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That’s what she said.

She cringed at her own response. Was that lame? Oops, she hadn’t even answered the question. She quickly texted back.

Sam 10:20pm:

And yes, count me in!

Taylor 10:21pm:

Great, I’ll shoot through the deets tomorrow. Have a nice night x

Sam smiled at the screen.

Slinking under the covers, she popped the phone on the nightstand and turned off the lamp. It was going to be a good week.

Then she thought about talking to her dad, and the smile fell right off.

Sam knocked on the cabin door, taking a deep breath of fresh ocean air, the saltiness a soothing familiarity. Her teeth started to chatter as she waited.

“Coming!” came a voice from within, followed by the sound of her dad clanking around as he walked up to let her down below. The door unlocked and he slid it aside, beaming up at her.

“Mornin’ Sammy.”

“Morning, Dad. I brought pancakes.”

He eyed the foil wrapped plate, then leaned over to look in the food bag hoisted at her side.

“With yoghurt or cream?”

“You know yoghurt is better for you.”

“AndIknow cream tastes better.”

She gave an exaggerated eye roll as he stepped up into the cockpit and wrapped her in a tight hug.

“All right, hurry up and come in, it’s chilly this morning,” he noted as she shivered in his arms. “Plus,” he continued, “I’m hungry,andI’ve just popped the kettle on, so perfect timing.”

She wandered in after her dad, ducking as she climbed through the narrow doorway and down into the cabin. Polished wood trim greeted her on all sides, the cream cushions on the lounge and white ceilings keeping everything looking modern and bigger than it really was.

She passed the galley, setting the pancakes down on the dining table and sliding around the L-shaped lounge with practised precision. She landed in her favourite spot, wedged in the corner with her feet up.

“Aren’t you going to help?” Her dad raised an eyebrow, grabbing a second mug from under the counter and pouring each of them a coffee. She watched the tendrils of steam rise from the cups.

“Nope. I’ve done my part.”

She pointed at the pancakes, then yanked the foil off the top and took the yoghurt and maple syrup out from her bag.

“Fair call.” Her dad placed their coffees on the table, then walked around and slid in next to her, a second plate with an assortment of cutlery appearing next to the pancakes. She got busy divvying up the breakfast, wondering how in the hell she was going to get this conversation started. Thankfully her dad went first.

“Alex been round lately?” He shoved in an overly large piece of pancake, which looked painful to chew around. He was never one for manners.

“Nah, she’s been busy with work. We’re meant to be catching up for drinks next weekend which will be good though. Feels likewe haven’t caught up properly in ages; we’ve both been so busy with work and whatnot that we’ve fallen out of our routine.”

“Should be nice.” He smiled, mouth still full.

“Yeah.” She paused, and took in a slow breath. “Hey Dad?”

“Yeah?”