Page 58

I’ve been occupied with Madison, and I know that Aurora has her own life. She made it clear to me when she moved out a couple of years ago that just because we livewithin a few blocks of each other doesn’t mean we have to see each other every day.
After putting my shoes away and putting the coffee pot on, I head back to the front door. She’s just climbing the steps to the porch, and I swing the door open, and there she is.
She doesn’t even look at me as she breezes into the house. She still has a key because it’s her home and always will be. But now, she’s acting like she not only used to live here but like she owns the place.
She glides down the hallway to the kitchen. I follow a few steps behind her. She’s checking the coffee pot. When she sees it’s already going, she turns back around. But instead of a smile, she’s glowering at me.
The moment I see her expression, my stomach drops. I’ve seen her mad before, but this… This feels different. There’s a kind of betrayal in her eyes that hits me hard. It’s not just a “can you believe what this idiot at work did? kind of look. It’s something more serious.
“Aurora? What’s going on?” I go over to the coffee pot and check its progress, wanting something to do other than just look at her.
Her boots thud across the kitchen floor as she marches to the pantry, grabbing a package of pastries from the top shelf and tearing into one. She turns on me as she takes a bite, and I watch the dark storm brewing in her eyes.
“I know, Dad. I know about you and Madison.”
The words hang in the air between us. I turn back to the coffee pot and fiddle with it as I try to figure out how to respond. I can’t lie to her, not to her face. I can pretend I don’t know what she’s talking about, but I’m not sure how convincing that will be. I wasn’t expecting this. Not like this.
“What are you talking about?” I manage to say, but evenas the words leave my mouth, I know they’re a lie. She knows. Somehow, she knows.
Aurora takes a step closer, eyes blazing. “Don’t lie to me, Dad. Donotlie to me. Your nurse friend, Janine, told me everything. She said she’s so happy you have a new girlfriend. Except I didn’tknowyou had a new girlfriend. You’re always with a woman, but not a girlfriend. And when I asked who, guess whose name she said?”
I swallow because I know exactly where Aurora got her information. I close my eyes. I don’t know how it happened. Maybe Aurora ran into her while she was shopping, or perhaps they saw each other on the beach. Everyone at my job knows who Aurora is. The woman was just running her mouth, and I made a mistake. I told the nurse Madison’s name.
This is my fault.
“Madison!” Aurora throws the name in my face like it's a bad word and not her best friend’s name. “What the hell,Dad? You’re sleeping with my best friend? You’re way too old for her! That’s sick!”
I can feel the walls closing in, and my heart is pounding. I want to deny it, but there’s no point. Aurora’s smart. Too smart.
“Aurora, listen to me?—”
She cuts me off. “No. You don’t get to spin this, okay? You don’t get to twist this into something that’s not your fault. How could you do this? How could you take advantage of her like that?”
“Take advantage? Aurora, that’s not what this is. It’s not like that?—”
“Then what is it? You’re what, just casually hooking up with my best friend? You thought that was okay? You thought I wouldn’t find out? And how can she be okay withit? She’s obviously not! She’s been avoiding me. Is that why you showed up at her place that one day? You wanted to havesexwith her?”
“Aurora, it’s not like that. I have been helping her with the dogs. Honestly. She had two big ones for a while. They were a handful.”
“But that’s not all.”
“Madison is an adult. We’re both adults, and this…this just happened. We didn’t plan it.” I can’t believe I’m admitting that I’ve slept with Madison. I don’t want to talk about it with Aurora, but she obviously wants to talk to me.
She laughs, but it’s not a real laugh. It’s cold. “Oh, it just happened? Youaccidentallytook your clothes off and slept with her? That doesn’t accidentally happen.”
“I didn’t say it was an accident, just that we didn’t plan it.”
“Like that makes it any better.” The coffee pot beeps cheerfully, and Aurora pours herself a cup of coffee. She’s silent for a moment with her back to me.
I rub a hand over my face, trying to find the right words. Despite the minute-long silence, I’m not able to come up with anything appropriate. “I didn’t want to hurt you. That was never the intention. Madison and I, we’ve been spending time together because of the dogs. It wasn’t supposed to turn into anything, but… it did. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry you found out like this. You’re right about one thing. I should have told you.”
Aurora’s eyes narrow, and she whirls around with an open cup of scalding coffee in her hand. I hate that I think it, but I take a couple of steps back to the other side of the island just in case Aurora is going to goreallycrazy. “You’re sorry? That’s what you’re going with? You’re sorry? Thatmight work for spilling something or buying the wrong size. But that doesn’t work here.”
“Aurora, I’m an adult. I’m your father, and you won’t?—”
“No! You don’t get to tell me what to do! Not when you’re the person making the mistake here. I’m never going to understand this, Dad! You’re my father! And Madison is my best friend! You’ve ruinedeverything!”
I feel my heart crack at her words, because I feel the same way. Things were great until Aurora found out. But now, what can I possibly do to repair our relationship?