Page 69 of Remember Me
Maddie, minus her earbuds, turns away from the window. “Daddy, did Kayla just say a bad word?”
I fight back my anger. What is with this woman? Isn’t she aware there’s a five-year-old sitting behind her? A sweet, innocent little girl. Obviously not. She impatiently tries her phone again. Again no luck getting service.
She curses again, saying the word over and over.
Taking his eyes off the bumper-to-bumper road, Finn shoots her a glaring look. “Kayla, put the phone down. And watch your language. My kid’s back there.”
Kayla jerks her head his way, her eyes full of venom. “You obviously don’t understand, darling. I’m talking about a five million dollar painting that could net me—us—a ten percent finder’s fee. Do the math!”
“I can do the math,” Finn replies coldly. So can I. Wow! Five hundred thousand dollars! But no amount of money is worth compromising my daughter’s emotional and physical well-being.
As Kayla huffs with frustration, my heart swells with admiration. And love. Deep-seated and unconditional. What awonderful dad Finn is. I couldn’t have possibly chosen a better man to father my child. So protective. So loving. Desperate to distract myself from my feelings, I map out our day’s activities as we meander up the long, winding road, now passing farms. Maddie is over-the-moon thrilled to see horses and cows, and I share her excitement.
The traffic lessens and ten short minutes later, we reach our destination. Riley’s. While we’ve passed many apple farms along the way, Finn and I chose this one as it seemed to be the most child-friendly, offering a ton of activities. I unbuckle Maddie’s car seat while Finn parks the SUV. Due to how crowded it is, we’ve had to park in a lot across the street. Kayla complains.
“Seriously, darling, can’t you park any closer? Does it look like I’m wearing hiking boots?”
Turning off the ignition, Finn glances down at her high-heels.
“Don’t tell me you didn’t bring sneakers or boots?”
Kayla makes a face. “Phineas, are you kidding me? Hiking boots are for peasants, and seriously, did you really expect me to wear—and ruin!—my thousand dollar Chanel sneakers in this muck?”
With a roll of his eyes, Finn hops out of the car, then helps Maddie out. She leaves Kangy behind.
I follow suit, then Kayla. As she steps out of the SUV, a deafening scream pierces the air.
“Oh my God, Phineas! You parked in mud. I may have just ruined my brand new Louboutins!”
I glance down at her mud-covered stilettos and silently laugh. The six-inch heels are almost six-inches buried.
The fun has just begun. Little do I know this day will take a surreal turn, making me question who I am, what I want, and the safety of everyone near and dear to me.
CHAPTER 43
Skye
Five minutes later, we’re standing in line to get into the farm.
Encyclopedic Maddie excitedly tells her father about all the apples we read about. The area offers close to a hundred varieties, including heirlooms, which are no longer commercially sold. Bored out of her mind, Kayla pays little attention to my precocious little girl. She tries her phone yet again and curses under her breath when she can’t get service. Losing her patience, she pouts.
“Phineas, why on earth did you have to choose thisfuh...farm?” By the skin of her teeth, she manages to avoid the F-bomb. “We passed dozens of them and none of them had lines.”
“Because this one is the most fun!” chirps Maddie. “Guess what!”
“What!??” Kayla snaps back.
“It has a petting zoo and a tractor ride.” She looks up imploringly at her father, with those big puppy-brown eyes you just can’t say no to. “Daddy, can we visit the animals and ride the tractor after we pick apples?”
Finn affectionately ruffles her hair. “Of course, birthday girl.”
“Yay!” Maddie claps her hands, then clamps her arms around her father’s long muscular legs. His face lights up while Kayla’s grows horrified.
“You must be kidding! I’m not getting anywhere near some stinky animals that can bite or riding some trailer park vehicle!”
Finn is clearly annoyed by her contentiousness. He narrows his eyes at her. “Listen, Kayla, you can do whatever you want. After we go apple picking, you can check out some of the stores.”
She huffs. “The only store I’m interested in is Neiman Marcus.” She glances down at her mud-encrusted high-heeled sandals. “You owe me a new pair of shoes.” She screws up her face. “Thank you very much.”