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“With Cari.”
“With Cari?” It’s strange how attached Brooke is to Cari. Not once has she said anything about Anna.
“Yeah, with Cari,” Brooke insists as I fill her plate with fruit and pour her a bowl of cereal.
“Did I hear my name?” Speak of the devil, and Cari comes bouncing in looking remarkably upbeat. Not anything like how I expected. She's wearing a tank top and shorts with frayed edges.
These days, she often surprises me. For a few seconds, my hand stills on the milk I was about to pour into Brooke’s bowl. She must have heard Brooke and I talking as she came down the stairs, and after last night I would have understood if she didn’t come down to breakfast at all. But she’s here, pulling up a chair next to Brooke as if everything is fine. She’s in my direct line of sight. I gaze at the slices of grapefruit on my plate.
“You want to go to the Blue Lagoon?” Cari asks, gaily, filling her plate with a mountain of fruit. “Sure. I’m up for that. Let’s go.”
She’s all for it, but I'm not so sure we can be around one another. “Why don’t you take the day off?” I suggest. “You worked yesterday, and it was a Sunday.”
“So did you.” She flashes me a sweet smile that confuses the hell out of me. If I was hoping for a flicker of recollection of last night, it’s not there. “Going to the Crystal Caves with Brooke isn’t work.” She smiles sweetly and I feel like she’s up to something, and I’m not sure I like it.
“If you have other plans …” I offer.
“I do have plans, but not till this evening.”
My jaw hardens. I can already guess.
“I'm meeting Jacques and the gang this evening,” she says, as if reading my mind.
Jacques and the gang.After what we shared last night, she’s meeting him again?
“We've been invited to an informal get together this evening,” I announce suddenly. Bryce has come in handy for a change. I turn to Brooke. “Do you remember the twins, Melly and Andi, and their cute little ponies?”
“I remember them,” Brooke cries. “I love their ponies!” I’m amazed she remembers. It was only last year, but a year is a long time in little lives.
“Their parents have invited us over, and they want you to come.”
“I wanna go! Will I get to ride a pony?”
I stab my fork into the grapefruit. “I’m sure you will.” I pause and direct my gaze at Cari. “You and I will both go, sweet pea. Cari’s got other plans.” The idea of her spending the evening with Jacques screws with my mind.
Brooke’s face drops.
“You and your daddy can have a lot of fun,” Cari tells her.
“But I want you to come! Please come, Cari. Please.”
Cari throws me a look that has the power to freeze my insides. I don’t fully understand why she’s so mad at me. “You know, what?” She picks up a banana, having hungrily devoured all her fruit. I marvel at her appetite—apparently everything is just fine and dandy in her world. I don't think she lost any sleep over what happened—or didn't happen—between us last night. “I'll just rearrange and meet my friends tomorrow.”
“You can do that?” I snap.
“I can do that.”
“Yay!” Brooke gurgles with happiness. “When are we going, Daddy?”
Cari slowly peels the banana and looks at me as she takes a bite. My train of thought derails.
“Daddy! What time?” Brooke asks, impatiently as Cari licks her lower lip, then takes another bite.
“Seven …” I hiss, feeling a familiar twitch in my pants. Cari chews slowly, her eyes on me the entire time.
“Daddy when—”
“Eat your breakfast … sweet pea,” I say as calmly as possible given the situation.