A familiar name lights up my phone, pulling a smile from me as I shut my laptop with one final section left.
“Hey Dad.”
“Here I thought you’d forgotten about me and Pops.”
I roll my eyes at him, even though he can’t see me. “Maybe if you didn’t call me during class I could talk to you.”
“I guess I can’t complain that you take your education seriously.”
“A trait I get from Pops.”
“That you do,” he laughs. “How are your classes going?”
“Top of the class in everything.”
“That’s my girl. Just make sure tutoring doesn’t get in the way of your own studies.”
I gulp down the guilt at remembering Troy’s face when I told him I couldn’t help him. That’s not who I am. My dad—well, both of my dads—raised me to always help others.
But what would they say if I was helping Derek Hollins’s son?
I don’t even want to think about that.
“I won’t.” I shift the phone to my other ear. “Harper and I went to the football game today.”
Dad groans over the phone. “SDU is not looking good this year.”
“If only they had a quarterback of your level.”
A crackle comes from the other end of the line. “Angie, don’t give your dad a big head,” comes Pops’s voice.
“Hey Pops. Don’t worry, it can’t get any bigger.”
“Hey!” Dad chirps over the phone. “I’m right here.”
“It’s a good thing there’s other good teams here I can support.”
“Just not hockey,” Pops says.
“Don’t worry, I won’t become a hockey fan anytime soon.”
Too much history there to even fathom going to a game. No matter how good San Diego University’s hockey team is.
“Any big plans this weekend?”
“Harper and I are going to a party tonight.”
“Make sure you have your phone with you,” they tell me in unison.
I laugh at them. Over two decades of being married and they really have become the same person. No matter where I am, they are always worrying about me, something I don’t think is going to change despite my age.
“I will. And we don’t leave without letting each other know.”
“There are some things I wish we didn’t have to know,” Dad says.
“You asked. I’m not going to lie to you.”
“It’s why you’re the best daughter in the world, Angela.” I can hear the smile in Pops’s voice.
