27. Chapter Twenty-seven

Chapter Twenty-seven

Jake

There was no hiding from my kid. It wasn't her day with me, but I never turned down some extra Sage time. She just happened to show up, wanting to chat about her day when I was finally getting ready for the date Clara had planned.

Now, she was sitting on the closed toilet seat, watching me trim my beard, suspicion furrowing her brow.

"You never trim your beard at night."

I met her gaze in the mirror. "It was looking a little unruly, don't you think?"

She shrugged, still scrutinizing me. "You don't usually take showers at night either. Are you going somewhere?"

"You're pretty nosy today, Sagie."

She shook her finger at me. "And you're avoiding the question, Daddy. What gives?"

I placed the trimmer on the counter and grabbed my beard oil. "You're right, I do have plans."

"What kind of plans?"

"I'm catching a movie."

I tried to keep it light and easy, not wanting to arouse my little detective's suspicion. It had been easier to date when she was younger. She didn't ask questions when I went out for the night other than if I'd be home when she woke up. There was no getting anything by her now, though. I wasn't even sure if I wanted to get this by her or be straight up and tell her I was seeing someone. I hadn't decided, and I was hoping for time to consider it.

Her head tipped to the side. "Can you cancel? I want you to come to dinner at our house. Mom's making meatloaf and mashed potatoes, and I miss you so much."

Fuck. I could've passed on dinner, but not my daughter missing me. Guilt swept in, knocking me back a step. I'd been looking forward to tonight for days, and I would've given anything not to miss it. But not to the detriment of my girl…

Turning to face her, I crossed my arms over my chest and looked her over. She'd shown up bouncy and happy, in her typical good mood. She hadn't acted out of sorts. I tried to assess how serious this was.

"You're coming back to me tomorrow afternoon, sweetheart. We'll have all week together. You're going to be sick of seeing me."

Her eyebrows popped. "Sooo…you're saying even though your beloved daughter misses you, you really don't want to cancel your plans?"

"I will if you really need me to." I took her chin in my hand, tilting her head left and right. "I'm just trying to decide how serious you are. Is something going on? Something happen at school or your mom's house?"

"Nope." Her mouth curved into a devious little smirk. "I was testing you."

"How so?"

"Well, you'll drop anything for me, so I wanted to see how disappointed you'd be at the possibility of canceling." Her smirk morphed into a full-wattage grin. "You have a date, don't you?"

Ah, damn. I knew Sage was smart, but I hadn't expected her to be able to manipulate me so easily. This girl was going to be trouble if she chose to use her powers for evil.

"What would you think if I said I did?"

"I'd say I hope she's cool and treats you nice."

"She is, and she does."

Sage gasped. "So, you've been on more than one date with her?"

I nodded. "A few."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"No. Didn't think you'd be interested in a couple old people going out, doing boring things."

That earned me an eye roll. "Oh, please. Of course I'm interested. What's her name? Does she like kids? Do you think she'd like me?"

Looked like we were doing this. Lying to Sage wasn't in my wheelhouse. She was old enough to get straight answers. And I guessed telling her about Clara and letting her get attached to her were two very different things.

"Do you remember Clara?"

She shot to her feet, her hands flying to her hips. "You're not dating Clara."

I had to laugh at her adamance. "Why not?"

"She's too cool for you, obviously."

I ruffled her hair. "Sorry to break it to you, but she happens to think I'm cool enough for her."

She huffed and stalked out of the bathroom. Worried she was genuinely upset, I followed her into my closet where she was riffling through my shirts.

"What's up?" I asked from the doorway.

She didn't bother looking back at me. "Your clothes are too boring for Clara. Do we have time to go shopping before your date?"

This kid. She was a roller coaster. One second, she had me thinking she felt one way, then she flipped and showed me a whole other side. Sometimes, I didn't know which way was up, but damn was it a fun ride.

"I was thinking I'd wear a T-shirt and jeans. We're not going anywhere formal."

The sigh she gave me could've knocked down a skyscraper. "Oh, Dad. Clara wears fancy high heels and has super shiny hair. Do you really think she wants you wearing a T-shirt and jeans on a date?"

"Well, that's what she wears half the time I see her, considering she rides a motorcycle too."

That got her attention. She spun around, her eyes bugging out of her head. "She rides a motorcycle ? But…she's…she's so fancy."

"She is fancy, but she's multifaceted. Want to know something really cool? Her last name is Rossi. What kind of motorcycle do I have?"

Her mouth twisted as she thought over my question. "You have a Rossi—oh my god, did Clara's family make your motorcycle?" When I nodded, she stumbled backward and pretended to faint, going starfish in the middle of my closet. "Dad, that is so cool."

"I think so too."

She pushed herself up on her elbows. "Just in case it's not obvious, I approve. Don't mess up, okay?"

With a grin, I shook my head. "I'll try not to."