Page 72 of Inevitable

“I know.”

“Are you sure?” He gripped my shoulders. “Because it seems like all you’ve done this summer is work.”

“That’s not true.” My shoulders tightened, and I wondered if he could feel the tension I held there. “I went out with Piper, and…”

“And you bailed on Lea for your spa day last weekend.” He peered down his nose at me, and I felt like a child being scolded. “She was really disappointed. And honestly, I think it hurt her feelings that you didn’t make it a priority.”

“I know,” I sighed, deflating. “I’m sorry, Dad. I hate feeling like I let either of you down.”

“Did something happen between you two?”

I jerked my head back. “Between Lea and me?” When he nodded, I said, “No. I love Lea.”

“Maybe you should show her that by spending time with her.”

I nodded. “Okay. Yeah. Of course.”

“How about this weekend? We were thinking about going to the Huntington Gardens, maybe taking a picnic.”

I cringed. “I, um, I’m going to be gone all weekend.” I didn’t know which was worse—the fact that I’d hurt Lea’s feelings or that I was lying to my dad,again. Guilt twisted in my gut, and it made me question what Jonathan and I were doing. We shouldn’t be lying. We shouldn’t feel the need to lie.

“All weekend?”

“Yeah, um, Piper invited me to go with her to Palm Springs,” I said, totally pulling it out of my ass. I felt awful, so I rushed to add, “I haven’t gotten to spend much time with her since I went away to college,” which only made me feel worse.

“Of course. I know you have a life of your own. I guess, sometimes, I forget. I still see you as my little girl.”

“Dad.” I laughed, needing some levity. “I haven’t been little for years.”

“I know.” He frowned. “But maybe I want to spend some time with you before you leave again. It wasn’t easy—you living across the country. I missed you.”

Oh my god, I was going to cry. He was the sweetest, most loving dad. And how was I repaying him? By lying and sneaking around so I could sleep with his best friend.

“I missed you too, Dad.” I sniffled, hoping he wouldn’t notice as he pulled me into a hug. “And we’ll spend time together.”

“Soon,” he said, releasing me but not before kissing the top of my head.

“Definitely.” I nodded. “There’s actually something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about.”

Concern etched into his features. “What’s that?”

I decided to do it. I’d just rip of the Band-Aid and tell him about my business plan. “I want to start a coaching business.”

He chuckled, ruffling my hair like you would a cute puppy. “Youwant to tell other people what to do?”

I straightened. “Not tell them what to do. Help them navigate business and life. I have a business plan, and—”

“That’s great, sweetie,” he said, but it felt like a brush-off. “I’m sure business school will help you hone those ideas and decide if it’s a viable plan.”

I opened my mouth as if to say something but realized there was no use. He’d already made up his mind on the matter.

“Shouldn’t you get packing?”

I nodded and turned to head upstairs but then paused.No.I was not going to let this go so easily. If this was my dream—and it was—I needed to own it. “I already have a few clients, including Jonathan.”

“Mm-hmm,” he said, but his attention was focused on the TV.

I huffed and headed up the stairs. As soon as I got to my bedroom, I texted Piper, knowing I needed to cover all my bases.