Page 38 of Dirty Discipline, Vol. 2

"Six. Sounds good, Sean."

For the briefest of seconds, he looked like he might lean in for a kiss, but thought better of it. Instead he just brushed her arm with a quick pat goodbye before turning to head down the hallway.

A date. I came all the way to Chicago for a real, live date. I didn't see that coming.

Chapter Three

Sean looked at the reflection staring back at him in the mirror. When did he get that pepper-grey hair at his temples?

Figures I'd notice it today when I finally take the plunge and ask a woman out on a date.

Traci Jackson. Whether she knew it or not, Traci had got him to do something he hadn't done in over eighteen years–go on a first date.

He was still shocked at the sudden turn of events. He hadn't been contemplating dating again. Jerilyn died only two years ago, and he'd kept himself busy since he lost her. He wasn't sure what got into him today when he'd blurted out the invite, but even with a few hours to reflect, he was still happy with his impromptu decision. The memory of Traci's beautiful brown eyes lighting up at the suggestion of dinner had him counting the hours until it was time to see her again.

The knowledge that he'd made the right decision didn't make him any less nervous. At least he wasn't socially inept. His career had made sure of that. He knew he could show her a good time in his new hometown. There were a ton of interesting things to do in Chicago, especially in the summertime. He wasn't sure he'd ever get used to the brutal winters, though. Having grown up and lived in Arizona most of his life, he was unprepared for the climate changes in his new city.

Thank God I live in the hotel and don't have to go outside every day unless I choose to.

Sean wandered to the expansive glass window of the living area of his suite. It had been one of the things he'd negotiated into his hiring package when he'd moved here. He wanted to live on-property, in part, because he knew he had a lot of work ahead of him and he didn't want to waste time commuting. He also knew if he bought a house here, he'd have to buy out in the suburbs to be closer to his previous in-laws. He had no desire for that.

Remembering his little 'smoking in the ladies restroom' problem had him questioning if he'd made the right decision. He knew there wouldn't have been any smoking going on after school at his in-laws.

"Dad. Are you here already? I stopped by your office, but Shirley said you'd already come upstairs for the day. Are you sick?"

Ah, the little smoker was home right on schedule. She'd dodged him last night by staying overnight at her best friend's house. She wasn't escaping today. Sean took a deep breath, hoping this went well before turning to greet his little girl.

"Ash. I'm glad you're home. I have a few things I wanted to talk to you about."

He was happy to see panic in her eyes. During these last few weeks, his only daughter had been slipping into a deeper rebellion. It had reached the point where he'd worried she didn't care what he thought any more. Her panic told him she at least cared about what he had to say.

She remained silent as he approached her. "Everything is fine, honey. I just wanted to talk. I missed you last night. Did you have fun at Trisha's?"

She released the breath she'd been holding. "Sure. We watched movies until midnight."

"On a school night? You know better."

"Hey, Trisha's house. Trisha's parent's rules."

"Oh, so that's how that works. Why doesn't Trisha ever stay over here?"

He loved to see his daughter's face light up. "Dad. Everyone knows your rules are always the strictest. No one wants to stay here."

"I think I need to call Trisha's mom."

"Fine. Humiliate me."

"I see you're as melodramatic as ever. How was your day?"

"Okay. Good actually."

"Good? That's a nice change. Anything special happen?"

"Not really. Just... I don't know. I've felt a little bit better the last few days. It's hard to explain."

Sean watched her carefully, happy to catch a glimpse of the old Ashley. The happy-go lucky kid she'd been before... well, watching people you love die does have a way of putting a damper on life. He wasn't sure of the reason for her change of heart, but he was grateful for it, nonetheless. Should he let the smoking go? He didn't want to ruin her precarious recovery, but he just couldn't ignore it. That wasn't going to help either of them.

"Jimmy found evidence of smoking in the ladies’ room down on the ballroom level again. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you, young lady?"

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