“You sound like you enjoyed more than just his skill, Dad.”
He’s quiet for a moment, and my head whips to the side to find my dad’s cheek pink.
“He’s cute. I’ve always thought that, but I’m your dad. I’m not perving on your friends. They’re like my other sons.”
Huh. This is new. I want my dad to find his happiness, but I thought it might be with the florist. Seems like he has his own crush brewing.
“Is there something you want to tell me?”
He shakes his head and hits the key fob for his car. “Nope, but I want to know how things went with this Rhett fellow. I saw him follow you outside.”
“He followed me?”
Dad and I slip into his car, and once buckled, he answers my question.
“He most definitely did. I was talking to Hunter, and as soon as he noticed you were going outside, he grabbed a hot dog bun and hot-footed out there.” Dad backs out of the space and points the car toward the road. The blinker ticks while I absorb this information.
“Did Hunter notice?”
Dad glances quickly my way before returning his attention to the road. “I think so.”
If Rhett followed me on purpose, he genuinely wanted to apologize. That wasn’t just a happy coincidence. Did Hunter put him up to it, or was it his choice?
“He told me his dog is a rescue dog and introduced himself properly. We shook hands, and he apologized for being rude. He…” I trail off and look out the window as we travel down the streets of Kissing Ridge towards home. “He was really rude a fewweeks ago when we met, and since then, I’ve questioned myself a lot.”
Dad makes a pained noise, and I look over at him. “What kinds of questions, son? Like when Dalton left you in the middle of the chemotherapy ward, and you thought it was your fault? Or more like asking if your shorts are too short kind of questions?” His fingers flex on the wheel. “Because those are two very different lines of questions, and I hate that either might be on your mind.”
My dad is my fiercest protector, and I’m the luckiest man to have him. He is my hero in literally everything. How he handled family when he came out as bisexual, even before my mom died, and how he’s fiercely stood by my side at every pride event and held my hand during chemo.
“A little of both, if I’m honest. Nobody has ever been as rude as Rhett. I brought him a coffee with fancy cold foam when all he wanted was a black coffee and—”
“Who just drinks it black? Such a wasted flavour opportunity.”
“Right!? Anyway, he asked if I ignore all my customer requests, and I started overthinking it all.”
Dad and I sit in silence until he pulls into the driveway and parks next to my Jeep. He kills the ignition and sighs. “I know I can’t stop you from second-guessing yourself, and I know I’m your dad, so you don’t always believe me, but you are the warmest soul, Diamond. Even before shit happened. The way you are at your coffee shop is how you’ve always been. You make an impact on people’s days, and I wouldn’t let one nasty comment from a person take that from you.”
My eyes swell with tears, but I don’t let them fall.
“Even if it’s a super-hot cowboy who I can’t stop thinking about with a cute dog and eyes that crinkle when he smiles? God, his eyes just get me, Dad. I feel like there’s a story there, and am I stupid for wanting to know what it is?”
We finally exit the car and walk into the house we share. Dad tosses his keys on the table in the front hall.
“Didn’t you say not that long ago that you manifested your dream man?”
“I did.”
“Did you resend the memo then? Or are you just going to forget you had this wish granted and throw it away?” He wanders to the kitchen and grabs an apple from the fruit bowl. He takes a bite and leans on the counter while making a show of waiting for me to answer him.
I smile at my dad as I feel my confidence return. Rhett and I may have started off all wrong, but Dad is right. I’m not wasting this.
“I’ll resend the memo next time I see him.”
He grins. “I look forward to seeing him here for breakfast one morning.” My dad winks, like he didn’t just imply he wants me to get this man under me ASAP, and I sputter my surprise.
“Dad, you did not just tell me to seduce the man so you can have coffee in the kitchen with him. Please tell me I misunderstood.”
He just smiles at me before whistling and walking down the hall. “Goodnight, son!” he calls over his shoulder, and I shake my head with a huff.
