Page 54 of Screwed
He ended the call.
Callie smiled. “I can help you plan the menu, if you want.”
He exhaled with relief. “Yeah, that would be good. What the fuck do I know?”
He could have asked Barb or Eleanor to help, probably. But he liked the idea of Callie doing it.
“I never hear you talk about your dad,” Callie said cautiously.
Cash picked up his taco. “He lives in Dallas. I don’t ever see him.”
“Ever?”
“Not since he left when I was sixteen.”
“Oh.” She nibbled her bottom lip. “That sucks.”
“Eh. It is what it is. He knocked up some other woman and decided he’d rather be with them than with us. Why would we want such a dickhead around?” His casual tone belied the anger and hurt he’d felt at the time.
“Wow. Thatispretty dickish. Does he have more than one kid now?”
“I have no idea.”
“Jeez, Cash. That’s awful.”
He hated pity. He shrugged. “Nah. It’s fine.” He’d gone through a bunch of phases after his dad had bailed on them—denial, hurt, hope, and anger. Now, like he’d said, it was what it was.
“My pathetic story about my parents ignoring us doesn’t seem so shitty now. Not to mention my daddy’s cheating.” She grimaced. “At least my parents are still together.”
“Yeah. I guess it works for them. But it’s never easy when our parents aren’t there for us. So yours were around physically and they supported you financially—it doesn’t make it easier that they weren’t there for you emotionally. I didn’t really get it at the time, but if my old man wasn’t prepared to be there emotionally for us, it was probably better that he left.”
She eyed him. “I guess that’s true.” She paused. “Your dad didn’t help support you and your sister financially?”
“Yeah, he did. He wasn’t a total asshole. But those monthly checks didn’t nearly help pay for everything. Mama was a stay-at-home mom who had to go find a job. It wasn’t easy for her. I tried to help out as much as I could.”
“And you still are.” Her smile made his chest go soft and warm. “Helping your mom.”
He shrugged. “I do what I can.”
“You’re a good guy, Cash.”
His chest tightened. The praise made him uncomfortable, and yet, coming from Callie, also made him happy. He met her eyes. “Callie…”
“Why aren’t you out on a hot date tonight?”
The question took him aback. “Uh…”
“You haven’t talked about dating other women since I’ve been back. You used to be such a player, I could never keep track of who you were dating. Or not dating. In fact, before Beau and I split up, we hardly ever saw you because you were always busy with someone.”
That was a question he’d rather not ponder. It was true, he hadn’t had a date for a while. In fact, it did coincide with Callie’s return from Europe. Not that it had been a conscious decision. “I don’t really know,” he said honestly. He shrugged. “Just haven’t met anyone interesting lately, I guess.”
Their eyes met again, and understanding flickered between them. They both knew that whatever was happening with them couldn’t be anything more than sex. Regret swelled hot inside him.
“It’s okay, Cash. I told you before. Beau will never know about this.”
He nodded. That didn’t make him feel any better, but he kept that to himself. “Do you want me to leave?”
She shook her head slowly. “No. I want you to watch the rest ofDaredevilwith me.”
