have a relationship with your mother, Carrie. She loves you.”
“In her way. But it’s all about her. And right now, here it’s about me. She probably wants to see me to get you to give her more money anyway.”
He scrubbed his hands over his face. That bitch he’d married had no right to manipulate their child to get more of anything from him. But she did it and he believed part of it was that she wanted to poke at him, knowing how much he hated it.
“I’m sorry you get put in the middle.”
“I’m a big girl. Anyway, I don’t want you to feel bad. I only told you in case you heard about it otherwise. I didn’t want you to think I was hiding it. Let’s change the subject now. Are
you
dating?”
“There’s someone interesting. I don’t know yet. Not dating. More like getting to know her first. If she’s dating material, I’ll tell you more.”
“I’m not harboring any fantasies that you’re going to get back with Mom or anything. You’re a man in the prime of his life. I want you out there.”
“I promise I’m not withering up and dying. I take my personal life seriously. I have a family and I’m not just going to bring random people into it. Not because I think you can’t handle it. But because I respect my life and my daughter enough to make the right choices.”
“You’re so awesome. By the way, since I’m buttering you up and all, can I take a side trip to Paris with some of the other kids after Halloween? Just for four days. There’ll be chaperones even.”
“Hm. I want to hear from your program assistant about it. If it looks safe, yes. As long as you’re home for Thanksgiving.”
“Thanks, Dad. And yes, I’ll definitely be home! I got the ticket and everything.”
Things were changing. More than they had in a really long time. Since the divorce, when all the change had been positive but came from an extremely negative process.
But it was five years later. Seven, really, since things had deteriorated so badly between him and the ex. Carrie had blossomed as a teenager. Her grades had improved when Charlotte had left for New York and exited Carrie’s life.
Carrie was moving on to the next step. Going to college in the fall. He missed that little girl he’d taught how to sail. But he knew she’d be a wonderful woman. Knew she was strong and intelligent and would succeed. He was proud of that. Proud of her.
And now he had time to think about himself again. Not as a father. Not as a son or a partner at work. But as a man.
Change was good.
6
“So let’s try you sitting first. I’m going to get the outline started.”
Raven had shown up with her hair tied away from her face, in an ages’-old Bikini Kill T-shirt and faded jeans. She was just as beautiful as she was more dressed up.
“How long will it take, do you think?”
“All told? A full back piece can take several sessions. This is mainly black and gray work, but there’ll be lots of shading. That sort of detail is more time consuming than the larger sections of black.” She shrugged. “It’s not going to be a quick one.”
Not like he was going to complain at getting her in his house one on one.
“Okay then. Dinner after?”
She gave him a raised brow. “You’re not going to feel like making me dinner after I work on you for two hours.”
“I know how to dial a phone. And I promised martinis.”
She shrugged. “All right then.”
He turned music on before pulling his shirt off and sitting, straddling the back of the chair as she rolled a nearby stool over.
“Step one is that I’m going to do a transfer of sorts of my design to your back. Mainly so you can see the position to be sure you like the placement. The detail I do as I go along. I like that part. It’s organic. We gonna be all right with that?”
“Whatever are you trying to say?”
She snorted. “You’re a control freak. This is my design.
I
make the choices. I’m quite bossy about that.”
“I’m not sure you know me well
“In her way. But it’s all about her. And right now, here it’s about me. She probably wants to see me to get you to give her more money anyway.”
He scrubbed his hands over his face. That bitch he’d married had no right to manipulate their child to get more of anything from him. But she did it and he believed part of it was that she wanted to poke at him, knowing how much he hated it.
“I’m sorry you get put in the middle.”
“I’m a big girl. Anyway, I don’t want you to feel bad. I only told you in case you heard about it otherwise. I didn’t want you to think I was hiding it. Let’s change the subject now. Are
you
dating?”
“There’s someone interesting. I don’t know yet. Not dating. More like getting to know her first. If she’s dating material, I’ll tell you more.”
“I’m not harboring any fantasies that you’re going to get back with Mom or anything. You’re a man in the prime of his life. I want you out there.”
“I promise I’m not withering up and dying. I take my personal life seriously. I have a family and I’m not just going to bring random people into it. Not because I think you can’t handle it. But because I respect my life and my daughter enough to make the right choices.”
“You’re so awesome. By the way, since I’m buttering you up and all, can I take a side trip to Paris with some of the other kids after Halloween? Just for four days. There’ll be chaperones even.”
“Hm. I want to hear from your program assistant about it. If it looks safe, yes. As long as you’re home for Thanksgiving.”
“Thanks, Dad. And yes, I’ll definitely be home! I got the ticket and everything.”
Things were changing. More than they had in a really long time. Since the divorce, when all the change had been positive but came from an extremely negative process.
But it was five years later. Seven, really, since things had deteriorated so badly between him and the ex. Carrie had blossomed as a teenager. Her grades had improved when Charlotte had left for New York and exited Carrie’s life.
Carrie was moving on to the next step. Going to college in the fall. He missed that little girl he’d taught how to sail. But he knew she’d be a wonderful woman. Knew she was strong and intelligent and would succeed. He was proud of that. Proud of her.
And now he had time to think about himself again. Not as a father. Not as a son or a partner at work. But as a man.
Change was good.
6
“So let’s try you sitting first. I’m going to get the outline started.”
Raven had shown up with her hair tied away from her face, in an ages’-old Bikini Kill T-shirt and faded jeans. She was just as beautiful as she was more dressed up.
“How long will it take, do you think?”
“All told? A full back piece can take several sessions. This is mainly black and gray work, but there’ll be lots of shading. That sort of detail is more time consuming than the larger sections of black.” She shrugged. “It’s not going to be a quick one.”
Not like he was going to complain at getting her in his house one on one.
“Okay then. Dinner after?”
She gave him a raised brow. “You’re not going to feel like making me dinner after I work on you for two hours.”
“I know how to dial a phone. And I promised martinis.”
She shrugged. “All right then.”
He turned music on before pulling his shirt off and sitting, straddling the back of the chair as she rolled a nearby stool over.
“Step one is that I’m going to do a transfer of sorts of my design to your back. Mainly so you can see the position to be sure you like the placement. The detail I do as I go along. I like that part. It’s organic. We gonna be all right with that?”
“Whatever are you trying to say?”
She snorted. “You’re a control freak. This is my design.
I
make the choices. I’m quite bossy about that.”
“I’m not sure you know me well
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