Curveball

Chapter 38

Still not hearing from Jenna, Shawn continues to be worried over her. Cora flies out to see Shawn for the weekend, her walking off the plane and looking for her dad. Shawn sees her and smiles, walking over and kneeling to his daughter's level and hugs her tight.

"Hey!"

"Daddy!" the little girl jumps into her father's arms.

"Ugh, I've missed you."

"I missed you too daddy."

"How's school been?" he asks her as they walk out of the airport and to his vehicle.

"It's good. I got an A on my spelling test."

"You did? What was the hardest word you had to spell?"

Cora thinks for a minute, biting her bottom lip. "Medicine."

"That's a hard one," Shawn says driving towards his house. "Miss. Jenna still sick?"

"Yeah..." she looks down sadly. "I miss her daddy."

"I do too sweetheart. I'll figure out where she's at okay?"

"I hope she's okay."

"I'm sure she is," Shawn smiles getting home as Cora sits in the living room, watching TV as Shawn grabs his phone and tries to get through to Jenna's phone again.

No surprise, no answer.

Shawn leaves a message. "So this is probably like my fourth message I've left you the past three days. Where are you?" he asks like Jenna's going to answer back. "Cor is worried about you. I'm worried about you. Alice doesn't seem to know where the hell you are. Come on Jenna..." Shawn says before ending the message and going back into the living room to join his daughter.

"Did you talk to her?" Cora asks with wide eyes.

"I left her another message."

"Daddy.." Cora sighs. "Did you and Miss. Jenna break up?"

"No babe of course not," he smiles.

"I'm hungry."

"What do you want?"

"Chinese food!" she smiles. "Can Jenna come to visit with me the next time I come?"

"Her come with you?"

"Yeah, like when I come to visit she can come too. I think she'd like it here. She's fancy," Cora smiles.

"She's fancy huh? What do you mean she's fancy?"

Cora shrugs. "You don't think she's fancy?"

"I mean I don't know what your definition of fancy is."

Cora looks through the magazines that are on the lower shelf of the coffee table and flips through them. She points to a picture of an art museum and then a fancy restaurant. "She likes things like that."

"And how do you know that?"

"I don't know. I think so. She dresses pretty, and she has a fancy picture wall in our classroom. She says that artists are people who aren't good with words, so they show people how they feel."

Shawn smiles nodding his head. "She's smart, isn't she?

"I miss her."

"Me too baby," Shawn says kissing his daughter's temple. "Alright, come on let's get some Chinse.

"Yay!" Cora says putting the magazine on the table and runs upstairs to her room to get her shoes. Shawn pulls on his tennis shoes as well as the father/daughter pair head to the local Chinese restaurant, Shawn calling Jenna a couple more times. They sit across from each other, Cora reading the horoscopes and animal things on the menu to Shawn. She stumbles over a few words but not many. Shawn tries to call her once more. Straight to voicemail, not even ringing.

"What the hell..." Shawn mumbles.

"Bad word daddy..."

"I'm sorry babe."