Eight Days a Week (23 page)

After breakfast Ian drove me back to the bar to pick up the Hyundai.

“Thanks for the ride,” I said, giving a cheerless smile.

“Listen, I know this situation is beyond screwed up, so Brady is welcome to hang out with us any time, if you need a break.”

I thanked him before driving back to the house, contemplating what I was going to say and how Gwen would react. Slowing to a near crawl once I was within view of the driveway, I took a steadying breath and pressed the button to open the garage door.
 

Her car was parked where it always was. I hated that she’d been alone overnight, but I’d known if I’d tried to go after her, things would have gotten out of hand, and I’d wanted a clear head when I talked to her.

I walked inside, and my heart lodged in my throat when I caught sight of her sitting at the kitchen table, drinking juice and flipping through a magazine. She had to have heard me come in because the garage door was loud as hell, but she sat motionless, like I didn’t even exist. The only sign of acknowledgment was the red tips of her ears, burning from anger or embarrassment.

Shoving my hands into my pockets, I leaned against the doorframe and cleared my throat.

“Good morning.”

She turned and gave me a tight smile, her eyes empty. “Hi, Andrew.” Her greeting was cold, uninterested.

“Can we talk?”

Her jaw twitched, and she closed the magazine. “I think talking is a good idea, but I’d like to go first.”

I widened my eyes, and my heart thudded painfully.
 

She folded her hands on the table and took a deep breath before she started. “First, let me apologize.”
 

I opened my mouth to speak, but she held up a hand to stop me.

“Bree and Brady love you. They’ve told me as much. Bree also told me you promised you’d stay, no matter what. To a child her age, ‘forever’ means everything, so I hope you’ll keep that in mind when I ask you this next question.”

She sounded so damn formal it was starting to piss me off.

“This thing between you and me is over, of course, but I still need a caretaker for them. My question is can you continue to do your job?”
 

I searched her face for any sign this could be some kind of joke, but her eyes were clear and earnest.
 

“I . . . yes, I’m capable of doing my job.” My eyes were stinging, my mouth open with unsaid words.
 

She barely batted an eyelash. “That’s good to hear. We’ll keep all of this strictly professional. I apologize for my past inappropriate behavior, and I’d appreciate it if we didn’t bring it up again. You’ve done a great job with the kids so far, and I would like to have their lives interrupted as little as possible, and that means having you stay.” She sighed and placed her hands in her lap, raising her eyebrows in question. “Did you have something else you wanted to discuss?”

Of course I had something else to say, but her face was hard stone like a statue, and I’d have been willing to bet she’d hear just as well as one. There was no way in hell that I was going to tell her my true feelings while she had that look on her face. She wouldn’t believe me. She wouldn’t even hear me over her own hurt.
 

I pushed off the kitchen wall. “I guess you’ve said everything there is to say. But for what it’s worth . . . I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”

She barely gave me another glance, so I walked out of the room and closed my apartment door behind me.
 

Chapter 26

With a Little Help From My Friends

Gwen had a date. Again.

“Slow down, sis,” I said, trying my hardest to decipher her high-pitched rambling. “What?”

“She’s going out with a guy on Friday night for dinner. You have got to get your stupid ass upstairs and tell her the truth. Tell her you love her and this was all a big, huge, idiotic misunderstanding. Do you hear me?”

I crossed my arm over my chest and grunted. “I’m not going to do that. She doesn’t want to hear it. I’m here to do my job from here on out.”

“I was there with her at Starbucks when she ran into this guy. He’s cute,” she said.

“Like I care.” I picked at a rip in my jeans.

“Trust me, you’ll see this guy and care, Andrew.”

“Probably not.”

“He’s a financial advisor.”

“So?”
 

“And they were friends in high school.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Okay, so what does that mean to me?”

She made an exasperated strangling noise and then banged her cell phone against the wall. “It means they have history!”

History was bad. History might be tough to compete with.
 

“He knew Bryan. And Anna. And he wants to meet the kids, you moron.”

“He’s not meeting
my
kids
.
”
 

I stopped breathing when the words registered in my brain. It was like we were a divorced couple and she was bringing her new boyfriend home.
 

My resolve to leave Gwen alone quickly morphed into a resolve to do again what I’d done before. I would prove to her who the better man was.

It hadn’t even been a full week, and I was already tired of the bullshit between us. I could see it in her eyes when she’d come in from work—the way she looked at me told me it was hard on her, too. The kids were starting to notice the change, and I was afraid all the progress we’d made would be for nothing.

But I couldn’t just tell her how I felt, like Cece was demanding. I had to find a way to show her that, while I’d been a dick to begin with, I wasn’t that guy anymore.
 

It would require stealth and precision. It would require planning. It would require assistance from the kids. I knew they’d be confused when Gwen’s date showed up, and they’d want to help, too. Just like last time.

“Cece,” I said as calmly as I could manage, “get as much information as you can about the date, okay? This guy doesn’t stand a chance against me.”

“Yes!” Cece hissed.

“And tell that asshole boyfriend of yours that this is partly his fault for not being able to keep his mouth shut, and he owes me. We’re fixing this, because I want my Gwen back.”

“What’s gonna work? Teamwork!”

“That’s right, WonderPets,” I mumbled. “Teamwork
.
”

At least today’s kids’ shows were motivational. I was pretty sure
Thundercats
just made me destructive, and I seemed to remember melting down my GI Joes.
 

Brady let out a high-pitched scream and stream of giggles, and I grinned as he ran through the sprinkler on the lawn while I washed the Homewrecker Hatchback. Bree and Jennifer were on the porch making some sort of girlie bracelet shit I remembered Cece making when she was little.
 

It was getting late, and Gwen would arrive home any minute, which was all part of my super awesome plan to get her back and make her realize she loved me. Her car came around the corner, pulled into the cul-de-sac, and slowed to a stop beside the mailbox.

“Auntie G!” Brady hopped up and down, knocking over the sprinkler and tipping it in my direction. I jumped away from the spray and laughed, chasing after him before he got to the street. The sprinkler accident was a bonus. I’d intended to be shirtless and washing the car when she pulled up, not dripping wet, too. God bless those children.
 

I wrapped an arm around Brady’s waist and picked him up off the ground to throw him on my back. Gwen rolled down her window, and I leaned in. She was staring at my chest and stomach.

“What are you doing?” she asked, not sounding half as irritated as she’d no doubt intended.

“Washing the car.
Somebody
”—I jiggled Brady and smiled when he squealed—“got ice cream on the hood.”

She nodded and gave Brady a big smile. “Did you ruin your dinner, Mister Man?”

He peered over my shoulder at her and shook his head wildly. “Nope. We have meatmaws.”

“Meatballs,” I said. “In the slow cooker.”
 

Gwen’s eyes flicked to mine and then away just as fast.
 

“Want me to wash your car, too?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Thanks, but that’s not part of your job, Andrew.”

Cold as ice.

“Okay. Well, just park here and I’ll move it when I’m done.”

She climbed out and went to greet Bree, and I watched her ass the entire way, smiling at the way she tried to tone down the sway of her hips. Unfortunately for her, she had no control over that ass of hers, so it bounced on its own, giving me quite a show under her tight black skirt.

“By the way,” I said, “there’s a neighborhood pool party tomorrow night I’d like to take the kids to. You’re welcome to join.”

Gwen took a deep breath and turned sad eyes on Brady. “I have plans tomorrow night. I asked my mom to come and watch the kids.”

Bree tilted her head. “Where are you going? We always do fun stuff on Friday nights.”
 

Jennifer was by her side, mimicking Bree’s body language and giving Gwen a confused look, too.

“I . . . um . . .” Gwen stuttered before bending to meet Bree’s eyes. “I’m going to dinner with an old friend.”

“A
boy
?” Bree asked, squinting.

Gwen glanced at me and then nodded. “Yes, Bree, a boy
named Thomas who went to school with me. And your parents. Debra is coming to watch you.”

“No!” Brady squirmed against my back until I set him on the ground. “We go wif Dee, okay? Pwease?”

Bree crossed her arms over her chest and Jennifer followed, both of them staring at Gwen like they could start fires with their minds.
 

“Friday is fun night. We want to swim with Dee,” Bree said.

“Fine.” Gwen pressed a finger to her temple. “Swim with Andrew, okay? I’ll call my mom and tell her never mind.”
 

She walked into the house, and Brady jumped around while Bree scowled.
 

“Why is she going to dinner with a
boy
?”

I shrugged and headed back toward the Hyundai. “Because she’s an adult. And she’ll get a free meal.”

“Adults . . . are . . . dumb!” Bree stamped her foot.

With a nod, I picked up the hose and sprayed down the side of the Hyundai. “Trust me, kiddo. I know all too well how dumb adults can be.”

Ian and Joshua showed up a little after six to start getting ready for the execution of “Ta-Ta Thomas.” Gwen rushed into the house to change, apologizing to the kids for having to leave so soon. I was glad she felt guilty about missing out on our fun, but my happiness was short-lived when she flew down the stairs in a dress and heels, her hair shiny and bouncy and just begging to be sniffed.

Joshua bounded inside from the backyard with a mason jar in his hands. “Gwen! Look what I found.” He ran up to her with Brady in tow to present her with his prize.

“Holy shit!” she screamed and jumped back a foot.

The kids cackled as she peered into the glass.