“Really?” Clarisse asked breathily, liking that idea.
She couldn’t say she knew Fin very well. What she could say was that he had a lot going on for a kid. Sometimes the look on his face looked liked what No looked like and what she felt like when Dad and Mom got their divorce then, later, when Dad went for full custody.
But worse.
He didn’t share but she thought it was too much to take with what he did share.
And he was really worried about what his Aunt Debbie was up to.
It felt crap, not knowing how to help him and it felt worse not having any power to do anything. She knew that last part felt even worse for Fin. So it felt awesome when they managed to get his Aunt Dusty home, get her Dad and her back together and then Dad stepped in.
Clarisse might not be able to do anything, but Dad could.
And Fin knew it too and she knew he was relieved.
It would be cool if she could help him out other ways too.
“Absolutely,” Dusty answered, taking her from her thoughts.
Clarisse tipped her head to the side. “That doesn’t sound like much of a favor because I’m already doing that.”
“Yeah and do you like it? Whatever you’re doing with Fin?”
Clarisse nodded maybe a bit too enthusiastically but it only made Dusty’s eyes light in an awesome way. Dusty’s smile got huge so Clarisse figured her nodding that way was okay.
“Then just keep doing it except maybe…more,” Dusty suggested.
“More?”
“Let him in,” she advised. “Let him know you.”
Clarisse wasn’t sure about that.
“What if he doesn’t like what he knows?” she asked cautiously.
“Oh, he will.”
“You’re sure?”
“Honey, you’re a girl, I’m a girl and in the girl club we were both born into, if I gave you bad advice on something like this, I’d be flogged,” she grinned and finished, “deservedly.”
Clarisse couldn’t help it. That was funny, real and totally true. So she giggled.
And when she was done she saw Dusty wasn’t smiling.
She was looking at Clarisse with a look on her face that made Clarisse’s heart stop and she whispered, “There she is.”
“Who?” Clarisse whispered back.
Dusty leaned in and answered, “You. Thank you for giving her to me.”
Ohmigod! That was so nice.
Clarisse bit her lip then murmured, “Uh…you’re welcome.”
Then Dusty Holliday did something beautiful. The kind of thing she felt from her Dad all the time. Sometimes from No. Sometimes from her grandparents. Rarely from her mother.
She lifted her hand, cupped Clarisse’s cheek and said gently, “You should let her out more often. Your Dad misses her.”
It was then Clarisse knew what she couldn’t figure out for the longest time. She knew what had gone weird between her and her Dad. Why he was watching her. Why he’d sigh a lot around her. Why he’d do the worst and get that look on his face when he was disappointed she brought home bad grades or she’d sat in front of the TV all afternoon instead of doing her homework.
She pressed her lips together and tried not to cry because it would ruin her makeup.
But, honestly, she missed her Dad too.
They heard the garage door go up.
So Clarisse whispered, “Dad’s home.”
But she knew that Dusty knew and she knew because she’d already seen Dusty’s eyes get warm and her mouth get soft. And Clarisse saw on Dusty’s face what she’d read in Dusty’s diaries.
Dusty Holliday loved her Dad. Bunches.
And Clarisse Haines loved that. Bunches.
“Yeah,” she breathed then she got up and said, “Let’s go say hi.”
Clarisse took one last look at her awesome makeup job then she got up too.
And with Dusty Holliday, she went to say hi to her Dad.
*
“Can we talk?”
Mike looked to his side, down and to his unhappy surprise saw Audrey standing there actually speaking to him.
And he wanted to say no. He really fucking wanted to say no.
Because he’d spent the day working. And while he worked he hoped things were going all right with his daughter and his woman spending the day together. Not that he’d get home to a shut down Clarisse and a Dusty who was wondering what the fuck was up with his girl.
He didn’t get home to that.
He walked in from the garage to see Clarisse bounding down the steps looking like a fucking model.
He was not blind. He knew his daughter was beautiful and that wasn’t entirely prejudice. But her makeup was stunning, fortunately in a way that didn’t make her look too adult. But she did look too good.