Chapter 7

Tanner

After a riveting conversation with my daughter about what transpired last night, I had resolved to do a multitude of things to ensure it never happened again. And it irked me how poorly I treated the woman who single-handedly saved my daughter from the scum that were after her, and I hoped I would see her again so I could properly apologize for my behavior.

The next morning, I immediately called my manager and told him I wanted a new agent, telling him about what could’ve happened to my daughter due to his incompetence. My manager tried to reason with me to give the guy another chance, but I wasn’t having it. The man only cared about lining his own pockets, and I’ll be damned if I let him profit on me anymore.

The next thing I asked for was to hire a team of bodyguards to protect me, and by extension, Beth. I didn’t want just any ragtag bunch, either. I wanted professionals, and I was going to personally read through their qualifications myself, so I could be sure they were the best of the best. I was quite meticulous when it comes to such matters, and it was a quality transposed onto my craft as well. I could not be contented unless the mood was perfect, the strums of the guitar and the rest of the instruments colliding with each other in harmony, every note drenched in perfection.

My manager had sighed heavily after hearing all of my demands, but he knew I wasn’t one to budge on things I cared about, so he promised to get on top of it and call me as soon as he found an agency suitable. With nothing else scheduled the rest of the day, I made my way to the kitchen to make some pancakes. It was the only way to get my daughter up off the bed by herself.

Sure enough, like a mouse headed for a mouse trap baited with the world’s finest cheese, I heard the door upstairs squeak softly, and then the pitter patter of feet as she came down the stairs, her nose turned up and sniffing the air. I chuckled as I flipped another pancake.

“Is that for me?” she asked, grinning widely.

“It’s for both of us, and only if you wash your face first,” I answered. She clapped her hands together with a jubilant smile before racing back upstairs to do what I told her to.

I was placing stacks of pancakes down when she got back down, her curly hair still wild and all over the place, but her face clean and a little pink. She raised her knife and fork at the ready, her eyes trained to her plate as I placed two pieces of pancakes on it, and then drizzled it lightly with chocolate syrup.

“Thank you, Daddy!” she exclaimed, jabbing her fork on the pancake and taking a huge bite.

“You’re welcome, Pumpkin,” I replied, taking my seat across from her and helping myself with breakfast. “Did you sleep well?”

She nodded, her mouth full.

“Do you still remember the woman who helped you last night?” I asked.

“Becca?” she answered, swallowing. “She’s really pretty, Daddy.”

I remembered the woman’s violet eyes blazing as she glared at me, her red hair bouncing from behind her in a ponytail and mentally agreed with Beth. That Becca woman was really pretty.

“Did she really fight off three bad guys by herself?” Beth’s eyes widened as she nodded, her face uncharacteristically serious.

“She was so amazing, Daddy! She kicked the baddies’ butt like Blossom!” she squealed. I tilted my head.

“Blossom?” I parroted.

“Powerpuff Girls, Daddy!” she cried, scowling at me like I was supposed to know such a thing. “Sugar, spice, and everything nice!”

“Ah, right. The bug-eyed children. Which one is Blossom?” I asked, humoring her.

“She wears pink!”

“The redhead?”

“You remembered!” she smiled happily, and I shook my head in amusement. Never a dull moment with this kid.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full. Now finish your food.”

“Are you going to work again, Daddy?” she asked, her voice lower now, and losing most of her chirpiness from earlier. I smiled and shook my head.

“No, Pumpkin. It’s my day off,” I replied, and she grinned widely.

We finished our breakfast, and I busied myself washing the dishes when the phone rang. I dried my hands and picked up the receiver.

“Okay, I’ve already let Alan go like you said, but not without him causing a huge commotion here in the office, though. His face was so red, he looked like he was going to explode,” he said.

“I don’t care. Did you get me a new agent now?” I asked harshly.

“I’m working on it,” he replied, irritated. “You’ll be happy to know that I found a protection detail for you.”

“Really? So quickly?” I said, surprised.

“Well, it was actually a suggestion by a friend of mine. You know that actress in that action flick showing last month? Veronica Langley? Well, I’m tight with her new manager, and she told me they’re using the same guys she suggested, even verified their services and everything. Apparently, these guys are all former special forces guys, so they’re the real deal.”

“Excellent. Good work, Jonathan. Please get in contact with them and have them send me a list of their most capable agents so I could choose them myself. Thank you.”

We talked about other work-related stuff, and how my new album was progressing before we finally ended the conversation. Though I felt a little guilty giving my manager more work, I knew he didn’t think I was being an asshole intentionally. He understood how important family was to me, and that was probably why he wasn’t really complaining. I should definitely treat this guy for a drink next time.

My mind went back to that woman again, which was weird because there was nothing in here to trigger me to do so. Nevertheless, I had a feeling I had seen her somewhere even before the café. It was a niggling feeling at the back of my head I couldn’t get rid of…

I was still thinking about her while I spent time with Beth, to the point that even my daughter could tell something was preoccupying my mind.

“Are you going inside your studio again, Daddy?” she asked me all of a sudden. My brows furrowed, wondering why she thought that.

“Why do you think I’m going to the studio, Pumpkin?” I asked her, and she chewed the inside of her lip thoughtfully.

“You’re making that weird face again,” she said.

“Hm?”

“You have this weird face, Daddy. You make it before you go inside your studio, and then you disappear for hours…,” she explained.

Ah, I understood. She was talking about the times I went inside my studio to write songs. These were moments I would immediately lose myself trying to capture the feeling with my pen and guitar.

“I don’t like that face, Daddy,” Beth mumbled, taking me away from my thoughts.

“What do you mean, sweetheart? Do I look bad?” I asked.

“No. It just means you’re going to disappear and I won’t be able to play with you for a while,” she answered, and my heart broke at the admission. I didn’t realize my work was causing her to feel neglected.

I placed my hand on her shoulders, and looked her straight in the eye.

“Pumpkin, I’m really sorry for not spending as much time as I would like with you,” I said. “I swear to God, I didn’t mean it. But I hope you understand that whenever Daddy goes inside his studio, or when he has to be gone for a few days, all of that is due to my work, and I’m working very hard for you. Everything I’m doing is for you, you have to believe that.”

“But I don’t like being alone, Daddy,” she whispered, sniffling a bit as her eyes started to gloss over with unshed tears. I pulled her into my chest and hugged her tightly against me, her small fists burrowing themselves in my chest as she sobbed quietly.

“I know, Pumpkin,” I said. “But I swear to you things are going to change very soon. I’ll make sure of it.”