Friday morning, I stop by my dad’s house. Joan is out and I’m quietly grateful. I fix us two glasses of ice water and a bowl of fruit salad. Dad’s moving around a bit more than he was when we brought him home from the hospital, slow but steady. For the first time in days, he actually looks comfortable—less pale, more himself.
“How are you feeling?” I ask, spooning some fruit into a bowl and setting it in front of him.
“I’m okay. Better. The real question is, how areyoufeeling? Tomorrow is the big show.” His grin is wide and proud as he pats my hand. “I’m so proud of you, baby.”
I feel my cheeks flush and a smile tugs at my mouth. “Thanks, Dad. Josh and I are ready.”
“And the record company?”
“They fly in tomorrow morning. We’re supposed to have dinner with them after the show but… I don’t know. I might let Josh handle that.”
“What? Why?” He looks at me like I’ve lost my marbles. “They’re interested inbothof you.”
“You know how I am,” I say, with a weary sigh. “The limelight is hard for me. Besides, I’ll want to get back here and check on you.”
“I’ll be just fine. Sophie is going to FaceTime me while you’re onstage.” Dad chuckles. “It’ll be like I’m there, just with air conditioning.”
I smile softly. “You’re right. And I know Josh wants me by his side. I just… I haven’t thought about what I’ll do if they make us an offer that takes me away from here.” I study my dad’s face for any hesitation, any flicker of fear. But I come up empty.
“You’ll do it,” he says simply. “Because it’s your dream.”
“What about you though?” I press. “I can’t leave you.”
“You can. And you will.Ifit comes to that.”
Dad takes a sip of his water and clears his throat. “Joan and I are talking about making things a bit more permanent around here.”
The subject change makes the back of my neck prickle.
“You mean…marriage? I thought you said you’d never get married again.” My jaw falls slack with surprise.
Dad barks out a laugh, waving his hand. “No, no. But I might ask her to move in.”
I blink, momentarily speechless before feeling a smile spread across my face. “That’s great, Dad. I’m really glad you found each other.”
“Yeah?” His voice is almost shy.
“Yeah.” I smile warmly, reaching over to pull him into a hug.
“I was a little nervous to tell you,” Dad admits, sipping his water. “Didn’t know how you’d react.”
“Yeah, I kind of picked up on that when I didn’t know she existed until you were in the hospital.” I give him a teasing glance.
Pink creeps into Dad’s cheeks. “Sorry about that. I’ve just been on my own for so long, I didn’t know how to explain it.”
Before I can reply, a timer sounds, its soft beep interrupting us.
“Time for my meds,” he says, standing up. “Joan set me a timer for when she’s not here.” Dad moves slowly around the peninsula to get his prescription bottles.
I watch him closely, something loosening in my chest. Yeah. I think we’re both going to be okay.
* * *
Saturday morning hits me hard,thanks to the sound of Josh’s excruciating alarm. I’ll never understand why he picked the most offensive sound in the iPhone alarm library, but every time it goes off, I’m convinced I’m waking up in crisis. My nervous system thanks him.
I pull the pillow over my head and groan. We’re lying back-to-back but I feel the tap of his knuckles on my hip.
“Come on,” he says, his voice rough with sleep but amused. “You have to get up.”
