David didn’t look relaxed. He looked as if he wanted to put his fist through something.
He opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment his phone rang.
He checked the number and pulled a face, embarrassed. “It’s Lissa—”
“Take it,” Mimi said sweetly. “The poor little thing might be lost in the mall.”
He gave her a look and turned away. “Hi, Liss. What’s the problem?”
Mimi tilted her head and listened shamelessly. Well, what was she supposed to do? He was having the conversation right here in her home. She couldn’t be expected to leave, could she?
“Yes. If you like it, buy it.” David lowered his voice. “I’ll give you the money when you get home.”
Reduced to paying to keep the girl happy, Mimi thought, brushing imaginary dust from her skirt. So tacky.
“When? This Saturday? What sort of party? Who exactly is going?” His shoulders slumped. “I know…I know you find it boring being in the apartment…Yes, I know you miss your friends…Of course we’ll go if that’s what you want.”
There was a bit more placating. A bit more cajoling. And then he finally hung up. He gave Mimi a sheepish look.
“Sorry about that.”
“Don’t apologize! It’s a full-time job being a sugar daddy.”
He gave a laugh that sounded more tired than amused. “You never give up, do you? It’s not about the money, you know. The truth is, she’s given up a lot for me and I suppose I feel I need to compensate.”
Mimi couldn’t see a single thing that Lissa had given up. But she could see what she’d gained. An attractive, decent man. Something that had always been missing from her life since her no good father walked out.
David, on the other hand, had given up a great deal.
He’d given up her Grace.
Upset, frustrated, she dug the knife in. “It must be fun to return to your teenage partying days. It makes Grace’s moonlight dinner in Paris seem quite ordinary.”
David paused. “Do you really think Grace will—” He paused. “When you talk to her again, will you tell her I said hello? On second thought, never mind. Forget it. Don’t tell her anything.”
“I doubt I’ll speak to her again for a while. She’s having far too much fun in Paris to bother with me.?
??
Was she meddling?
So what if she was?
Mimi stood up and poured herself a glass of water. Her hand shook a little. She felt old. Tired.
She heard the sound of a chair scraping and then footsteps.
“Is the lock on your back door still sticking?”
“Don’t think you can get around me by fixing my home. Do you really think I care about a door?”
She was sick of the door.
“I have my toolbox in the car. I can easily fix it.”
She should tell him to go away, but having to tug at the door every day was driving her crazy. She’d actually kicked it that morning, and been relieved no one was around to witness her childish reaction. “Do what you want to do.”
She heard the sound of the front door opening and watched as he strode down the path to his car.