Page 27 of Losing Faith

“Lissy, let me show you my gymnastic moves.” Isabelle jumps to press a button on the wall, and what I thought was a floor-to-ceiling window slides to the left, letting her out to the backyard.

I nod in amusement. “You better live here long after you retire,” I mumble.

Jackson lets out a soft laugh as he steps beside me. “Yeah, that’s the plan. I know it’s a bit over the top, but I wanted her forever home to be perfect. Something she can sell when I’m gone if she needs to.”

I look up at him and he watches his daughter flip around the grass. As his eyes follow her movement, I’m certain he’d commit inhumane crimes for his kid.

“Considering you could afford all this, I think she’ll be okay without selling the house when you’re gone,” I say with a laugh and he looks down at me with a smile.

When I look back around at all of the pictures, I turn to him in thought. “Are you self-absorbed and obsessed with your kid or are pictures of her mom not allowed?”

When his face drops, I realize I hit a nerve.

“The few I have of them together don’t match our aesthetic,” he jokes, but it’s way too bitter for me to even fake a laugh.

“I’m going to take that as pictures of her aren’t allowed.”

A smile forces itself onto his face.

“Damn.” I offer a smile. “If I knew you two hated each other so much, I wouldn’t have brought her up.” I put a hand up in defense, and he doesn’t even offer a smile as he looks over at his kid, who’s playing in her pink playground a few yards from us.

“She’s the mother of my kid. I could never hate her,” he clarifies, and for some reason, I believe him.

Since I’m nosy and don’t care that curiosity killed the cat, I ask, “How often does she see Belle? You seem to have her all the time. Belle also never talks about her.”

“She doesn’t see her.”

I nod in understanding. “That’s even better.” I smile brightly when he turns to me. “Bad moms help build character in kids. At least she’ll be funny, look at me.”

I get a small smile now as he looks back over at Isabelle.

“Let me guess.” I desperately keep trying to lighten the mood. “She found someone with a bigger castle?”

Jackson lets out a scoff but a smile grows on his face. “Close.” He turns to me now. “Belle got sick as a baby, and when it becametoo muchfor her, she turned to another man and then left without warning.”

“Oh.” The word slips past my lips.

He nods once.

I glance off to the side before nodding slowly. “That sucks. Isabelle won’t gain a great sense of humor since she left without traumatizing her.”

He stares at me for a second before a laugh escapes him. “Are you always like this?”

I take a second to act like I’m thinking before turning to him. “Yup.” I shrug. “At least when I’m sober I am. Drunk me is a bit emotional and not funny at all. Then high me is just really happy and telling everyone in sight I love them; it’s gross.”

He laughs harder before shaking his head. “Well, in that case, come over the next time you’re intoxicated so I can see those two personalities and decide who I like more.”

I pause for a beat when I realize he’s being serious and knowing he doesn’t know I’m an addict issodamn refreshing. “If I’m lucky, you won’t ever meet those sides of me.”

He still smiles at me, but his brows slightly pull together at my somber tone. Before he can question me, his phone starts ringing. He glances down at it before looking up at me.

“I have to get to work. I’ll be in here if she needs anything. You two can work in the living room or on the patio. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen while you’re here.”

I nod in response before walking out to the backyard. “Let’s get this party started, kiddo.”

Isabelle slides down the slide one last time before running over to me. “I almost forgot to show you.” She tugs on her shirt to show me a sticker that saysGreat Writer!

I offer a high five and she jumps up to reach it. “You are just on a roll, huh? Do you even need me to tutor you?”

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