Page 43 of Could Be Worse
They hadn’t a clue Connie was in a booth not fifteen feet away. I’d only told them we had a busy day. When they’d asked if Sadie was coming over, I’d distracted them and said she didn’t work on the weekends. I’d been a coward for not telling them the truth, and I was about to pay the price for it.
Once our order was placed, I ushered Cat to where Connie was seated. The place was decorated with fall leaves and pumpkins and smelled delicious. Although, I doubted I could stomach a bite with my ex-wife nearby. She couldn’t be trusted. Just another reason I had wanted to meet in public.
“Well, good morning, Cat, and Tori. Would you like to join me?” Connie asked. The sugary way she spoke, I hadn’t heard before. It actually creeped me out. It sounded fake and manipulative, nothing like Sadie’s natural sweet voice.
Cat froze and grabbed my hand. “Who’s that?”
“You don’t remember her?” Not surprising. They were so young when Connie left, but not too young to have scars from the neglect and emotional abuse they’d experienced. Plus, Connie’s hair was red now, instead of blonde. They likely didn’t recognize her from the photo in the living room.
“No.” Cat moved closer to my legs.
“Aww, I’m your—”
“She’s Connie, a friend.” I stopped her from telling them she was their mother. She might have given them life, but that was it. “She’s passing through town and wanted to spend the day with us. After we eat, we’ll go to the pumpkin patch.”
“Yes, doesn’t that sound fun?” Connie said with a forced smile.
Though both guarded, the girls nodded their heads.
I set Tori on the bench seat across from Connie, then hoisted Cat beside her.
“Oh, but wouldn’t she like to sit by me?” Connie looked desperate to have one of them next to her.
I put my hand on Cat’s back. “She is Catherine,” I hissed. Had she forgotten who was who?
“Yes, of course. Would Cat like to sit next to me?”
My precious girl stared at me with big doe eyes and shook her head.
“That’s okay. You can stay with me.” I sat, blocking both girls in my side to protect them from their wicked birth giver.
“Okay, then.” Connie’s smile disappeared. She should have known the girls would be uneasy and shy. She was a stranger to them.
Tension filled the air while Connie and I made small talk. It was more than a little awkward. We’d never had much in common, even physically, we hadn’t meshed. Nothing I’d done had pleased Connie, and the same had been true for me with her. From the get-go, we’d been all wrong for each other, but she’d gotten pregnant…
The girls quietly ate their gluten-free pastries and sipped their cocoa, neither appearing happy to be there. I felt a little guilty for bringing them to the bakery they loved. Wouldn’t want the place to be tainted for them. Bad job, dad!
“Did I cause a rift between you and her last night?” Connie asked.
“No.”
“What’s a wiff?” Curious Cat turned her adorable face toward me. I smiled as she licked whipped cream off her upper lip.
“It’s rift, sweetie. It means to break something.” I grabbed a napkin and wiped her face, then did the same for Tori.
“Oh. What did Connie try to break?”
Connie jolted in her spot. “Nothing, sweetheart. Are we finished? Let’s go to the pumpkin patch.” In typical fashion, she avoided answering for her wrongs.
“But Sadie is going to the pumpkin patch with us.” Cat scrunched up her face as she would when frustrated.
“Yes, let’s go. You can follow us.” I helped the girls down, took their hands, and led them out of the bakery. I hated lying, but I honestly just wanted to get today over with and not piss off my ex-wife.
Once in the truck, I typed out a quick text to Sadie.
Bryce: Hi, beautiful. I miss you something awful.
After spending an hour with Connie, I realized how fucking lucky I’d been to have met Sadie that day in the restaurant. She could’ve not stopped there, could’ve sat in the dining room or by another man. It’d been fate. The right place at the right time.