Jake. No, seriously. He rubbed his face. I'm tired of missing my daughter's life. Tired of wondering why I never seem to get ahead.
Tired of feeling like I'm always one emergency away from losing everything. His voice softened. And the worst part? Laura waited. I believed it.
He looked at the performance reports again. I actually believed I wasn't good enough. Something flickered across Laura's face. Pain, regret, maybe both. Before she could answer, the sound of a car door slamming outside interrupted them.
Both heads turned toward the front window. Headlights swept briefly across the living room wall. Jake checked the clock. Nearly midnight. Karen, he said quietly.
A moment later, the front door opened. Jake. Karen's voice carried through the house. You awake? She stepped into the kitchen carrying Sophie who looked half asleep and wrapped in a butterfly pattern blanket.
Karen stopped so abruptly she nearly lost her balance. Her eyes moved from Jake to Laura, then back to Jake, then back to Laura again. The silence that followed was remarkable. "Well," Karen said finally. "This is new."
Jake closed his eyes briefly. "It's work." Karen raised one eyebrow. "At midnight?" "Long story."
Karen looked at Laura, who somehow appeared even more uncomfortable than before. "Very long story." Jake added. Karen gave him a look that promised future interrogation before carefully setting Sophie down. The little girl rubbed one sleepy eye and blinked at the unfamiliar woman sitting at the kitchen table.
"Daddy." She mumbled. "Hey, baby." Jake immediately softened. The change in his voice was instant, complete.
Sophie shuffled forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. Jake hugged her tightly. For a second, everything else disappeared. The documents, the promotion, the betrayal, none of it mattered as much as the small person standing in front of him. "Your tummy feeling better?"
He asked. Sophie shrugged. "A little." Then she noticed Laura. Children had a way of staring without embarrassment.
Sophie exercised that right fully. Laura suddenly looked like a woman facing a much more intimidating audience than any boardroom. "Who's that?" Sophie asked. Jake opened his mouth.
Nothing came out. Surprisingly, Laura rescued him. She slid off her chair and crouched until she was eye level with the little girl. "Hi." She said gently.
"My name is Laura." Sophie studied her carefully. "You have really straight hair. Laura blinked. Thank you.
Sophie touched one of her own curls. Mine does whatever it wants. To Jake's astonishment, Laura laughed. Not a polite corporate laugh, a real one, warm and genuine. Mine usually does, too.