Page 89 of The Heartbreaker

“She can’t be more than, what, twenty-two, twenty-three, tops?”

Rather than comment on her age—since I knew the answer—I held the lobby door open for her and shifted things a little by saying, “Do you find that as a negative?”

“Someone with more experience couldn’t hurt. But you’ve said you’re pleased with Daisy’s progress so far, right?”

When we reached the front of her car, I stopped and turned toward her. “Daisy’s doing great. There’s nothing to worry about as far as her education is concerned.”

“I just wish Addison had a few more years under her belt—that’s all.” She shifted her weight, crossing her arms over her chest. “She did sound confident though, especially with the co-parenting part, and she was definitely reassuring.”

“I think she’s going to be good for our girl.”

“Because she’s gorgeous?” She rolled her eyes, letting out a small laugh. “Don’t tell me you didn’t notice.”

It didn’t matter if she was my ex or not; I wasn’t a fucking idiot, and I knew better than to go there. “Because the school wouldn’t have hired her if the administration didn’t think she was qualified and up to par with today’s standards.” I needed Jana to know I was on her side when it came to our daughter. “We’ll keep an eye on things, and if you don’t think Daisy is making the kind of leaps that she should, we’ll reevaluate.” I paused. “Sound good?”

She nodded. “Let me know if you want to pop over sometime this weekend to see her. If not, I’ll plan on dropping her off on Monday.”

“How long is this trip for?”

She moved all her hair onto one shoulder and finger-combed the strands. “Just four days. I’ll be back in time to pick her up from school on Friday.” She pulled out her key fob with her other hand. “Hey, I meant to ask you. Did you buy the concert tickets?”

I chuckled. “Yeah, I did.”

“And am I going to kill you over how much you spent?”

“I’m never going to tell you how much I spent, so no.”

“Ridge …” She stood frozen in the doorway of her car, assessing my face. “You got VIP tickets, didn’t you?”

I took a few steps toward my car. “Why would you think that?”

“Because I know you better than anyone and I can see right through you.”

I just hoped that was all she could see.

I gave her a smile and turned around, waving to her over my shoulder as I headed to my car. Once I was in the driver’s seat, I watched Jana pull out of the parking lot, and I took out my phone to send Addison a text.

Me

God, you’re amazing.

Addison

Not sure if you’re still up?! It’s been a long night … and I’ve had a few drinks with Leah.

Me

Are you all right?

Addison

Yeah, yeah. 20 meetings was a lot.

Me

Ours couldn’t have gone better, I don’t think. You’re impressive—I hope you know that.

Addison