Initiative (Suncoast Society #31)(37)

“What will you tell Kyle?”

He shrugged. “Nothing. He’s got a bedtime. I’ll simply wait until after he goes to bed and I’ll leave. I’m usually gone first in the morning anyway. Even if he did notice, it wouldn’t be the first time I’d gone out on a date with someone while he’s here. Although that hasn’t happened for a while.”

“Since you and Darryl became an item.”

Grant smirked. “Exactly.” He glanced out the front windows. “Okay, they’re here. Now, please, relax. All right?”

“Yes, Sir. I’ll try.”

He smirked. “And try to remember not to call me ‘Sir’ around him.”

“Oops. Sorry, Sir.”

He let out a sigh.





Darryl had swung back and forth through the full range of emotions while driving to pick up Kyle. Pass Susie off as just a friend? Pass her off as Grant’s new girlfriend?

He didn’t know what the right answer was. All he knew was he had to figure out a way to make this work. He definitely didn’t want to do anything to put his relationship with his son in jeopardy, but dammit, didn’t he deserve a little happiness for a change?

Besides, it was all he could do to stick to the promise he’d made himself that he’d never stoop to Chelsey’s level. He’d never, not once, bad-mouthed her in front of Kyle. Hell, he’d changed far more diapers than she had, and yet she wanted to go for full custody? She’d moved a guy into the house—their house—and he was living with her and helping pay expenses, but he had to pay her alimony? When she made more than him? And she’d filed for the divorce?

Fortunately, not a lot of alimony, and it wouldn’t last much longer, but still, it grated on him.

And, to add insult to injury, he had to pretend not to be in a relationship with the love of his life?

He’d been a faithful husband. He’d taken care of their son, raised their son, taken care of their house. Yes, she made more money than he did teaching private lessons, but it had allowed him the freedom to volunteer at Kyle’s school, get him into sports and Scouting, all those kinds of things.

If he’d known at the time he was looking for an Owner and not a spouse, he might have approached things a lot differently.

Okay, sure, yes, he’d had fantasies about Grant in high school. He’d shoved them back, because hell, he’d had equally hot fantasies about Susie.

Had he known back then that “bi” was a thing, he might have been a little slower to marry Chelsey when she batted her eyes at him.

Kyle was ready to go when Darryl pulled into the driveway, not even getting the car shifted into park before his son dashed out the front door and to the car.

He threw his stuff into the back seat and slid into the front. “Hey.”

“Hey, kiddo. You all right?”

Kyle wore a dark frown. “Same stuff, different day. What’s for dinner? I’m starved.”

He backed out of the driveway. “Grant’s making pork chops.”

“Oh, I love his pork chops.”

Better sooner rather than later… “Um, we’re going to have another guest tonight, too.”

Caution entered Kyle’s tone. “Who?”

“Well, we went to our high school reunion this weekend. Remember our friend we’ve talked about? Susie? We used to hang out together all the time.”

“Yeah. The gamer chick, right?”

Close enough. “Yes, her. She’s joining us for dinner tonight.”

“Cool. Is her husband coming?”

“She’s widowed.”

“Oh.” He stared out the window for a moment. “You know I don’t like Greg, right?”

“I know. You’ve told me.”

“I don’t like how he talks about you with Mom. They think I can’t hear them and I can. Like they think you’re a joke.” He looked at Darryl. “I know she cheated on you, Dad.”

He had to struggle to keep his focus on the road. “I really don’t think this is something that we should ta—”

“No, I want to talk about it.” Kyle turned toward him. “I get it. You’re trying to be nice. Mom’s not a nice person, okay? Not when it comes to you. The only reason she was being a bitch about the custody—”

“Please don’t use that word about your mom.”

“Okay, fine. The only reason she was being a witch about custody was because she wanted you to have to pay child support and didn’t want to have to pay you alimony or child support. I heard them talking with the lawyer. He’s a friend of Greg’s. That’s why she did it like that, because she’s cheap.”

Darryl finally pulled over into a parking lot, because it was that or risk an accident. He wanted to give Kyle his full attention anyway.

“What’s going on? Why are you bringing this up now?”

“She used you, Dad. Okay? Tell your lawyer to nail her to the wall. She deserves it.”

“What happened?”

He sat back in his seat and stared at his hands for a moment. “Greg was on the phone talking to someone last week. He was out in the backyard and I could hear him. They’re just trying to figure out how to keep getting money out of you to pay for stuff so they don’t have to. Whoever he was talking to, he was bragging to them about that.”