Chapter 36
Ipicked up a bottle of wine and headed for Isadora's place. I was looking forward to some quiet time with my ladies. The more time we spent together, the more I learned about her. I was enjoying the process of getting to know my daughter.
It wasn't the ideal situation, but she was in my life now and that was what mattered. Hanging on to the anger only got in the way of me really enjoying my time with her.
When I arrived, Sloane was on the couch with the TV on, her laptop open, and her phone in hand. She had one earbud in and looked like she was talking to someone on her screen.
"This looks delicious," Isadora said as she took the wine.
I glanced over at Sloane and waved. I didn't want to interrupt her conversation.
"She's going crazy." Isadora sighed. "She's not used to being home this much. Apparently, her friends are going to die without her."
"She's multi-tasking," I joked.
Sloane grinned at me and her mother as she typed furiously on her laptop, clearly engrossed in her conversation. She gave us a quick thumbs-up, indicating that she was listening to the conversation despite being preoccupied.
Isadora laughed softly and gestured toward the kitchen. "I'm going to check on dinner. Graham, why don't you open that bottle of wine? Let's unwind a bit before dinner."
Sloane returned her attention to her laptop screen and that was when I realized she was having a chat conversation there as well.
"She's really going stir crazy, isn't she?" I asked.
"Yes. She's used to being at practice right after school or hanging out with her friends. She feels a little isolated. I'll tell her it's time to get off. She invited you here to spend time with you, not for you to watch her chat with her friends."
"It's okay," I said. "I don't want to be in her way."
"You're not."
She pulled two wine glasses from a cupboard and handed them to me. I poured us each a glass and sipped. "Dinner smells good," I commented.
"Thank you. It should be ready in about twenty minutes. I got a bit of a late start."
"No worries. I'm going to go sit down with Sloane."
Isadora smiled. "She'd like that, even if it doesn't look like it right now."
I walked back to the living room and sat in one of the overstuffed chairs.
"Guys, I have to go," Sloane said. "My dad's here."
Hearing her call me her dad hit me in a way I hadn't expected. She closed her laptop and pulled out her earbud. "Sorry about that."
"No worries. How are you feeling?"
"Alright." She shrugged. "It aches a bit."
I looked at her cast propped up on pillows. "I see your friends were busy."
She giggled. "They all wanted to sign it. Aunt Holly was the first though."
"And how was your first day back at school? If I were you, I would have milked my injury and stayed at home for at least a week."
"No way," she said. "It's too boring here. And school was awesome. I saw my friends. The teachers were super nice. Everyone carried my books and got my lunch. I felt like a queen."
"That's great to hear," I said, genuinely happy for her. "You deserve to be treated like a queen after getting banged up."
Sloane smiled, a genuine warmth spreading across her face. "I'm glad you're here," she said softly.
"I'm glad to be here," I replied. "Thanks for inviting me." I glanced at a shelf with books and games neatly organized. I got up and went to check it out. "Trivial Pursuit?"
"Mom's game," Sloane sighed. "She likes to have game night, but it's been a while."
I saw the box of dominoes and pulled it. "Ever played this?"
"Play? No, I used those for a science project last year."
"Ah, then you're in for a treat." I grinned.
"You want to play dominoes?" she asked in horror.
"What, afraid I'll beat you?" I teased.
"I've never played before," she said.
I quickly set up the game, explaining the rules to Sloane as I did. It was a simple enough game, just the regular version where you scored points with multiples of five. Sloane caught on quickly, her competitive nature shining through as she quickly managed to get the hang of it.
I won the first round. "Better luck next time," I said.
"I'm injured, you're supposed to let me win," she pouted.
"Yeah, right." I laughed. "No mercy. You have to earn it."
"Cutthroat." She smiled. "I like it."
"Only the best for my opponent," I said with a wink.
As we played round after round, the competitive spirit in her only grew stronger, and soon enough, she was giving me a run for my money. After a few rounds, she managed to beat me.
"You get that competitive streak from your mother, you know," I teased, nudging her playfully as she basked in her win. "She's always been a force to be reckoned with."
Sloane looked at her mom. "She is kind of tough."
"Dinner is ready if you two are done trying to one up each other," Isadora said.
"Need help?" I asked Sloane.
"I can do it," she said with determination on her face.
Isadora brought the steaming dishes to the table. "Wow, Isadora, this looks amazing," I remarked with genuine appreciation. "I had no idea you could cook like this."
"Me neither," Sloane said with a grin, clearly messing around.
Her mother's mouth dropped open. "I cook for you—sometimes."
"She didn't always cook all that well," Sloane said, throwing her mom under the bus with glee. "She used to make me grilled cheese. It was always black. She would scrape off the charcoal and tell me to eat it. I called it killed cheese."
Isadora playfully scowled at Sloane. "I always ate the burned ones, and you know it. Whatever. I was still learning back then. Look how far we've come now."
We all dug into the food. The chicken was excellent.
I smiled at Isadora. "I can't speak for your grilled cheese, but you knocked this out of the park."
She looked pleased at the compliment. "Thank you."
"How many lessons did you take?" I asked her.
"It was maybe twelve or so," Isadora answered. "My mother cooked. I did get to learn from her."
"Your mom cooked?" I asked with surprise.
Isadora laughed. "I know it sounds crazy, but my mom did enjoy cooking. She just didn't do it a lot."
Sloane nodded. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
I laughed and Isadora shook her head. "Clearly, you're feeling better," she told her daughter.
"Well, whatever you and your mother cooked together, it certainly paid off," I remarked. "This meal is absolutely delicious. I would pay money for it."
"Thank you." Isadora smiled, blushing a little. "I'm glad at least one person appreciates my cooking around here."
We finished the meal, which was really good. When she told me she had taken cooking lessons, I wasn't expecting much. I knew how she grew up with a full-time staff running the house, including a personal chef. She proved me wrong.
"Do you want to stay and watch a movie?" Sloane asked.
I looked to Isadora for approval. "She's already picked a movie," Isadora warned. "I'm not sure you want to stay."
"What is it?" I asked.
Isadora hesitated. "It's a romantic comedy," she admitted, looking slightly embarrassed.
I chuckled. "I think I can handle a romantic comedy. Lead the way, Sloane."
We went to the living room. Isadora dimmed the lights and Sloane eagerly pressed play on the movie. With Sloane nestled comfortably between us, we settled in.
"Have you seen this before?" Sloane asked.
"I don't know what this is," I said, watching two little kids on a beach in a thunderstorm.
"Sweet Home Alabama," Isadora answered. "It's her favorite."
"I want to go to Alabama," Sloane said.
Isadora smiled fondly at Sloane. "Maybe we can plan a trip there one day," she suggested softly.
"Have you ever been to Alabama?" Sloane asked me.
I shook my head. "Nope."
As the movie unfolded, I found myself getting drawn into the storyline, despite romantic comedies not typically being my go-to genre. But seeing the way Sloane's eyes lit up as she watched her favorite movie, I couldn't help but be interested. I wanted to know what made her tick.
As the credits rolled, Sloane excused herself to go to her room. "Thanks for inviting me to dinner," I said to Sloane. "I hope your ankle feels better tomorrow."
"You're welcome," Sloane replied.
I wasn't sure if I was supposed to try and hug her. I hung back, deciding I would know when the time was right for that. Sloane went to her room, leaving me with Isadora.
"She's enjoying this," Isadora said.
"Yeah, she loved that movie."
"No," she said, laughing. "She enjoys getting to hang out with you and showing you things she likes. I know it's not exciting, but this is her."
"It's exciting to me," I said. "And I like that she liked that movie. The girl chose the blue-collar guy over the rich New York guy."
Isadora laughed. "She gets that from her mother."
"Yes, if I recall, you enjoyed slumming it with the son of one of your father's lowly employees," I said, grinning.
She shook her head. "I was never slumming it with you."
"Your father thought so," I said.
She shrugged. "My father is a fucking idiot. Smart at business but terrible at being a decent human being."
I chuckled. "I can't disagree with that. Thank you for tonight. It's been special. She's a cool kid. Great sense of humor for someone so young. Like she actually makes me laugh."
Isadora smiled warmly at me. "Yeah, we got lucky with her. And I'm glad you're here. You have a way of making her feel comfortable. And I like that she's immobile. It means I get to spend more time with her too."
"She's an active kid," I said, nodding.
"Very. And I know it only gets worse from here. She's going to be even more involved with her friends. And boys. She'll never be home."
I groaned. "I'm not sure I like being brought in for the ninth inning."
She looked shocked. "I'm sorry."
"No, no," I quickly added. "I was joking. I just mean, I'm coming into her life at the same time boys do. I think I should buy a shotgun and guard the door."
She burst into laughter. "Trust me, I've thought about it."
"Is Todd the first boyfriend?"
Isadora nodded. "Yes. He seems like a good kid."
"Let me know if you need me to talk to him," I offered. "Scare him a little. Slap him around."
She laughed. "Oh, I will but let's hope you don't have to assault a freshman in high school."
She walked me to the door, but I wasn't ready to go. A fierce longing seized hold of me. "Walk me to the elevator," I whispered.
She knew exactly what I was asking. She closed the door and walked with me to the elevator. I reached out, pulling her toward me with a heated glance, and pressed my lips against hers. Isadora melted into the kiss. Her hands found their way to my waist and she pulled me closer. The feel of her against me was incredible.
Breaking apart, our breaths ragged and labored, I found myself struggling to articulate the intensity of what I felt. "Isadora," I began, my voice barely a whisper. "Tonight… it's been one of the best I've had in a long time."
Her eyes shimmered with tears. "I feel it too, Graham," she confessed, her voice soft yet resolute. "I can't tell you how many nights I sat on the couch longing for you to share moments with. But you understand we still need to keep this between us. I don't want to get Sloane involved. Not yet. She's happy right now and I know she wants you in our lives. She wants more nights like this, but if it doesn't work out, I still want us to have these fun times together with no tension."
"I know," I murmured. "But I don't want us to stop. Not now, not ever. It kills me to be this close and yet still so far away from you."
"Me too," she murmured.
"But what if…" I hesitated, the words clinging to the tip of my tongue. "What if we could get away? Just the two of us."
Isadora's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean go away together?"
I nodded. "Yes, we could say it's for work, a business trip or something. Whatever cover story you want to use, since we need to keep things hush-hush."
"I can work with that," she said. "That's a good idea."
With one last lingering kiss, I reluctantly released her from my embrace, brushing my thumb over her lips. "I wish…" I began, my voice trailing off as I struggled to find the words to express the depth of my yearning.
"I know," she whispered. "Me too."
I stepped into the elevator, my eyes locked on hers as the doors slid closed. As the elevator descended, I couldn't shake the overwhelming rush of emotions that swirled inside me. Isadora's taste was still on my lips. The idea of getting away with her consumed my thoughts.