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Drew

Thatevening,I’mrelaxing, minding my business … when a knock comes from my front door. Emily is sitting on the other side of the loveseat and we quickly exchange a puzzled look before I get up to answer the door.

Looking through the peephole, I see Ted Windell. I gulp and look back at Emily. She puts her hands up, silently asking who it is.

“It’s Ted, Sophie’s dad,” I whisper.

Emily bares her teeth in a grimace, then gets up and heads back to the guest room where she’s been staying ever since I told her Sophie was coming over to look at the apartment.

I stand up straight and open the door to a very perturbed looking Ted Windell.

“Ted! To what do I owe this surprise?”

His jaw twitches. “I think you already know.”

I step to the side and gesture for him to come into the house. He steps cautiously through the doorway, then looks back at me.

“If this is about Sophie…” I quickly say, “you know how much I respect your family. I don’t have any ill intentions here. At the Independence Day party she mentioned wanting her own place, and since my sister is moving out, I told her about the basement apartment.”

“I don’t like this one bit,” he grits out, the vein in his forehead looking as if it might burst.

“You know me, Ted. Not only do I look up to you, but I trust you. I hope you feel the same way about me.” I shrug.

“I do trust you. If I needed a knee replacement surgery, you’d be the first person I’d call. Or if I needed help moving furniture, or wanted to grab coffee with a friend.” He shakes his head and looks down at his feet before looking back up. “But this is my only daughter, Drew. She’s been through a lot.”

“I know she has, and I was just trying to help. I’m sorry if I overstepped, but she’s an adult. Can’t she make her own decisions?”

His fists clench at his sides again. “That’s easy for you to say. Just wait until Penny is an adult.”

I nod my head. “That’s fair.” I suck in a deep breath, then blow it out slowly. “Can I show you the apartment? Maybe then you’d feel better.”

“Yeah, I’d like to see it,” he says, slightly calmer now, but the vein in his forehead is still showing.

Having already bolted the door at the bottom of the stairs from inside the apartment, we walk back outside and around to the side of the house with the separate entrance. I open the door and flip the light on, Ted following closely behind.

He walks around the living area, taking in every detail. Then he moves to the kitchenette and then down the short hallway. He opens both bedroom doors and looks inside before his eyes land on the door at the end of the hallway. He eyes the deadbolt I installed this afternoon.

“Okay, I feel a little better now.” His shoulders relax. “This is a great little space. I can actually picture her and Samantha here … and the deadbolt is a nice touch,” he says with a glint of humor in his eyes.

“I’d never do anything to harm Sophie, or anyone in your family for that matter.”

He releases a heavy sigh. “I know. I’m not sure what came over me … it’s just that you're single and have a past. My mind got a little carried away.”

I flinch at his comment. All I want is his trust and respect.

“Well, Sophie will be safe here.”

He slaps me on the shoulder good-naturedly, then turns to walk back outside.

I lock the apartment, then follow him back to his vehicle parked in the driveway. Ted opens his car door and is about to step inside, but turns to me at the last second.

“Oh, and Drew?”

“Yes?”

“Please don’t tell Sophie I came over here,” He says, looking abashed.

“Never.” I smile.

Walking back toward my house, I’m hit with the realization that this fabricated story about my so-called one-night-stand causes people to question my character. Even seven years after the fact.

Of course Ted wouldn’t want his daughter renting the apartment in my basement. He thinks I have casual flings with women, that I throw caution to the wind where women are concerned.

Having not had any serious relationships since Penny was born, I’ve never really had to deal with the repercussions of this lie. This story I created to hide the truth. But the embarrassment of the situation is really hitting me after my conversation with Ted.

Fact is, I’m a conscientious and caring person. I’m careful and trustworthy. But the people I respect won’t see me that way, not entirely anyway.

And unless the truth comes out, that won’t change. But the truth can’t come out. Because I made a promise.