DALE
Friday night came faster than I expected, and Sally was eager to play with Kelly and have a sleepover. We’d talked about her nightmares on the drive over, Sally insecure about it. I’d assured her that if Kelly were really her friend, she’d always love her.
As I nursed a beer at the bar, I thought about that, knowing children could be cruel…especially young ones. What if Kelly were mean?
God, I should’ve stayed home with her.
Pulling my phone from my pocket to check for messages, a large palm covered the screen.
“You need to relax, Dale. Just once. Breathe, okay? Enjoy the game.” He pointed at the TV above our heads where a football game was on. “Maybe glance around. There are some women eying you.”
Yeah, I’d seen them. The group sat in the corner, already half-drunk, but none of them were attractive. Okay, maybe they were, but I couldn’t see myself spending long nights and cozy mornings with any of them.
Still, one looked at me as if she’d be willing to meet me in the bathroom and maybe give me that finish I didn’t manage to get earlier this week.
Sally’s nightmares had still come, but after the talk she had with Delaney, it seemed they came later in the night and it was easier to bring her out of them, telling me about dragons the moment she was awake. The stories clearly distracted her enough to fall asleep much sooner and rest until after the sun had risen in the morning.
Fuck, I hated to admit it, but even if my daughter just thought the stories could help her sleep, placebo-like, Clare’s tips seemed to change something. Small as it was, I took that as a win.
Not that I’d ever tell Clare that.
And, if I were being honest, I was a shitty singer, so I couldn’t blame Sally for wanting me to stop.
“Hello, handsome.”
A blonde slid up next to me, her fingertips trailing over my arm. I stared at her blood-red nails for a long moment before meeting her eyes. They were murky brown and framed in black. She wore pink lipstick, and there was pink blush on her cheeks—which really stood out when she was flushed from alcohol.
“Hey,” I replied, deciding I could at least be nice.
“Are you here alone?”
I eyed Cane, who just grinned. “Unless you count the baggage sitting next to me.”
She didn’t pay him any attention. “So no girl?”
A little slow in the head, I thought and gave her a smile. “No girl.”
She threw her hair back over her shoulder, pushing out her tits. I gave them a glance and met her eyes again. She blew a bubble with her gum, then licked her lips. “So, I was wondering, if you aren’t here with anyone, maybe you’d like to buy me a drink.”
I lifted my bottle to my lips in order to swallow down the comment on the tip of my tongue, then nodded to the empty space next to me. “Go ahead and sit, cherry pie.”
When she struggled to get up on the barstool, stumbling several times, I nearly groaned.
Cane leaned over to whisper into my ear. “Loosen up, man. She’s hot. You need to get fucked. In less than thirty minutes, you might be balls deep.”
“Exactly what I wanted. Cheap meat,” I hissed.
“What was that?” Blondie asked, her brows furrowed.
I gave her an innocent smile. “Nothing too cheap, sweets. That’s what I said. We don’t want you to get drunk faster just because the vodka sucks, do we?” I waggled my brows.
She giggled. “You’re funny. I’ll take a Tequila Sunrise,” she ordered. I nodded at the bartender to give me another bottle.
“I’m gonna go to find myself some distraction. See you around, man,” Cane announced. It instantly made me sweat because if he wasn’t by my side, how would I know when Lilian called because there was a problem? Or even just to give a quick update?
A palm on my thigh pulled me from my thoughts and I looked back at Blondie, whose hand started inching closer to my groin. It was when her lips parted on a seductive smile that I knew I didn’t want to be anywhere near her.
“Listen, lady. I’m sorry. Even though you’re not the brightest light out there, you’re cute, but I’m gonna leave now.”
I paid for our drinks, grabbed the bottle of beer and emptied it, then walked out the door. I didn’t care what Cane was doing, but I appreciated the reprieve for the night. I caught a cab and went home, just needing time for myself.
I entered, the fading light through the windows throwing long shadows into my living room, and leaned back against the door while staring up at the ceiling. The house was utterly calm, the silence almost deafening. I hated myself for being glad that my daughter would be away for the night, hated myself because I was getting desperate in the last several weeks, cranky and helpless as I was.
I gave myself another week to maybe find a solution before I’d call my mom and ask her to stay with me for a month.
Sally deserved a better father than me. Or at least someone who would not resent the nightmares and would be able to hold her when I no longer had the patience or energy. Yes, I rocked her until she was peacefully asleep every night, but I was tired. So tired.
Slowly making my way up the stairs, I paused next to her door, wondering when I’d last only opened the door in the morning after kissing her good night the night before. Seeing a warm glow coming from underneath the door, I was sure Sally had accidentally left her nightlight on. Entering, I smiled at the unicorn pictures decorating her room and the stuffed animals sitting along every single wall.
I thought how much I loved my daughter, deciding to hug her extra in the morning, when my eyes fell on the bed. It was a small one, just big enough for Sally to fit in maybe two or three more years, but I saw two people lying there.
One was my daughter. I recognized the halo of whiskey-colored hair. The other was a woman with black curls. I was about to wake her up and order her out of my house when the woman shifted and the light lit up her features.
Clare.
I blinked, confused. What the hell were those two doing here?
As much as I wanted an explanation, the tired, exhausted part of my brain reminded me that everything was fine and nothing would change until morning. I could demand an explanation then—after having grabbed the sleep I was so desperate for.
I stood there, indecision rooting me to the floor. Clare had her arms wrapped around my daughter, Sally cuddled into her side. Although I had a million questions and was upset about that woman being in my house, I resigned myself to handing over the duty of watching her just for one night. Besides, I’d be down the hall, able to jump awake the minute Sally cried out.
I’d deal with everything after getting up.
I backed up, leaving the light on, and left the room, resting my forehead against the door. I had no idea why I felt especially defeated, or why I was so ready to just accept things as they were, but I was.
It didn’t matter that it was probably going to be worse tomorrow night.
It didn’t matter that this gave Clare power over me I didn’t want her to have.
It didn’t matter that Sally was sleeping peacefully because she clearly felt safe.
What mattered was that, for one night, I hated Clare Delaney a little bit less.
I considered going straight to bed, enjoying the fact that I could get some sleep. Instead, I went downstairs, grabbed another beer from the fridge, locked all the doors, then sat down on the sofa, sipping the beer while listening to the peaceful silence of the house.