“You’re not sure?” she repeats. “You’ve seen her before, right? Do you think she’s pretty?”
Is she… jealous? I can’t help but smile at the thought of it. She and I have been dancing around each other, both of us well aware that we can’t cross the line, but every once in a while she slips up, and I love it when she does. I love it when she shows me how deeply she cares.
“No, Ray. I don’t think she’s pretty.”
Her shoulders slump in relief, and she smiles. “Oh,” she says, trying to act nonchalant when she can’t keep her smile off her face.
I’m done for. I’m falling for her, and no matter how hard I resist, I can’t stop. I can’t stop wanting more of her. More of her smiles, more of her company, more of her touch.
I can’t stay away… but I have to.
Chapter Twelve
Alanna
I sit up when I hear the front door open, my eyes wide. I don’t remember the last time Dad made it home for dinner. It’s been months since we even had a real conversation.
“Alanna, sweetheart.”
Dad looks exhausted, but it’s more than that. His work has always been his passion, and these days his eyes look vacant. The fire I’m so used to seeing in him is gone. He still hasn’t told me what exactly is going on, but from what I understand, the company is struggling worse than it ever has before.
“You’re home early! Come have dinner with me, Dad.” I pat the seat next to mine as I get up to grab him a plate. I feel Dad’s eyes on me and look back, a smile on my face. The way he’s looking at me has me worried. I’ve never seen Dad looking so lost, so discouraged. The last time I saw him wearing that expression was at Mom’s funeral.
“I made some spaghetti.” It’s simple, but it does the job. If I’d known that Dad was going to be home tonight, I definitely would’ve tried to make something nicer.
“Looks great, honey.”
I sit down next to him and watch him for a moment. “It’s so good to have you home for dinner,” I murmur. “I can’t remember the last time we had dinner together.” It’s been months, for sure.
Dad looks down at his plate and nods. “I’ve let you down, Alanna.” His voice is soft, his regret palpable. “Work has overshadowed everything, and even so, it isn’t enough.”
I place my hand over his and shake my head. “No, Dad. You could never let me down,” I tell him. “I know how hard you work, and you were right, you know? Volunteering at the shelter truly did make me appreciate everything we’ve got so much more. I get why you work so hard.”
He smiles at me, and I breathe a sigh of relief. This is the first real smile I’ve seen on his face in months. “Your eighteenth birthday is coming up soon,” he says, tightening his grip on my hand. “The months are flying by, each day filled with nothing but work. I haven’t even had time to make up for missing your seventeenth birthday. How about I take you to that restaurant you wanted to go to back then? Or is there something else you’d rather do?”
I shake my head. “I’m not sure, Dad. It’s so pricey, and it seems unnecessary. How about we just have dinner at home together? I just want to spend my birthday with you. It doesn’t matter where.”
Dad looks at me and shakes his head. “No, I’ll take you there. I insist.”
I grin at him and nod. I walked out of there that night without even sitting down, because I’d been waiting for Dad by the entrance. I’ve been wanting to go for so long now. “I can’t wait!”
Dad smiles at me and shakes his head. “You’re all grown up, and I’ve missed so much of it. I kept telling myself that there’d be time to make it up to you, that I just needed to save the company first, and everything else would come after… now I see how wrong I was. I’m sorry, Alanna.”
“Dad,” I murmur. “It’s okay, honestly. I’ve been super busy with college applications, and school’s just been a lot lately. I’ve kept myself busy, I promise.”
It’s true that I felt lonely at the start, but that was before Silas. Once he and I started to talk to each other every day, the loneliness faded.
“Hmm,” Dad says, smiling. “There’s a boy, huh?”
I freeze, my eyes widening. “What? No!”
Dad chuckles and takes a bite of his spaghetti, his eyes on me. I have no doubt that I’m blushing fiercely, but even if I wasn’t, there’s no way I could keep anything from Dad. We might not be as close as we used to be, but he’s still my best friend. I’ve never kept anything from Dad, and I won’t now either.