Page 18 of Whiskey and Regret

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I checked the clock at 3:30 when Frankie got out of school and waited for her to call or text. She knew that was a rule and I purposefully didn’t tell Xari because I wanted to see how responsible my daughter could be around the new nanny. I hoped that Frankie would see and respect Miss Lucas as an adult and not a best friend.

At 3:35, my phone rang with a Facetime call from Frankie. When I answered it, Xari’s face came into view. Full lips painted matte red, impossibly long eyelashes, and a smattering of copper freckles sprinkled across the bridge of her nose and cheeks. Her regal cheekbones were highlighted with something golden that made her look ethereal.

Ethereal?

Van, snap the fuck out of it.

“Hi, Mr. Freeman,” she chirped. Her voice was softer than her personality. That was for damn sure. “Um, what time was I supposed to pick Frankie up?”

“What do you mean? You have her phone, why don’t you have her?”

“Well, don’t panic but…” Her big espresso brown eyes shifted from left to right, making my chest tighten. What the hell happened to my daughter?

“But what?” My voice exploded.

“I’m playing with you. I picked her up on time.” She stuck her pink tongue out at me then handed the phone to Frankie. I pressed my hand to my chest then rubbed my temple.

“Frankie, don’t play games like that, okay?”

“Daddy, it was funny. Calm down.” She was nearly doubled over with laughter. I loved the way her eyes lit up but I wasn’t with the fuck shit her and Xari were playing. I was serious about my child.

“Calm down? You think playing about your safety is funny?” I glared into the phone. I caught a glimpse of myself in the smaller box at the top of my screen and realized how much I looked like my father when I made that face. I forced my muscles to relax. “Hand the phone to Miss Lucas.”

“Uh oh, am I in trouble?” I could tell by the mischief in her eyes that she was being sarcastic. She had a fucking talent for it and it ate away at my nerves every time. Why couldn’t she just be normal?

“Miss Lucas, I don’t find your little joke funny. Don’t do it again. You’ll be lucky if you’re still an option for the position by the time I get home.” The casual smile dropped from her face and she narrowed her eyes enough for me to know I had her attention but not enough for it to come off as disrespect.

“Are you serious?” She scoffed.

“Very. Hand the phone back to my child.” The moment Frankie’s annoyed face popped on screen I heaved a sigh. “I will talk to you about this when I get home.”

“Okay, Daddy.” She ended the call and I let the phone clatter to my desk. I knew dealing with one preteen would be tough but Xari was turning out to be preteen number two.

“Hey, Senator Freeman, I’m gone for the day. Is there anything I can do for you before I go?”

“Your day was over pretty fast,” Apollo said. He’d been sitting just inside my office in the chair when Navy walked in.

“Yeah, I have a dentist appointment.” She kept smiling at him like she wanted him to say something else to her…anything else. He turned his gaze back to his work phone though after grunting a response. She fluttered her long lashes like she was trying to regain composure then looked at me.

“No, I don’t need anything, Navy. Thank you.”

“No problem and thank you for giving Xari a chance. I know this isn’t the place to talk about my sister but I wanted to say thank you again.”

“Don’t worry about it. Go head to your dentist's appointment.”

“Okay. Bye, Senator Freeman. Goodbye, Apollo.”

“Goodbye,” Apollo said sternly, never deviating from his usual gruffness. I noticed her linger again like she wanted him to say something else. Was he blind? Navy liked him and he damn sure liked her. Okay, well it was as close to liking anyone as I’d ever seen Apollo come. He let her walk down the hall without saying another word. He watched her until she stepped on the elevator though.

“Why haven’t you asked her out yet, Apollo?” I sighed.

“Who? Navy?” He let out a dry sound that was meant to be a chuckle. It was a sorry excuse. Apollo didn’t laugh. He was essentially stone in the shape of a man. He was still one of my closest friends. When he wasn’t on duty, we talked. He helped me maintain my emotions during the divorce. Apollo was a master at masking emotions. Maybe to his own detriment.

“Yeah, Navy. You keep looking at her every time she comes into the room…out of the room…across the room.”

“I do not. Besides, I’m on duty. I look at anyone coming in your direction. That’s not reserved for Navy.”