Chapter Six

Reed

I had no time to analyze my emotions. Laurie Arnold had rejected me on my first try as a professional escort. As if I didn’t already feel like a failure—as an athlete, a husband, a father, a provider—without sucking at paid fucking too. I shoved it out of my mind, as I had more important things to worry about.

Jess was allowed home today, and I hurried to the Mayo to wheel her the hell out of there. In spite of the exceptional care, my sick little girl belonged at home with her father. Dr. Nielson had ordered the first round of treatments the week after next but said it wasn’t medically necessary to have Jess remain there in between. I was just as happy to have my little girl home and give her some semblance of normalcy, even though things were far from normal.

The doctor hadn’t needled me about the bill either. True to her word, she’d given me until the end of the month to come up with the payment while still getting us an appointment on the busy Mayo oncology schedule. Irene had called to say I would be paid in cash this week, despite the fact that my first assignment had basically imploded. Hopefully, it hadn’t ruined my chances of getting another. Score another point for Laurie. Whatever had caused her to flee, she hadn’t taken it out on me.

“Hi, Angel. Ready to go?” I asked as Jess and her hospital volunteer met me at the discharge desk. My heart filled my throat at the sight of her. My beautiful daughter sat in a wheelchair, putting on a brave face as though nothing was wrong. She was more of a champion than I’d ever been in my whole career.

“Hi, Daddy!” Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “I’m ready. Can we stop for ice cream on the way home? Fudge Brownie?”

“What,” I said, with mock surprise on my face. “Has Uncle Milo been holding out on you?” Anything she wanted to eat was fine with me. Her appetite had waned as the disease progressed. Whether ice cream or roast beef, I’d give it to her without any hesitation. She needed to gain weight any way she could.

She laughed as the volunteer engaged the brakes and helped Jess to her feet. “He hasn’t been here yet today. Besides, I want to eat ice cream with you, at home.”

I smiled and engulfed her small hand in mine, enjoying the warmth of her soft skin. “Sounds good to me.”

Jessica talked a blue streak all the way to our shabby apartment as if she were headed to the Taj Mahal, about the doctors and nurses and friends she met in the hospital, as though they were a natural part of her life. It pained me to think that instead of parents and schoolmates, her circle of influence consisted of other sick kids and medical staff. What kind of companions were those for a six-year-old? As much as it bothered me, my chest still swelled with pride over her efforts at making the best of things and taking others at face value, seeing them all as people and not for just their situation in life. Kids were wiser than adults gave them credit for.

One thing I wasn’t proud of was the crummy digs I was taking her home to. Our fancy house was long gone, lost in the financial hurricane that Robin and my slimy ex-agent Marcus had unleashed on me. On us. Me and Jess. For the life of me, I couldn’t fathom how a mother could abandon her own child. Beyond cruel, it bordered on monstrous. From the day we said our vows, and I carried her over the threshold, I’d never understood Robin or her motivations outside of basic gold digging. But then, I hadn’t been very relationship ready either, content with arm candy to show off to the other guys on the team.

“Okay, here we are,” I said, grabbing the take-out carton from Haagen Dazs and helping Jess out of the car. At least I still had a mode of transportation. I’d won my car in a scoring competition five years ago, and it apparently didn’t rank very high on the level of interest to thieves absconding out of the country. It looked pretty beat up, but it got us to where we needed to go safely.

I settled my daughter into the small bedroom I’d outfitted with a wall-mount TV that was one of Milo’s spares and dished up the fudge brownie. She happily watched Tangled as she spooned it down. Jessica loved all things horse. Part of me wished I still had my NHL fortune so I could indulge her in a pony or at least some riding lessons. Maybe by the time she was strong enough to ride, I’d be in a better position. I had to be. The only way to go now was straight up. I left her to her indulgences and sat down in the living room to make a phone call.

“Irene Sutton. How can I help you?”

“Hey, it’s me, Reed. Listen, Irene, I’m really sorry about how my first gig turned out. Honest, I did everything by the book. I can’t be responsible for the actions of others. I’d really like to get in touch with Laurie and make it up to her. I can’t… I mean… I really don’t understand why it didn’t work out for us. Do you think you can line up another date for us soon?”

I slammed my mouth shut, knowing I was speaking too fast and rambling, then found myself holding my breath as I waited for the madam’s reply.

“I’m sorry, it doesn’t work that way. I’ve spoken with Laurie, and she had her reasons for leaving, which I can’t discuss with you. You’ll be paid for the work, as I’ve said, but unless the client asks for you, I can’t initiate any contact between you. Most of my clients are very high profile.”

Disappointment flowed through me, but I could understand her position. Privacy reigned supreme when the bottom line was that her business was technically illegal. “I see. Well, in that case, do you have another client for me? I don’t mean to be pushy, but I really could use the money. It’s important.”

“With your online profile, I don’t anticipate any lack of requests. I’ll certainly do what I can to promote you in the right circumstances. I’m sure you understand how escort/client matching is of the utmost importance for a satisfying experience.”

“Please,” I said, scrubbing a hand down my face. I hated begging. Especially, a woman. My tables had sure turned. “When I say important, I mean life and death important. I’m willing to… put in overtime… if that’s a thing in this line of work.”

“Reed, I respect the privacy of my contractors, but I need you to be honest with me. If you are involved in anything serious, such as gambling debts or drugs, I need to know. I can’t be associated with that kind of activity. You can understand.”

“Jesus. No, not anything like that.” Shit, I didn’t want to talk about my personal problems, nor cue the weeping violin, but if it would help me get more work and make Irene motivated to help me, I’d play the pity card. “It’s for my daughter. She’s very sick and needs special treatments that aren’t covered by insurance. The Mayo’s been taking care of her, and she qualifies for an experimental treatment that looks promising, but it’s very expensive. She means everything to me. I don’t know if you have kids, but if you do, I’m sure you know how I feel, and why I would make this request.”

Irene hesitated and silence hung over the line for a few seconds. I hoped there was a tear or two threatening to melt off some of her carefully applied makeup.

“I don’t have children, Reed, but yes, I can understand how you feel. Thank you for being so candid with me, it’s appreciated. It’s not required to divulge that sort of information, but I’m glad you did. I’ll see what I can arrange and get in touch with you soon, alright?”

I heaved a sigh of relief before saying, “Thanks, Irene. I appreciate it. And I won’t screw up next time.”

Even though I have no fucking idea how I screwed it up this time.

I disconnected and leaned back on the ratty couch I’d bought off Craig’s List when Robin took my leather sectional. It would be so easy to feel sorry for myself and just give in, collapse under the weight of everything that was going wrong in my life. But I was done being a victim. My daughter and I had been champions our whole lives, and we were going to come out on top this time, too. Together.

Being a single parent was tough at the best of times. I tried to remember what it was like to have a partner, someone to share the load as well as dreams, hopes, and… love. Had Robin ever loved me? Or had she just loved the money and the lifestyle? I didn’t want to believe she hadn’t loved me at least a little, in the beginning. Things started to go haywire when she got pregnant. Mood swings I expected, but not her outright hatred of the whole motherhood thing.

I had to stop thinking about the past and focus on the future. My old laptop sat on the coffee table, and I leaned forward to open and turn it on. Another one of Milo’s castoffs. If I didn’t have Milo, I wouldn’t have any electronics at all. Laurie was the first woman I’d been out with in a long while, not since the divorce from hell and Jess’s diagnosis. My womanizing tendencies had gone into hibernation except for a random hook-up I’d rather forget. Not my finest hour. Laurie was like a spring thaw, and we seemed to hit it off. Despite only meeting once, and under unusual circumstances, I felt something. Felt like we’d connected in more than a superficial way.

I didn’t totally understand her weird reaction to Olivia since clearly, the booze had been doing most of the talking. But I hated to leave things the way they’d ended. If Irene couldn’t give up any information on Miss Laurie Arnold, perhaps the internet would.

I logged into Facebook, searched Google, and browsed some dating sites. I had no idea of her social status, or financial status, or any other status for that matter, to know on which platforms I’d be most likely to find her. Hell, she could be married for all I knew and looking for some side action. That thought made me wince, and my bum knee throbbed in sympathetic pain.

I searched anyway, until my fingers tingled and my temples throbbed. Hundreds of Laurie Arnolds came up, but none of the pictures I found looked even remotely like her. Some didn’t even live in the U.S. Dammit. It was like she didn’t exist at all, disappearing into the night like a modern-day Cinderella fleeing the ball. But she hadn’t left her glass slipper behind as a clue. She hadn’t left anything behind. Even a ‘fuck you.’

As if on cue, I heard the strains of “Bibbity Bobbity Boo” float from the TV in Jess’s room and let out an ironic laugh. She’d swapped out the DVD for her second favorite, Cinderella. I admitted defeat, at least for today, and shut down my computer. Sadly, I couldn’t think of anywhere in Rochester that sold crystal footwear.