Page 23 of Guarding Over You
Two, that he was being accommodating to get them ended sooner.
The truth was always somewhere in between. But rather than getting them off their weekend schedules, she agreed to do it on Sunday and put all her errands off until today.
“Have fun today with Dad.” She dropped Gracie off at their agreed upon setting. It changed most weeks, depending on where Billy wanted it to be. He could choose a place to interact with Gracie for the time to go by faster and that was what they did. The bowling alley.
“I like bowling,” Gracie said. “I picked it.”
Her daughter would have fun and it’d take her mind off of the fact that she could only visit her father when there was a third party present.
It was about Gracie, Arden reminded herself every time she had to do this.
“Then I’m glad your father is doing this for you. Give me a kiss. There is Ms. Julie.”
She didn’t see Billy anywhere, but he still had ten minutes. Billy had never not shown up, and if he didn’t, they’d call her back. It didn’t serve any purpose to stand around waiting and work her ex up.
With three hours to kill, she had a list of shopping to do and went into a home goods place. If she hadn’t moved thirty minutes away, she would have just gone home like she used to, but now it’d be a waste to do that and come back again.
After eating lunch alone, and knowing that Billy would feed Gracie, she headed back to the bowling alley with fifteen minutes to spare.
It was too hot to sit in her car with the sun beating down on her, even with the AC on, so she got out and went inside. She’d just stay out of sight.
But when she went in, she could see them right away, as there was nowhere to hide, so she watched her daughter get up and push the ball down the ramp, then jump up and down in excitement when it knocked over three pins.
The second ball got two more pins.
Billy got up and threw the ball down with more force than she thought was necessary, but she’d not say a word.
He turned and caught sight of her, then tapped his watch.
She shrugged and motioned that she was staying back.
She didn’t understand the big deal, but turned to find the bathroom and walked away.
When she came out, she took her place to the side so Gracie wouldn’t see her and they could finish their last frame together.
Billy was talking to Julie so she assumed it was to let her know Arden was here.
The game ended, and they returned their shoes. Billy gave Gracie a high five and her daughter seemed much happier than she’d been in a while for a visit.
“You’re early and infringing on my time with my daughter,” Billy hissed when he walked closer to her. Not loud enough for anyone to hear, especially Julie, who would report anything.
Her heart hammered away like it was prone to do.
“I’m sorry. Since I’ve got further to drive for this, I had to kill the time and got done early. It’s too hot to sit in the car. If you’re going to put up a stink about it, I won’t do it next time. But Gracie looked as if she was having fun.”
“That’s why you came in. So you can try to start shit with me.”
She let out a sigh, her shoulders tensing when it was the last thing she wanted. Or the last thing she wanted him to see. “No. I’m not. I never start anything. You do, just like now. And Gracie is watching along with Julie. Is that what you want?”
She held the smile on her face for her daughter’s sake, but any idiot could see what she was feeling by looking into her eyes.
“You’re just itching to get this pulled from me too.”
Maybe she was, but she’d never admit that.
Or maybe it had more to do with how much she detested the way she felt now.
Around him. Around any man who raised their voice.
