Page 37 of Clueless
“She said you can call her now, if you’re not busy.”
“Jesus.”Jimmy’s was only a few minutes away from the studio, so I could fire off a text to Austin when I stopped and let him know I was running late.“I’m just on my way to Jimmy’s to have a drink with Austin, but yeah, of course I’ll call her now.”I’d call her any damn time she wanted me to.
“Good.You obviously have her number, since you’ve tried texting her before.”
“Yeah, I’ve got it.”I just didn’t think she’d ever give me permission to call her.
“Why did she decide to let me—” I cut myself off, realizing the why, when or how didn’t matter.All that mattered was that I was finally getting a chance to talk to my daughter.“Thank you for doing this for me, Avery.It means… everything.”
“My pleasure.We’ve been working together a lot since you signed with the label, and I can already tell you’re one of the good guys, Taz.Your past doesn’t matter.And you don’t have to let it define you anymore.Just remember that, okay?”
“Now you sound like Grace.”
“Ah yes, I heard you were dating Codie’s sister.”Avery was also Mav’s publicist, so she knew Codie well.“Lucky guy.”
“I know, right?Still don’t know what the hell she’s doing with me, but—” I heard Grace’s voice in my head telling me to shut it.And she was right.If I didn’t want to lose her, I had to start believing I deserved her.
“But what?”Avery asked.
“Nothing, doesn’t matter.”
“Okay, I know you’re heading to Jimmy’s after you talk to Quinn, but will you text me first, to let me know how it went?”
“Of course, you’re the reason this is happening at all.”
“Thanks, and good luck, Taz.I just know when Quinn gets to know you, she’s going to love you.”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but I appreciated the sentiment.“Thanks.”
I disconnected the call and pulled into Jimmy’s parking lot.I fired off a text to Austin to let him know I had a call to make, but would meet him inside soon, before I finally hit the one name in my contacts that always made my stomach lurch.
I let it ring a few times, convinced she’d changed her mind.But before I could hang up, a soft voice said, “Hi.”
“Hey, Quinn.It’s?—”
“I know.Taz.”
“Yeah, thanks for taking my call.”
I could hear the edge in her voice when she said, “Your publicist is pretty persuasive.”
“Don’t I know it.I guess that’s what makes her so good at her job.But if you felt pressured to talk to me?—”
“I didn’t.”
“Okay, cool.”I’d been mentally rehearsing this conversation for years, but now that I was finally able to talk to her, only one word came to mind.“I’m sorry, Quinn.I’m so damn sorry.”
“Are you?”
I didn’t blame her for challenging me.She had every right to.“I am.By the time I found out your mama was pregnant with you?—”
“You were already locked up.I know the story.”
“Uh yeah, for twelve long years.And I thought about you every damn day, girl.I swear.”
“I heard your song.It’s pretty good.”
Clearly, she didn’t want to talk about the past, and I was more than willing to let her set the tone for the conversation.I vowed to myself I wouldn’t cross her boundaries.I just wanted to hear her voice.To let her know that I thought about her all the time and wished things could have been different.
