Page 29 of Stuck Together

The last twenty-fourhours had been rough. After breakfast yesterday, Madison and I spent the day doing our best to stay out of each other’s way. That proved to be difficult considering the small space of the cabin. I spent half the afternoon hiding out in the resort business center and the other half sitting at the bar pretending to work. We didn’t eat dinner together and by the time I got back from the fitness center this morning, she was gone.

Things were just too awkward and uncomfortable between us. I hated how bad things had gotten. But it wasn’t really any body's fault but my own. I could have handled everything better.

Back then, and now.

But if we were going to continue to work together. We'd have to figure out how to maneuver our present in light of our past. Neither one of us could afford to let our past drag us down. I understood now how important this job was to her and I refused to be the reason it didn’t work out. She was smart and her resume was impressive. I hoped she quickly figured out she earned this position, and it wasn’t just handed to her.

But I had my own ambitions too. I was in line to take over the company in a few years when Grandmother retired. I couldn’t do anything to jeopardize my position or the company’s success. Sadly, that meant the best thing for both of us was to put our feelings aside and focus on our careers. I just hoped I could do that without getting hurt, or worse, hurting Madison again.

My Computer buzzed, signifying I had a video call coming in. I smiled when I looked down and saw my beautiful daughter’s face smiling back at me. “Rylee. What are you doing calling me this morning? Shouldn't you be at school by now?”

“Hi, Daddy.” She coughed with a frown. “I'm not feeling good. I'm sick.”

“What's wrong?”

“My tummy hurts,” she said with a little too much enthusiasm.

“Okay.” I looked over her face and I had to admit, minus the frown, she looked fine. “If your tummy hurts, why did you just cough?”

She sat up straight and her frowning face looked a little to forced. “Well, I got a cough too, but my tummy hurts.”

“Uh huh. Where's Gigi?”

“She's in her office working from home.” She smiled and pointed behind her. “You know, since I don't feel good.”

From my assessment over the computer, I’d say Rylee played Grandmother and pretended to be sick so she could stay home and play. It was a tactic she tried to implement often to avoid school. “I'm sorry you don't feel good, pumpkin. Did you sleep okay last night?”

“Yep. Are you coming home today, Daddy?” she asked.

And with that question, I could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't sick at all. Rylee was not a happy sick patient and was generally one of the worst patients ever. This girl looking back at me was as healthy as ever. “I'm sorry, pumpkin, but I'm not gonna be able to make it back today. The storm that came through is still dumping a lot of snow on us and the roads aren't clean. I'm hoping that we can come home tomorrow, but it might not be until Sunday.”

She pouted. “But Daddy, you promised you would be back today.”

“I know, pumpkin, but I can't control the weather.”

“But I miss you and I want to go home. I miss my toys.”

“Hey, I thought you liked staying at Gigi’s house?”

“I do, but it's not the same as being home with you, Daddy.”

I couldn't help but smile. This little girl was my life, and I would do anything for her. I hated being away from her like this, but I had to work and sometimes trips like this were unavoidable. “I want to be home with you too, pumpkin. If I make back in time, maybe we can go to a movie on Sunday. What do you say? Just you and me—a daddy-daughter date.”

She squealed and jumped up and down in her seat. Another indication that she wasn’t sick. “Yes, yes. Please, Daddy. Please.”

“Consider it a date. If I don’t make this Sunday, we’ll do it next Sunday for sure. Okay.”

The door behind me opened before Rylee could respond. Madison returned. Her face was red, and her hair was pulled back in a slick ponytail. She slipped off her coat and all she had on was a sports bra, a loose fitted tank top, and tight leggings that showed off every one of her curves. Her skin glistened with sweat and my eyes lingered a little too long on her exposed collarbone.

“Who’s that?” Rylee asked, dragging my attention back to my computer.

“That's Madison. She's on this business trip with me.”

“Is she your girlfriend?”

“No. She's a co-worker and a friend.

Rylee wrinkled her brows and tilted her head. “Then why is she in your room, Daddy?”