Page 86 of Play For Keeps

“You’re a good mom, Everly. You have always put Birdie first. It’s admirable.”

This is one of the hardest conversations I think I’ve ever had. Miranda has made it clear over the years that she doesn’t like me.

“Are you sure about this guy?”

I sit straighter in my chair, looking her in the eyes. “If you are asking if I’m sure about Jake, the answer is yes. If I wasn’t, he wouldn’t be in our lives. I would never take a chance when it comes to Birdie’s heart.”

Her lips turn into a flat line before she sips again from her coffee cup.

I’ve known this woman for close to a decade, and I should know what that look in her eyes means… but I don’t. In all honesty, I am done worrying about what she thinks.

JAKE

I toss my iPhone onto my desk, then massage my scalp with my fingers. My hair is long, falling over my forehead. I haven’t bothered to get it cut. I haven’t bothered to shave either. I haven’t felt like doing much.

I also haven’t been sleeping. I lie in bed every night, staring at the ceiling until I give up and turn on the TV. Last night, I fell asleep watching reruns of Seinfeld. The night before, I went for a run, hoping to clear my head. The only time I sleep well is when I’m in Brookmont with Everly. I’ve gotten so used to having her in my bed that when she isn’t there, I can’t turn my brain off.

I miss her. Fuck, how I miss her. And it only seems to get worse every day. I miss the way she snuggles in next to me when we’re watching TV on the couch. I miss the scent of her body lotion that has faded from my bed sheets. If it wasn’t for the fact that I own my own company, I probably would have quit my job by now and moved to Brookmont, but for obvious reasons I can’t. I’m stuck here while she’s stuck two hours away. And there’s nothing either of us can do about it.

A yawn overtakes me, and I rub my blurry eyes. I have a contract to go over that will take me at least an hour. Then I need to meet with potential new clients to talk through a kitchen and bathroom renovation.

Work is what’s getting me through my days, it is the distraction I need to stop thinking about Everly and Birdie. Ev says she is doing well at school, but she misses her friends in Reed Point. And me. I miss her too. So much some days it physically hurts.

Saying goodbye to the two of them was fucking hard. Will we find a way to be together? And how long will it take? My biggest fear is that she’ll get tired of doing long distance. What if she decides it’s not worth it? I hate everything about this arrangement. I just wish I saw a way to change it.

My phone rings. I check the screen hoping it’s Everly, but it’s not. It’s Liam Bennett, and I’m a little surprised to get a call from him in the middle of a workday.

“Hey Liam,” I answer. “What’s up?”

“Hey, man. Can you talk?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” I say, checking the clock on my desk. “What’s up? Everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine. Question for you. Did you say Everly’s last name is Billings?”

“Yeah, why are you asking?” I sit up straighter in my chair.

“Is her ex-husband Grant Billings? He lives in Brookmont?”

“That’s him. Why are you asking?”

“I was talking to a buddy of mine who knows him. He started to tell me about a guy that he works with and then I put two and two together and figured out he was talking about Everly’s ex. He mentioned he has an ex-wife and a daughter, and some of the details seemed familiar. And Birdie isn’t a common name, so I figured it had to be the guy.”

“Get to the point, Liam. You’re fucking killing me.”

“I get it… you don’t like the guy.” Liam chuckles. “You’re not the only one. He’s a douchebag. Apparently, he was sent down to North Carolina to run operations for at least a year at his family’s steel company and ended up lasting eight weeks. He drank too much at a company dinner and got handsy with the CFO’s niece. She lodged a complaint against him with HR. Said he was saying inappropriate things to her all night and when she got up to go to the bathroom, he cornered her in the hallway where she had to push him off her. From what I’ve been told, she was going to file charges, but the family intervened.”

It makes sense. Everly said that Grant wouldn’t give her the whole story as to why he was suddenly back in town. Turns out it’s because he sexually assaulted someone. What a fucking sleaze bag.

I wonder who else knows about this. I would assume his parents are trying to keep a lid on it to avoid humiliating the family and their company.

The sad part? Grant is Birdie’s dad. A man with no moral compass. One day she’s going to find out who her father really is, and it will break her heart.

“They had no choice but to get him out of there,” Liam continues. “The guy sounds like a total piece of shit from a few of the other stories my buddy told me.”

“You have no idea.”

By the time I end the call, it’s nearly lunch, but I’ve lost my appetite. Instead, I clear my calendar for the next two days. I have someone I need to talk to.

---