Page 58

My phone buzzes in front of me. It’s my dad again. I turned the ringer off because I just didn’t want to deal with the calls.
“If that’s the case, then I wish there was some way to put the noise inside my head on silent mode,” I admit, and then, wanting to escape this conversation as well, I grab my phone. “Lilly, I need to take this. Please excuse me for a second.”
I slip away to a quiet corner of the café where I’m sure no one can overhear. Taking a deep breath, I pick up.
“Quinn.” Dad’s voice is more serious than I’ve ever heard in my whole life.
“Hey,” I croak.
“Where are you? We need to talk.”
“I’m with a friend at the moment—”
“Quinn, this has gone on long enough. I’m waiting for you in the hotel lobby, and I’m not leaving until we talk.”
And then, for the first time in my life, he hangs up on me.
I sigh.
I knew this was coming, and it’s time to stop running from my dad.
After a hurried apology to Lilly, I make my way back to the hotel.
Sure enough, there he is, waiting for me at the bar.
I reluctantly take a seat next to him.
He’s seething.
Suddenly, it’s like I’m ten years old again, about to get scolded for not doing my homework in time.
“What were you thinking, Quinn? You’re far too bright to be involving yourself in relationships that you have no business being in.”
His words sting.
I don’t like admitting it, but validation from my dad has always meant a lot for me. The disappointment dripping from his tone feels even worse than him telling me off.
“I just…” I sigh, letting my shoulders fall. “I didn’t know he was your friend, Dad. I wouldn’t have pursued this if I did.”
“Even if he wasn’t. In what world is it okay for you to be with someone who’s that much older than you?”
“It just happened, and—”
“This is all because of the divorce. You’re not thinking straight. This is just a rebound for you.”
This was not just arebound.Enzo meant a lot more to me than that.
“Dad…”
“Getting involved with someone who’s that much older cannot be good, for either of you.”
Yes, it is. We have a lot in common. I can talk to him for hours. He makes me feel something I was sure I’d never get to experience again. We have something, even if you don’t understand it.
I bite my tongue, knowing better than to say anything.
“You just signed your divorce papers. The last thing you should be thinking of is another relationship that will leave both of you hurt. What happened to the Quinn I know? The one who was driven by her career and goals?”
“I’m still the same Quinn, Dad. Why would my being with Enzo change who I am?”