Page 60 of The Surrender

“Are you coming over this evening?” he asks, completely sidestepping my statement. “I wouldn’t usually need to ask, but your mother’s helping Abbie at the florist, and I’ve been left the responsibility of sorting dinner.”

“Mum’s working and you’re cooking dinner? What has the world come to?”

“I didn’t call to get an earful of your smart mouth, Amelia. Will you come by this evening to help me?”

Dad doesn’t need help. This is his olive branch, after the most recent time he’s tried to convince me I love a man that I really don’t.Fuck.“I can’t come over this evening, Dad.”

“Why?”

I could tell him I’m going to my new place to sort a few things, but that would be a lie. I’m a grown woman. I shouldn’t have to lie about my choices. “I’m seeing Jude.”

“Who?”

I sag. “I’m dating a man called Jude.”

Silence. “You said you were just sleeping with him.”

“Actually, Mum said that.”

“Last I heard you weren’t sleeping with him anymore. You weren’t dating, you said so yourself. And now you’re dating the man who you were or weren’t sleeping with? What does this mean?”

It means I’m in love!“It means I’m dating him.”

“What about Nick?”

Oh, for the love of God.I drop my head to the desk. “Dad—”

“Apparently, according to you, you ended things with Nick because your career was so important to you, and now you’redatinganother man? Not just sleeping with him, butdatinghim?”

“This is a really weird conversation to be having with my father.”

“Poor Nick!”

I sit up. “I don’t want you to mention this to him,” I say urgently. “I’ll tell him myself when the time is right.”

“Of course I’m not going to tell him. I don’t want to break his heart.”

“Dad—”

“Do you have no compassion for the man?”

“Dad, I—”

“Poor fellow’s done nothing wrong.”

“I never said he did.”I just wasn’t in love with him, and we wanted different things!

“I’m disappointed in you, Amelia.”

“Okay, I’m done with this conversation. I’m a grown fucking woman, Dad. Concentrate on your retirement and cooking the damn dinner tonight.” I hang up and yell. Then cringe to high heaven because I just dropped the f-bomb on my father. “Shit.”

“That kinda day?”

I look up and find Sue at the doorway.

“Family politics.”

“Nice flowers.” She closes the door but stays there, holding on to the handle. I smile my thanks, not bothering to explain who they’re from. “Leo just called me.”