Year of Living Blonde (Sweet Life in Seattle, Book 1) by Andrea Simonne Read Free Book Online

and told her anyway. It infuriated Natalie.
    “You don’t have to meet her if you don’t want to. I’ll talk to him.”
    Chloe picks at her banana and sighs. “I wish Daddy would come home.”
    Natalie doesn’t say anything. The image of Peter and Lena yesterday is still fresh in her mind—burned there forever. While the shock of it is still strong, a deep anger is taking hold. Natalie was awake all night.
    Her daughter’s pale-blue eyes meet her own and Natalie can see all the hurt in them. She reaches out and takes Chloe’s hand. “I know how hard this is, sweetheart. Everything is going to be okay and you still have two parents who love you.”
    Chloe nods. “Aunt Lindsay told me your dad left when you were little, too. Is that true?”
    “When did she tell you that?”
    “She called last night, but you were already asleep.”
    Natalie lets out a deep breath. “My dad left Grandma when Lindsay and I were kids.” What she doesn’t tell Chloe is that her dad left and came back over and over.
    “Aunt Lindsay said that he wasn’t reliable and that’s why you guys are so close.”
    Natalie lifts the cake dome on the counter and reaches for a chocolate croissant, but then stops herself. An image of Lena’s trim body suddenly comes to mind. She puts the lid back down. Instead, she pulls off a banana like Chloe.
    “It’s true. He wasn’t the best father, and Grandma had her problems, too.” Natalie thinks back to her childhood and it’s like another lifetime ago. Her mother was flighty with artistic aspirations that never panned out, and her father was only around when he was winning poker tournaments. It was up to her to be the responsible one, the one to make sure there were clean clothes to wear and hot meals to eat.
    Chloe sighs. “I wish I had a sister.”
    Natalie gazes at her beautiful daughter. Chloe looks just like Peter. She has his same willowy build and his blue eyes, but her personality is all her own. Peter used to say that she and Chloe were the center of his life, that he couldn’t live without them. When did all that change? She tries to picture a time when this heartbreak will end and she’ll feel normal again. It’s hard to imagine. “What else did Lindsay say?”
    “She called Daddy an ass clown.”
    “That wasn’t very nice. You have to understand that Lindsay and your dad have never gotten along with each other.”
    “I know.”
    Natalie peels her banana. “You may hear some things while this is happening. Just remember that despite everything, your dad and I both love you.”
    Chloe is quiet. “I don’t know why he wants to go live with someone else. How could anyone be better than you?”
    She’s touched by her daughter’s words. “I wish I had an answer that made sense. We’re going to figure this all out though—okay?”
    “Okay.”
    Natalie finishes up her banana. It was sweet and surprisingly delicious. She gets up to make herself some coffee as Chloe leaves the kitchen to go take her shower before school.
    She thinks about everything that’s happened, all the hell she’s been going through, and decides today is definitely the day she’s paying Lena a visit. Lena needs to be told face-to-face about the damage she’s done.

    “I’m going with you,” Blair says, untying her apron. “I’ll work late tonight if I have to.”
    “Oh, that’s not necessary,” Natalie says. “I can handle it.”
    Lindsay, who has just arrived at the bakery, is standing next to Blair. The two of them are a united front.
    “There is no way we’re going to let you confront Lena without us. You know that,” Blair continues.
    Lindsay nods in approval. “That’s right. We got your back.”
    Natalie shakes her head and smiles at them. “All right. I guess you guys can come.” Even though she was planning to confront Lena alone, it’ll be good to have the support. The truth is, she’s nervous.
    Of course, Blair insists they take Isadora. Natalie rides shotgun while Lindsay