Jackson
THERE WAS A WAR OF motions happening within me. A fight between annoyance and relief.
It was annoying that Julie had reentered my life only to gather her things, but a total relief that she wasn’t contesting the divorce and it was still going through on schedule. I needed that part of my life to be in the past, needed to move forward, needed to be able to focus on the fall with Millie.
So, I was cruising down Main Street, feeling pretty good, even if I did have another meeting with Julie looming.
I pulled up to the curb in front of Three Sisters and was hopping out of the truck, eager to get back inside and see my girls, when Millie came rushing around from the back of the building, crying and visibly shaking as she called out for Kayla.
My heart leapt out of my chest as fear coursed through me.
“Millie!” I shouted, jogging over to her on the sidewalk.
Her head was turning quickly from side to side as she searched the street, and she was so caught up in her panic that my return didn’t immediately register.
When I was almost to her, I called her name again, then reached out and touched her shoulder. “What’s going on?” I asked. “Where’s Kayla?”
“I don’t know . . .” Millie cried, her head still swinging back and forth, obviously out of her mind with worry, which was really freaking me out. “She got mad, threw my flowers, and we fought . . . I don’t know what makes you happy, I can’t take her place . . . I told her to go cool down, but she left.” I understood the gist of what she was saying, but not all of it. “I went to take her a water and she was gone . . . just gone.”
“She couldn’t have gone far,” I began, adrenaline rushing through me as I thought of all the possible terrors my daughter could be facing. “You checked the whole place, upstairs and down?” Millie nodded as she still frantically searched the streets. “What about businesses, have you asked any of them?”
“Not yet, I just came outside when I realized that she left. Then, you were here.”
“Okay,” I said, thinking at least Kayla hadn’t been gone long. “Let’s split up and check the stores. You go down this way and I’ll cross the street.”
Millie took off before I’d even finished my sentence, so I started to run across the street, when I heard someone shout my name.
“Jackson.”
My head whipped in the direction of the sound, and I saw Jericho standing outside Prime Beef, waving me over.
“Kayla’s here!” he shouted, and I practically tripped over my feet with relief.
I turned to call out to Millie, but saw her standing still on the sidewalk, tears streaming down her face as she watched us.
“I tried to call you, but your phone kept going straight to voicemail,” Jericho was saying as I got closer. “It just hit me that she was probably coming from your girl’s place, so I was coming over to see if you were there. She’s fine, I got her settled in before coming out to find you. I hope you weren’t too worried.”
“Thanks, man, I turned my phone to silent when I was with my lawyer, and forgot to turn it back.”
I turned back to see if Millie was joining us, but found the street empty. I hoped she was okay, but seeing how distraught she’d been, I figured she needed a minute.
“Can you take me to her?” I asked, thinking I’d grab her then we’d go back to check on Millie, and Kayla would have a lot of apologizing to do.
“Yeah,” Jericho said, clapping me on the back before leading me into his restaurant, through the dining room and into the kitchen.
My gaze took in the chaos, before landing on my daughter set up in the back.
They’d pulled up a barstool, given her a piece of cake and glass of milk. Her head was down as she drew on the paper Jericho had given her, so she didn’t see me approach. I felt a quick rush of relief that she was safe and sound, followed by a flash of anger as I remembered that panic on Millie’s face.
She’d thought my daughter was in danger, and the reality that Kayla was sitting here like she was having the time of her life made me angrier with her than I’d ever been.
“Kayla.”
My tone had Kayla jumping in her seat, and she turned to me with a smile and a, “Hi, Daddy,” before she registered the look on my face and the smile fell.
“Get up,” I ordered, and I saw her gaze swing to Jericho before she slid off the stool and walked slowly toward me. I turned to Jericho and said, “Thanks for looking out for her. I’m sorry if she was in the way.”
“Not at all,” my buddy replied. “I’m here for you.”
I nodded, then pointed toward the door and told Kayla, “Go.”
I walked behind her, trying to calm down before I said something that I’d regret, but I was so angry and disappointed in her, and those were emotions I’d never felt for my daughter before. Not on that level.
Once we got outside and I looked around to make sure we didn’t have an audience, I turned to Kayla with a frown.
“I am beyond disappointed in you, young lady. You know better than to run off like that, you’re nine years old, not four.” I watched Kayla’s shoulders sag and fought the guilt at making her feel bad. “Millie was out of her mind with worry. She didn’t know if you were hurt, taken, or worse . . . You need to go over there right now and apologize. For everything. Whatever you did to her flowers, for arguing with her, saying mean things, and disappearing. You probably need to make it up to her somehow . . . I don’t know, I’ll talk to her. Maybe you can clean up the kitchen or something.”
Kayla’s chin began to quiver as her eyes filled.
“I’m sorry, Daddy . . .”
“Save it for Millie,” I said, then put my hand on her shoulder and guided her across the street.
When we went into the front area, then the kitchen, where I saw the beautiful flowers Millie had been working on broken in a heap on the floor, I looked at Kayla and saw her wince. When we didn’t see Millie, we went upstairs and knocked on her door.
After a few moments, I heard movement behind the door. When the door didn’t open, I knocked again, and waited.
Finally, the door opened slowly and Millie peered out, her face swollen and puffy from crying, but before I could apologize, she looked from Kayla, then to me and stated, “I’m sorry, I can’t do this . . .”