“Hey, I’ve had a lot of fun with you, Dad! And I started a list of stuff I want to do next time you’re here. You have to come back soon, okay?”
“Absolutely. Anytime. I’m here for you, no matter what.” I fidget with my napkin while I talk. Not wearing a tie is weird. I don’t know what to do with my hands when I’m nervous or stressed. “I just want to make sure you know that.”
She nods. “I do. I think I always did, but I also worried I would be a burden or something if I asked for help.”
“You’re never a burden to me, Lizzie.”
“This week has helped me see that better. I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me, too, kiddo.”
We continue talking as we eat, moving into less serious topics.
“This is so good I want to keep eating, but I’m so full I might die.” Lizzie pushes her plate away and looks at me. “Okay, Dad, spill it.”
“Spill what?”
“Why are you and Minnie so…awkward around one another?”
“What? No, we’re not,” I lie. We’re so fucking awkward it’s not even funny. It’s heartbreaking, really. It’s exactly what I worried would happen if I acted on my feelings—except it happened because I’m a fucking coward. After last night, I think we’re at least heading in the right direction now, but still have a long way to go.
Lizzie laughs humorlessly. “Oh, you’re so awkward it gives me secondhand embarrassment. I thought spending time together would help, but it’s not. Come on, Dad. I need to know why you and my best friend seem to hate each other. Or something. She gets all tense and extra anxious when you’re around. You… You get a weird, gloomy look in your eyes.”
I exhale slowly, trying to find the right words. “We… We’ve met before. Back in New York. We know each other.”
“What?” Her eyes widen in surprise.
“We didn’t realize we both knew you until I got here. She goes by Amelia there. And I’ve never once heard her call you Lizzie. Shit, even here, I’ve only ever heard her call you Bean. And I don’t think she’s ever heard me call you Lizzie, either, because I call you kiddo. I try to keep my personal life out of the office, but I know I’ve talked to you on my cell a few times.”
“The office? She works at Delgado Technology Corp.?”
“She’s my personal assistant. Has been for a year.”
“Oh my god. Wait, so the secretary you’ve been in lovewith this whole time is my Minnie? And the guy from work that she’s been in love with since day one is you?” Her eyes widen even more, and she gasps, punching my arm hard. “You slept with my best friend? You slept with her and then told her it was a mistake! Jesus Christ, Dad. What the hell is wrong with you?”
I grimace, rubbing my arm where she slugged me. “It was a momentary freak out that shouldn’t have happened, and by the time I pulled my head out of my ass, she was running.”
Lizzie throws her hands up in the air. “Can you blame her? What you said was fucked up. I’ve only ever heard her sound truly happy when talking about two things: dance and you. And shit, I’veneverheard you talk about anyone or anything the way you talk about her.” She punches me again. “Oh my god, I am so mad at you! How in the hell could you regret being with her, even for a second?”
“Because what we had was special. She was my fucking sunshine. Then we crossed into something else and I got scared that we were ruining everything.” I run my hand down my face and sigh heavily. “Which ruined everything.”
Leaning back, I stare at the ceiling. “Fighting over the last fritter, knowing we’re just going to split it in half, the silly banter, the smiles and grins, the smirks as she fixes my tie after I’ve fucked it up again, her teasing about my hair sticking up because I can’t keep my hands out of it… It’s all gone,” I lament wistfully. Absent-mindedly, I reach for the tie that isn’t resting against my chest. “My sunshine is gone.”
“So fix it.”
“She won’t talk to me, Lizzie. She has my number and email blocked and refuses to say more than a few words to me in person.”
“Fix it.”
“She says she hates me.”
“She’s hurt, Dad. You hurt her. And honestly, I hate you alittle bit for that.” Her tone is harsh and unyielding, bringing my gaze to hers. “I was rooting for you to be together without realizing it was the two of you, but I was. Because for an entire year, I’ve been fuckingdyingfor you to ask your secretary out. And I’ve been dying for Minnie to date the guy from work.”
She sits back in her chair and crosses her arms, scowling at me. “Then she showed up here. When I picked her up from the airport, I’ve never seen her like that. Like her soul had been put in a fucking blender.” Her brow crinkles as she processes everything. “I’ve been livid with the asshole who did that to her, and it turns outmy dadis that asshole? God, this whole week I’ve dragged her along and made her hang out with the dickwad who broke her heart! And she hasn’t said anything because she’s my best friend and doesn’t want to hurt me and make things weird right before my wedding.”
I nod. What the fuck else can I do?
“Shit. Poor Minnie. This week must have been so hard for her. I wish she’d just told me. Though that would be a wildly awkward conversation. Kind of like this one. ‘Hey, Bean, sorry but I can’t go sightseeing with you and your dad because we boned and now it’s weird.’ Yeah…I can see why she didn’t say anything,” she sighs, shaking her head. “Are you giving up?”
