A former fling??

Jackson

I leaned against the door, rubbing the back of my neck as I tried to shake the image of Laura from my mind.  

The way the water glistened on her skin. The way her hair clung to her back, sleek and damp. The way her legs moved, smooth and effortless, as she stepped onto the pool deck… 

Damn it.  

I exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down my face. I needed a distraction before my thoughts spiraled into dangerous territory.  

And as if the universe had heard me, my phone rang.  

I glanced at the screen. Arlene.  

My heart softened instantly. I swiped to answer. “Hey, princess.”  

“Daddy!” Her voice was full of excitement, that familiar warmth wrapping around me like a safety net.  

I smiled, the tension in my chest loosening. “You sound happy. What’s got you in such a good mood?”  

“I just wanted to talk to you,” she said, a slight pout in her voice. “I miss you.”  

That hit me right in the gut.  

“I miss you too, baby.” I sank onto the couch, my earlier frustration melting away. “What have you been up to?”  

She let out a dramatic sigh. “Nothing out of the ordinary. It’s just the usual boring stuff.”  

I chuckled. “Boring? You used to love those field trips. You were always eager to go. Sometimes I even get jealous, thinking you’ve got another dad there.” She burst into laughter, and I was happy to hear her go off over the phone.

“Yeah, when I was little. But now it’s all boring stuff. Ugh.” She finally found her voice amid the laughter.

I smirked. “Well, that’s understandable. We tend to want new things as we grow up. I can’t relate though. I love my job.” I chuckled while she groaned. “Dad, no offense, but your job sounds super boring, I’m just glad you make billions from it. It makes it worth it.” She teased, making me laugh.

“None taken. What would you rather I do though?” 

“Something fun! Like… like a race car driver! Or a chef!”  

“A chef?” I raised an eyebrow. “Princess, you do realize I can barely make toast without burning it?”  

She giggled. “Yeah, I remember when you tried to make pancakes, and the fire alarm went off.”  

I groaned. “That was one time.”  

“Mom still laughs about it.” She chimed in while the smirk on my face cleared off, and I went mute.

She giggled again, then her voice softened. “Are you okay, Daddy?”  

The sudden shift in her tone caught me off guard. “Of course. Why do you ask?”  

“You just sound… different. Like you were thinking about something.”  

Smart kid. Too smart sometimes. 

“Is it because I mentioned mom?” She asked.

“Of course, not, I was just… distracted. Long day at work.”  

She hummed thoughtfully. “Is it the big deal you were telling me about?”  

I smiled. “Yeah, something like that.”  

“Well, don’t let those business people stress you out. You always tell me to take deep breaths when I’m worried about a test. So you should do it too.”  

I exhaled dramatically. “Alright, alright. Deep breath in.”  

She joined me on the other end. “In…”  

I inhaled slowly, smiling at the sound of her tiny breath through the phone.  

“And out,” she said.  

I let it out, feeling lighter already. “You’re good at this, princess. Maybe you should be my life coach.”  

She giggled. “Maybe! But you’d have to pay me in ice cream.”  

“Deal.”  

We kept talking… about her favorite TV shows, the book she was reading, and how she was trying to convince me to let her adopt a puppy.  

After a while, she yawned.  

“Getting tired already?” I asked softly.  

“Nope, I’m just no longer bored, so I think I should release you now. You can get back to what you were doing.” She let out while I smiled. 

“Okay then. Take good care of yourself daddy,” I replied.  

“I love you, Daddy.”  

I closed my eyes for a moment, letting those words sink in. “I love you too, baby.

“Byeee!!” she echoed. Then, “Mwah!”  

I smiled. “Mwah!”  

She giggled, and then the line went dead.  

I sat there for a moment, staring at my phone, feeling something deep and warm settle in my chest.  

Arlene always had a way of grounding me. Even after all the drama with her mom and I, Arlene kept me going. I was grateful to have my daughter in my life in the midst of all the chaos, always pulling me out of my head when my thoughts got too tangled. Like a while ago when she pulled me out of my naughty thoughts about her best friend. I had barely pulled the phone from my ear when it beeped again.

I chuckled, thinking it was Arlene calling back… maybe she forgot to tell me something important. But when I glanced at the screen, my smile faded.

It was a text message from an unknown number. 

“Don’t forget our meeting. 9 PM. A lot will be revealed to you tonight.”

My brows furrowed.

The anonymous caller from last night. The lady who claimed she knew me, and sounded like she expected me to remember her, but I didn’t.

I had even forgotten all about her after the call, especially because she had pissed me off a bit. She had told me we needed to meet. She didn’t ask if I was interested. She didn’t wait for me to agree. She simply told me the time and place and hung up before I could question her.

At the time, I dismissed it. Another game. Another person trying to pull me into something I had no patience for.

But now?

Now, I am curious.

I read the message again, tapping my fingers against the back of my phone. A lot will be revealed? What the hell did that mean?

I checked the time. 8:30 PM.

That means I have just thirty minutes left to be there, and the location was a private lounge and about twenty-five minutes away.

Damn.

I ran a hand down my face, debating whether I should just ignore it. But the curiosity had already sunk its claws into me.

I exhaled sharply. “Screw it. It’s not as if I have anything to do at home. And it wouldn’t be bad to clear my curiosity.”

Pushing off the couch, I strode upstairs, unbuttoning my shirt on the way. If I was going to meet this mystery woman, I wasn’t going to look like a man who had spent the last hour wrestling with wild thoughts about his daughter’s best friend..

I changed into a fresh black button-down, rolled the sleeves to my forearms, and switched into dark jeans and a sleek watch. No tie. No blazer. Casual, but sharp.

Grabbing my keys, I headed out, sliding into my car and pulling onto the road.

As I drove, my mind ran through the possibilities.

Who the hell was she?

A former fling? Doubtful… I wasn’t careless enough to forget someone I’d been involved with.

A business rival? Someone trying to get under my skin? Maybe, but this felt more… personal.

Or was it someone connected to John Reynolds? He seemed really serious about his threats earlier. Was this another one of his games?

My grip tightened on the wheel. If John was behind this, I’d find out soon enough…