I wanted to push KO as to why she was back and how long she’d be staying, but I knew from past experience that if she didn’t want to talk about it, no amount of questioning was going to get the information out of her. I decided to let it go and focus on her plan to help me find a way to get Blake to talk to me.
We spent the rest of the day talking about how to solve the problem. Around 5, KO got up to get ready to head to The Lucky Clover for her shift.
“You’re already going back to work?” I said, surprised that she was slipping right back into her regular schedule despite having been gone for several months.
“Yeah, I need to make some bank this week,” she sighed, as she walked into the bedroom and dug through her closet. She came back to the kitchen pulling on a shirt that said “I’m Not Yelling. I’m Speaking with Authority.”
“What do your customers think of your T-shirts?” I laughed.
“They love it!” she said, grabbing a hoodie from the back coat rack and pulling it on. “Hell, some of them come to the bar just to find out what I’m wearing on any given night!”
“You’re one in a million, KO,” I said, shaking my head.
“So are you, Em,” she said, pulling me into a bear hug before she kissed the top of my head and slapped my ass. “Now, we just need to get that man of yours to remember that fact!”
“I don’t know, KO,” I sighed. “I’m not convinced he’s coming back.
“Of course he is,” she said, as she stuffed her wallet into her back pocket and grabbed her keys off the front hall table. “We just have to remind him a little.”
She took off out the door, waving goodbye as she pulled out of the drive. I went back inside and cleaned up the kitchen before I took a shower and got back to grading 10th grade History papers.
I hoped KO was right.
Chapter Forty-One
Blake
On Thursday morning, a county sheriff showed up at work and served me with the papers that Remy’s high-powered lawyer had filed. I was to show up in court the following week and present my side of the case to the judge in Family Court. I wasn’t surprised that Remy had moved so quickly, but I was surprised that the court had agreed to hear the evidence so fast. It made me wonder what strings Remy had pulled with the people in power and whether I had a snowball’s chance in hell of getting a fair hearing.
I spent the next several days mulling over my options and talking with my lawyer. I missed Nina terribly, but for now, I could only chat with her in text or on the phone.
On Friday night, my phone rang, and when I picked it up, I saw Nina was FaceTiming me.
“Hey, Punkin, what’s up?” I said, flipping on the video and watching as my daughter’s face appeared on the screen.
“I hate it here, Dad,” she said glumly. I could see that she was in her bedroom and that Remy had done some redecorating.
“I know, kiddo, but you’re going to have to hang tough and wait for the hearing,” I said, reminding myself not to do anything to fan the flames of resent
ment between Nina and her mother.
“Dad, she thinks I’m perpetually 12,” Nina said, rolling her eyes. “She treats me like I can’t do anything myself, and when I do, she yells at me for doing it wrong.”
“Patience, kiddo. Have patience,” I reminded her. It killed me to see my daughter so miserable and not be able to do a damn thing about it.
“Have you talked to Emily yet?” she asked.
“No, you know how I feel about what she did,” I said flatly.
“Dad, it wasn’t her fault!” Nina cried. “I asked her not to say anything, and she respected my wishes. You can’t be mad at her because of what I did!”
“Nina, we’ve been over this numerous times,” I reminded her. “Emily was the adult in the situation, and she should have called me to let me know you were safe. End of discussion.”
“You’re so hardheaded,” she said in an exasperated voice. “You need to forgive her, Dad. She’s the best thing that ever happened to you.”
“Besides you,” I said, without missing a beat.
“Yes, me, whatever,” she sighed. “You need to call Emily and talk to her. Forgive her, Dad.”