Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75047 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75047 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
He was just about to cast out his line when I said, “Happy birthday, Daddy.”
“Kiersten!” He dropped his fishing pole and opened his arms wide, then stepped over to me and hugged me tightly. “I didn’t know you were coming today.”
“I couldn’t miss your birthday.”
“I’m so glad you came!” He released me from his embrace, then looked down at me with a warm smile. “You look good, kiddo.”
“You do, too.” My father was in his mid-fifties, but he was a bit of a health nut and appeared much younger. Even now, as he stood there in his loose-fit t-shirt and old-man jeans, he looked in better shape than most twenty-year-olds—which wasn’t always the case when he was in his dress pants and button-downs. I glanced over at his fishing pole. “Are you catching anything?”
“Not a thing, but I wasn’t really trying. Just wanted an excuse to get outside for a bit.” He grabbed his pole, then motioned me towards the house. “Let’s head up to the house, and I’ll fix us both something to eat.”
I nodded, then followed him up the pier and to the house. Once we were inside, Dad went over to the counter, and an excited smile swept across his face when he spotted his surprise. “You got me a cake?”
“You can’t have a birthday without birthday cake.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” He picked up my card and quickly scanned it, then smiled like I’d given him the moon. “Thank you. I don’t deserve you.”
“It’s just a cake and a card, Dad.”
“But it’s from you, and that makes it even more special.”
It was times like these that were the hardest. Dad actually sounded sincere when he said those words to me, and maybe he truly meant them. I just couldn’t get past the demons in my head to believe him. Don’t get me wrong. I knew it wasn’t fair to judge him so harshly. Like Country said, his job was just a job, and it didn’t define him. I also knew he had his reasons for becoming a cleaner, and they probably had something to do with me, but the pretending unnerved me. True or not, it made me feel as if everything that came out of his mouth was a lie.
I didn’t have a response for him, so I walked over and grabbed a couple of paper plates from the cabinet. When I started cutting each of us a slice of cake, he asked, “You want a cup of coffee or a soda?”
“Soda will be fine.”
“You got it.” He opened the fridge and got each of us a can of soda. Once I had our plates ready, I asked, “Do you want to carry this out to the porch?”
“That would be perfect.” I followed him outside and over to the swing. Once we were both seated, he asked, “So, fill me in on things. How’s school? How are your friends? Are you seeing anyone?”
“Whoa, slow down.” I giggled. “One thing at a time.”
A wave of guilt washed over me when he said, “Sorry, I’ve just missed you. It feels like we haven’t had a chance to catch up in months.”
“Because we haven’t. Not really. You’ve been busy with work, and I’ve been busy with my school projects, but there’s not much either of us can do about that.”
“No, but we have some time now. I’d really like to hear how things are going for you.”
“Okay, well... my classes are fine. Even though some of them are tough, I’m enjoying them, and as far as I know, my friends are doing well, too.” My mind suddenly drifted to Country. Fate played a dirty hand when she threw us together... And now I was left wanting something I couldn’t have. It shouldn’t have mattered. My focus needed to be on my deal with the Sinners, but he seemed to be all I could think about. As much as I’d enjoyed our night at the bar, I relished talking to him by the fire even more. I’d never felt so comfortable having a conversation with a man I barely knew. I’d also never been so attracted to a man before, and the whole thing was completely frustrating. I liked to be in control of things, but this is one situation where I had none.
I considered telling my father I’d met someone, but I worried he might ask questions that I wasn’t ready to answer, so I simply said, “I’m not seeing anyone—at least nothing steady.”
“But you have met someone?”
“Yeah, but I’m not sure if anything will come of it.” I shrugged. “It’s kind of complicated.”
“Don’t worry. You have plenty of time to figure things out. You know, I was almost thirty before I met your mother.” His expression softened. “I can still remember the day I saw her walk into that coffee shop. She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. She was simply breathtaking. I’m pretty sure I fell in love with her right there on the spot.”