Bean’s face lights up. “I don’t care if it is. We’re totally doing it. Do you still remember the routine we made up for it?”
“Who do you think I am? Of course I still remember it. I practice it at least once a week.”
“Liar,” she laughs.
I pick up a cookie and take a bite, looking over another playlist. “Are you doing any of the traditional things?”
“LikeThe Cupid Shuffleand The Dougie?” She grins mischievously.
“I will start walking home right now.”
“Okay, okay. The YMCA and The Macarena?”
I put my laptop on the table in front of me and stand to leave.
“Alright!” She puts her hands up in surrender. “But whatabout the Chicken Dance? Come on, Minnie, think of how cute Henry and Raerae will be doing the Chicken Dance.”
“Fine.” I plop back down. “But really, I was talking more like a first dance as a couple or a father/daughter dance.”
She huffs out a breath and shakes her head slightly. “Our song is still TBD because we can’t agree on one, but I don’t think I like the rest of the traditional shit much, anyway. Just let everyone dance with whoever they want to.” She pauses and clears her throat before continuing. “You should dance with my dad.”
“What?” I ask, trying to hide the instant panic that bubbles up with a chuckle that sounds like a sea creature’s death gurgle. “Why?”
“You know why, Minnie.”
I freeze, the half-eaten cookie forgotten in my hand. My eyes feel like they’re big enough to pop out of my head when they meet hers.OH MY FUCKING GOD, SHE KNOWS!
“Bean…” I croak. I can’t tell how she feels or what she’s thinking from her face. While I learned to wear the dancer mask, she learned to wear a ‘show no emotion' face, mostly to deal with her mom. I don’t like it being used on me, but fuck if I don’t deserve it. She has to hate me, though, right?
Her eyebrow raises and she kind of smirks. “We all feel pretty dumb, huh?”
Relief flows through me at her words and I sag in the chair. “Oh my god, right? Somehow, it just never clicked, and then he showed up in my parents’ kitchen! I still think I’m a little bit in shock.”
“I didn’t put it together this whole time. But then again, you said it was a coworker you had the hots for, not your boss.” She narrows her eyes at me. “Not a fan of the lying, by the way.”
“I didn’t mean to. I wasn’t sure the job would last long, and then I felt like such a cliché, having a crush on my boss, so I never came clean about that part. And I had no idea he was your dad.”
I cover my face with my hands, my cheeks on fire.
“How did you figure it out, anyway?” I ask, my voice muffled by my palms.
“I didn’t. Not exactly. I noticed you were both weird and awkward around each other, but I had no idea why. So last night at dinner, I called him out on it. I wasnotprepared for the answer.”
I groan, remembering how much I told her about that night. Thank god I didn’t go into details about the actual sex. I don’t think there’d be any coming back from that.
Dropping my hands, I bring my gaze to hers. “I’m sorry, Bean. I didn’t know how to tell you. Or if I even should tell you. I was afraid you would hate me, or hate him, and I didn’t want that. That would kill me. I was kind of hoping that if I just ignored it, maybe it would all go away after the wedding when he leaves.”
“And how’s that working out for you?”
“Spectacularly well, obviously.” I should go find another mimosa or something. Maybe a bottle of vodka.
“So what happens now?” she asks.
“I don’t know.” I shake my head and sigh. “It’s… It was a mess before he got here, but now? It’s a fucking dumpster fire rolling down a hill of dead grass.” I lean my head back again, close my eyes, and pinch the bridge of my nose.
“You can’t let him leave without talking to him, Min. You already left New York without talking to him.”
“Bean—”
