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Obviously she didn’t want to talk to me.

That didn’t stop me from checking my phone the instant the plane landed in Seattle. Still nothing. With a sigh, I grabbed an Uber and headed over to Pops’ house. He didn’t answer my text letting him know I was on my way, but it was the middle of the day and chances were good that he’d be home. He tended to be a homebody.

“Pops?” I called when I opened the door.

No response. His car was in the driveway, which was even weirder. My father was not a person who took a nap. Had something happened to him?

Heading down the hallway towards his bedroom, I heard a moan. Picking up the pace, I pushed open his bedroom door, then froze in horror. Pops was in bed all right, and there was a naked woman straddling him. My mouth fell open in shock. I must have made a sound because they both froze. The woman looked over her shoulder, then tapped my father’s chest.

“Sweetheart… we have company.”

Sweetheart? What was going on here? And why was I still standing in the doorway staring at two naked people?

Pops craned his neck. “Oh hi Jenny. I didn’t know you were back. How about you get yourself a cup of coffee? We’ll meet you downstairs in a couple of minutes.”

Mutely I backed out of the room and headed for the kitchen, trying not to think about if they were going to finish having sex before they came downstairs. I grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the top of the refrigerator, poured myself a generous shot, and tossed it back before pouring more whiskey into a cup of coffee.

Pops came downstairs a few minutes later, he and his companion flushed and disheveled. He pressed a quick kiss to the top of my head, then said, “Jenny, this is my friend Elana. Elana, this is my daughter.”

“Jenny, I’ve heard so much about you.”

Elana stepped forward, sticking out her hand for a shake. I stared at it, wondering if she’d washed it after fucking my father. Her smile faltered and she dropped her hand, her eyes going to Pops.

“What’s going on here, Pops?”

“Let’s all sit down,” he suggested.

Bringing my cup of whiskey-laden coffee with me, I dropped into a chair, Pops and Elana sitting across from me.

“Elana is my girlfriend.”

Well at least I hadn’t interrupted a one night stand or something.

“How long have you been together?” I asked.

Pops had the good grace to look sheepish. “Six months.”

I blinked in shock. “Six months?”

Some things started making sense. The times I texted and it took him a long time to answer. His sudden fascination with checking his phone throughout the day. How distracted he’d seemed, even when he knew I was on the road trip with Blair.

“Yeah, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Pops said contritely. “At first I wasn’t sure if this was going somewhere, and I was worried you’d be upset that I was dating someone. Then we started getting serious about each other, but I kept chickening out from telling you. I certainly never meant for you to find out like this.”

Now I was wondering how many other times Pops had a secret girlfriend that I didn’t know about. All these years I’d assumed he was too broken up about Mom to date again. I was glad to see that he was moving on, it was just a surprise.

“Why would I be upset about you dating someone Pops?” I asked. “I think it’s great. You’ve been alone for a long time.”

“I didn’t want you to think I was being disloyal to your mother.”

“Mom’s been dead for nearly twenty years now. I think you’re entitled to have another relationship. I’m sure she would have wanted you to be happy.”

Pops threaded his fingers through Elana’s. “I am happy.”

They shared a sappy smile. Then he seemed to remember our last conversation.

“I see Miss Houghton cleared everything up in Chicago?”

“Yeah.”