“I’m in the city for some business. Want to meet me for lunch?”
My shoulders fall, losing some of their tension. “Yes. I’d love to have lunch.”
“Great. Let’s meet at your favorite spot. Noon work?”
“Perfect. I’ll see you soon.”
I shuffle through my paperwork for the next hour as my mind continues to spiral with the memory of last night. There’s a part of me that’s angry with myself for pushing him away—angry that I took away the happiness I’d felt over the last couple of months.
When I finally get to the restaurant, I spot my dad sitting at our favorite corner booth. He knows the owner and somehow always gets our booth, no matter how late of notice he gives them. Just seeing his face has my eyes watering. He’s the one soft place for me to land, and right now, I need him more than I can ever remember needing him before.
I take my seat across from him and place my purse next to me. He smiles brightly at me.
“There she is.” He places the menu down. “I was thinking I might get the—” Then he stops mid-sentence when his eyes meet mine. “What’s wrong?”
My bottom lip quivers. I try to fight off the tears, but one betrays me and cascades down my cheek. I wipe it away and blink rapidly. “It’s nothing.” I shrug my shoulders and look out the window.
His silence fills the space between us, dragging on until I have to look back at him.
He raises his eyebrows. “It’s not nothing. You’re upset. Talk to me, honey. Tell me what’s bothering you.”
The waiter interrupts us to get our drink order. Once he’s gone, Dad goes back to studying me, waiting for me to talk.
“Just … boy drama. Nothing you can do about it,” I answer, rubbing my hands over my legs nervously.
“Well, I don’t know about that. I may be old, but I can still throw a good punch if I need to.”
My chest shakes lightly as I let out a laugh that tastes more like defeat than humor. “I don’t need you to beat anybody up for me.”
“That’s true. You’re tough. You could do it yourself.” He winks.
I roll my eyes. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Is this about Walker?” he asks point-blank, no beating around the bush. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with him and his daughter.”
He knows me too well. I should’ve known he would figure it out. I’ve been very open with him about the time I’ve been spending with Walker and Eli.
Just thinking about Eli opens the floodgates.
“I love them,” I admit out loud for the first time.
He reaches across the table and grabs my hand. The warmth of his hand offers a touch of solace. But he doesn’t press me to talk; instead, he just offers quiet companionship.
Then the words just spill out of me. “We were more than just friends. At some point during all of this, we became more. I shouldn’t have let it happen. It’s my fault. He had warned me from the beginning that we couldn’t be together.”
That seems to surprise him. “Why?”
A bitter laugh bubbles out of me. “I don’t know.” I throw my hands in the air in frustration. “He won’t tell me. He’s the most stubborn, annoying man on the planet. I mean, what on earth can it be that he can’t even tell me what it is? This isn’t high school. Just be a man and tell me.”
“Huh.” He scratches his chin. “That is odd. Not like Walker at all.”
Even my dad can see this isn’t like him. But I’m angry. And right now, I just want him to tell me Walker is an asshole who doesn’t deserve me. They may not be the words that will get me through the situation, but they would get me through the day.
Dad isn’t like that though. He doesn’t speak lies to placate anybody. He tells it like it is. It’s one of the reasons I know I can always trust him.
“Maybe the Walker we think we know isn’t the one who exists today.”
The waiter comes over and takes our order, temporarily distracting us from our conversation. Dad orders for both of us as I try to compose myself and wipe away the evidence of my sorrows.
