Page 9 of Secret Love (The Single Dad Playbook #2)

CHAPTER NINE

TABLE TALK

HENLEY

The mood is somber when I get to Bree’s house. Gracie opens the door for me, her eyes wide.

“Mommy’s crying,” she whispers.

I lift two bags of takeout from Starlight Cafe. “Hopefully this will help.”

She perks right up. “Did you get pie too?”

“Would I leave Starlight without pie?”

“I hope you got the chocolate because that’s my favorite,” she says.

“Peanut, when have I ever left you hanging?”

She grins and wraps her arms around my waist, squeezing tight.

Audrey jogs down the stairs, also looking shaken.

“What’s up, buttercup?” I’m waiting for the day when one of them rolls their eyes at me for still calling them the nicknames I always have, but so far, that hasn’t happened.

When she gets to the bottom stair, she leans her forehead on my shoulder and also peeks in the bags. “Yay,” she cheers quietly. And then, “What’s going on with Mom and Cassidy?”

“Where are they?” I pause to listen and it sounds like they’re in the kitchen. “I’ll just let them know dinner’s here. Give me two minutes.”

Every Monday night that I’m not playing football or traveling, I bring dinner and help with homework. Bree eats with us sometimes or catches up on work. It was awkward the first year after we divorced, but now we’re a few years in and we’ve settled into our new normal. It took some work, but I’m proud of us for being adults and putting the girls first.

When I get near the kitchen, I hear Bree saying, “Why didn’t you tell us?”

I knock on the doorframe and they turn to look at me, both with red-rimmed eyes and blotchy faces. I set the bags on the island and reach out for Cassidy. She moves into my arms and cries.

“It’s okay, bunny. We’re going to figure this out, okay?”

“I feel so stupid.” The wobble in her voice breaks my heart and I smooth back her hair and tilt her chin to look up at me.

“You are not stupid, Cassidy. Listen to me with everything you’ve got, okay? Just because some things might be harder to figure out, it doesn’t take away from the fact that you are so smart. I’m blown away by the way your mind works, the funny things you say, the brilliant way you look at the world. We’re going to get help. Miss Seymour would like to do some tests and it sounds like she’s got experience with this. Between us and Miss Seymour, I think it can get better. And if the three of us can’t figure it out, we’ll find someone else who can help too. How does that sound?”

She nods and sniffles. Bree passes a tissue and Cassidy wipes her nose. “Okay.” There are a few more tears, but she wipes them away and takes a deep breath. “Okay.” This time it sounds more resolute, and I smile.

“That’s my girl. I’ve got some burgers and pie with your names on it. Should we eat it or—” I take the huge slice of strawberry pie, her favorite, out of the bag and lift my eyebrows.

She snatches it out of my hand and grins. “We should definitely eat it.”

Bree shoots me a grateful look and I start unloading the bags.

“Girls, come eat,” I call, and Audrey and Gracie are there so fast it’s obvious they were eavesdropping.

We take a time-out from all the serious talk and sit down at the table to eat. The conversation is light. Despite Cassidy still looking sad, I try my best to pull her out of it and so does Bree.

While the girls clean up, I refill my water bottle and chat with Bree.

“I haven't seen Alex in a while. How’s he doing?” I ask.

“He’s good. We had a good trip this weekend,” Bree says. She smirks.

“He's wishing he could do a workout with you and the guys. Get in shape a little more.”

I laugh. “He's welcome anytime, but he seems in shape to me.”

“Yeah. He's all talk, but he does sit behind a desk too long every day, so he could stand to get a workout in more often.”

Bree's been dating Alex for the past four months or so. I like the guy. He’s a financial advisor and way more type-A than I’ll ever be, which fits Bree a lot better. He's nice, but more importantly, he’s good to the girls. And he doesn't seem to mind that I'm around a lot, which is the way it's got to be.

I look over the worksheet Gracie is working on, and Audrey and Cassidy come back to the table with their backpacks in tow. When Audrey's done, she goes upstairs to get her shower and Gracie watches a show. I sit down with Cassidy and look over her work. She’s frustrated and puts her head on the table.

“Can you tell me a little more about what happens when you read?” I ask.

“I don’t even know how to explain it. It’s like the words just jumble together or jump around. I don’t know.” Her eyes fill with tears again in frustration.

“Would you like to do the tests Miss Seymour suggested?”

“Yes.” Her voice is soft. “I’m tired, Dad. Do you think I can go to bed early tonight? I’m done with everything that’s due tomorrow.”

“Of course. Get to bed. We can talk more tomorrow. I think the tests will help us know better the approach to take. That’s the impression I got from Miss Seymour anyway. Just please keep talking to us, okay? You know, you can tell your mom and me anything, right? Anything , always. It doesn't matter what it is or how hard it seems. We're gonna try our best to work through it with you and we'll love you unconditionally. Got it?”

She nods. “Thanks, Dad. I love you too.” She hugs me and I watch as she leaves the kitchen, looking older than I’d like.

I stop by Bree's office on my way out. “I’m heading out for the night.”“Thanks for dinner, Hen…and for everything. I don't know why I lost it, but I'll try to work it out on my own time. I want to be there for her the way she needs me to be. It just breaks my heart that she has never said anything about this and that we missed it.”

“I know. I hate it too.” I lean against the doorjamb. “I feel awful about it. But all I know to do is work our hardest to help her figure it out now.”

“I just don't want to put any labels on her that are unnecessary. You know? It’s hard enough to get through middle school without that.”

“No one's trying to put any labels on her.”

“I’m not sure. Miss Seymour was quick to jump on the dyslexia wagon.” She lifts a shoulder. “How old is she anyway, like twenty?” She rolls her eyes.

I’m pretty sure I flinch when she says that. That’s not possible, right? No. What am I thinking? She’d have to be older than twenty to be a teacher in the first place. My heart returns to its normal rate.

“The bottom line is that, for whatever reason, she needs our help reading. I think we should only be grateful that…Miss Seymour…saw what we were missing. Now we can do something about it.”

She frowns slightly and nods. “Yeah, you’re right. And I am grateful…it’s just hard to hear.”

I tap on the doorjamb and say goodnight to her and then the girls.

Why is it so hard to be a parent?

Parenthood seems to come with a built-in guilt mechanism, but holy fuck, the guilt is at an all-time high. I’ve considered myself a good dad—loving and present when we’re together. I try to say yes more than I say no. I try to let them know they’re the center of my universe but that it’s also important to pursue your passions.

But missing this…it’s proof that I’m not doing as well as I thought.

Knowing my daughter has suffered quietly all these years. It’s devastating.

“Later, Charlie,” I say to the night guard.

“Night, my man,” he says.

I miss the old guy. I have Beau and Linc at my place and they’re great too, but Charlie was with me from the beginning. When Bree and I divorced and I moved out, I asked Charlie and Dave, the daytime security, to stay here since the girls’ safety is my priority.

My house feels empty when I get home. I look at Tru’s number that I put in my phone after she left the voicemail. I think about texting her, but we’re not friends, and with her being Cassidy’s teacher, it would be even weirder. I meant what I said to Bree though—I’m grateful Tru opened our eyes.