari was bringing Liam, that meant I could bring Rosie too. But if I went, it felt like that was a mixed signal. Logan said he didn’t have time for a relationship, but coming to his game sounded like something you’d ask a girlfriend to do. Not your casual fuck buddy.

“Hey, are you Lily?” an unfamiliar feminine voice asked me, pulling me away from my phone.

I turned and saw one of the tattoo artists from the shop standing in front of me. She had long black hair and colorful traditional-styled tattoos. I saw her when I walked in to meet Adam, but I hadn’t paid her any mind.

“Um, yeah, that’s me.”

“I don’t want to get in between you, but can I ask you why you’re keeping Seth from his daughter?”

I raised an eyebrow at her.

Hold up. What was she talking about? I was keeping Rosie from Seth? I had a feeling I knew who this woman was, and I knew then that Seth was doing it again. This poor woman didn’t have a clue.

“Excuse me?” I stuttered out.

“Seth said you have an arrangement, but you keep flaking on him and not letting him see her. I know you guys broke up, but she’s his daughter.”

I pressed my lips into a thin line. The truth was a different story than what he was feeding her.

“Are you Katie?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yeah. I’m sorry, I know it’s not my business, but I grew up with a deadbeat dad, and I don’t⁠—”

I interrupted her by holding up my hand. “Where’s Seth?”

“Well, see, that’s the thing I don’t get. You say he can’t see her, but then you’ll drop her off without notice so he has to call out sick.”

I rubbed my forefinger and thumb on the bridge of my nose. What an asshole.

“That’s funny because Seth keeps calling to cancel on me. This time, he said he couldn't take her because he had a tattoo convention. He was supposed to have Rosie last night and through the weekend. I’d never keep him from his daughter.”

“No. It can’t… He’s not…” She trailed off, shaking her head like that could make his lies true.