Page 108 of Whiskey and Regret

“Why? It’s not like you or Xari cared what I saw or heard last night.” I’d never heard so much venom dripping from my daughter’s mouth. I was stunned silent. All I could do was blink at her like a stranger.

Alexis’s overly arched brows lifted high on her smooth forehead as her head swiveled around to Frankie. “Excuse me, what did you say, Francesca?” A laugh dripped from her red lips before she continued. “Did you say your father and your nanny didn’t care what you saw or heard last night? Pray tell, what did you see and or hear last night, baby?” Now that Frankie was divulging information Alexis thought could help her, she was being sweet as pie.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Frankie clicked her seatbelt into place and slouched down in the seat.

“If you saw something inappropriate, I need to know, Francesca.”

“We’re not doing this right now, Alexis. You can take Frankie home with you and have this talk.”

“You know what, Van?” She pushed the ignition button and killed the car’s engine. “I think weallneed to sit down and talk about this.”

“Not like this, we don’t. You have an agenda. If you want to talk, we’ll do it after everyone has cooled off.” I aimed a stare at my child who cast her gaze down.

“Oh, you need time to coach the whore? Right. Why don’t we have a talk with our lawyers present, Van?”

“That’s not necessary and you know it. I’m done entertaining this shit. Frankie, enjoy your week.” I walked off with a steel rod for a spine and cinderblocks for muscles.

Xari was in the kitchen wiping down the whiteboard, clearing Frankie’s schedule for the week. I noticed the colorful markers off to the side which meant she was preparing to load up Frankie’s new schedule for the week.

“Don’t even bother.” I went straight for the whiskey and ice. “Frankie is going with her mother for the week.”

“You actually let her go?”

“I’m never going to stop her from spending time with her mother no matter how much it pisses me off. Frankie needed to play a trump card to feel in control of her life and her situation. That’s fine. She can have that. When she comes back in this house, we’re all going to sit the fuck down and have a real discussion.” I felt the vein in my neck twitching but I couldn’t calm myself down no matter how much I tried.

Xari sauntered over to me and rubbed my back. Her touch was Novocain, numbing all the bullshit and pain. She looked just as worn out by everything as I was.

“If you want to put things between us on hold until you sort this out with Frankie and Alexis…”

“What?” I didn’t bother letting her finish her statement. “Xari, I love you. If anything, this just solidifies it because I’m not willing to let a misunderstanding drive us apart. I know that’s not what Frankie wants either. She’s just hurting right now and there’s a lot she doesn’t understand.”

“But…” I put my finger over her soft lips and shut her up again. She looked up at me with big espresso eyes and my heart squeezed. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.

“No buts, Miss Lucas. We’re in this together.”

“So, we’re basically the twenty-twenty version of Method Man and Mary J. Blige.”

I cracked a smile and said, “You’re all that I need. I’ll be there for you. If you keep it real with me, I’ll keep it real with you.”

“See? This works,” she pointed to me then to herself. “You already look like Method Man and I’m obsessed with Mary J. Blige’s style from that era.”

“Let me guess, you have an outfit that works with this entire theme, right?” Her brown eyes lit up. Stars danced in rich pools of coffee.

“You know me so well.”

“I do.” I tugged her petite frame closer, needing the smell of her skin and the taste of her lips. “I’m sorry you couldn’t enjoy your first performing job, Xari.”

“It’s okay,” she said with a shrug. “I’m more concerned about talking to Frankie at this point. She can’t just run off to her mom’s place when shit gets real. I mean…she can but she needs to address it.”

“Exactly,” I nodded, kissing a trail from her knuckles to the crook of her arm. Her warm jasmine scent was stronger there. “She pretty much told Alexis what happened last night. I know when they get to her house, she’s going to pull out more details.”

“Are you fucking serious? Frankie told Alexis?”

“In a very passive-aggressive way, but yeah. She did.”

“I can’t believe her. She’s pissed at me, I get it but…”

“She’s pissed at both of us. She made me promise I wouldn’t get involved with you too.”