Page 20 of Trust Again

“Tell her you’re sorry,” said Dad, straight out.

“Of course—as soon as she talks to me again.”

Dad nodded. “And how are your other friends?”

He’d met my little group, and they all took to him right away. Spencer even wanted to take a selfie with him and mumbled something under his breath about his “future father-in-law.” Luckily, Kaden had physically blocked him from taking the picture.

Dad didn’t need to know that Spencer was avoiding me since our kiss in the frat house. I didn’t even know what to make of the situation myself. Just the thought of Spencer’s lips on mine, the way he tasted, and how his hands felt on my body, made me… No, this wasn’t good at all.

For months, I’d managed to repress my feelings for him. Knowing how it felt to be close to him had set off a storm inside me. The warmth and tingling really scared me. I didn’t want to feel that way, because that would only lead to heartache.

Instead, I’d rather talk to Dad about the thing with Sawyer, about school, about my next writing project.

“They’re fine,” I finally answered him, trying to seem as believable as possible.

Dad obviously wanted to dig a little more, but I changed the subject. “Now it’s your turn. How was your date last week?”

My father breathed out slowly. “It was a flop.”

I sighed. Dad had been looking for a partner for years. Part of me was surprised that he hadn’t given up yet.

“Not again! What happened this time?”

“I was so busy that I almost forgot about the date, so I rushed to the restaurant in my overalls and… well, you can imagine how thrilled she was.”

Right. Dad’s stained work clothes probably didn’t make the best impression.

“Dad, next time wear a suit, put on some cologne, and trim your beard. You’ll knock ‘em dead.”

My dad could look really good if he tried. He was in shape, thanks to the hard physical labor he did every day. With his warm brown eyes and the deep laugh lines around his mouth, he looked hot for an old guy, I was proud to say. There had to be hundreds of women out there who’d fall for him in a heartbeat.

“It was either show up late or be on time wearing work clothes,” Dad tried to explain.

I suppressed a grin. “And you picked the overalls.”

“Sooner or later she would’ve seen me in them anyway,” he said with a shrug.

My instinct to bang my head on the table was interrupted by the arrival of our food.

“Well, I won’t be seeing Stacey again.” Dad cut right into his steak. “Enjoy,” he commanded me.

I savored the rib eye and gazed out the window. It was cloudy and looked like rain, but the serene view of the valley had a calming effect.

“No worries, Dad,” I said, finally. “We’ll find your Mrs. Right. She’s out there somewhere. And if Stacey didn’t think your overalls were sexy enough, she’s a fool.”

That got him to smile. For a while, we ate without speaking.

“While we’re on the topic… Nathaniel and Rebecca are moving into the Maynard House.”

I paused, my fork in midair. “What?”

Dad dabbed his mouth with his napkin. “He looked at the property again with an appraiser, talked them down a bit, and then struck. It’s a great piece of real estate. I was wondering when it would finally go.”

Very slowly, I set my fork on my plate. My heart was in my throat. The room suddenly felt cold; my palms were sweaty and my chest felt tight. I took some deep breaths.

“I wanted you to find out from me, Dawny, and not have to wait till your next visit, when it’d be the talk of the town.”

“Okay. Thanks.”