Page 50 of Faking It with Mr. Uptight

"You’re right. Sweet dreams." I blew him a kiss, not wanting him to go but not having anything to say to keep him.

"Sweet dreams," he said and ended the call.

I sighed, wishing he was here with me. I knew that he needed a break and some time alone, but I missed him. I was happy that he was having a good time and that he was reconnecting with his friend.

The next morning, the sound of the shower down the hall trickled into the bedroom. Bleary-eyed, I glanced at the clock. It was only five after eight. Ugh, WHY MUST THE KINGSBURYS BE EARLY RISERS?

I rolled over, burying my head in the pillows and blankets in a futile attempt to siphon off more sleep. Sighing, I got out of bed, shuffling toward the stairs.

I yawned, blinking the sleep from my eyes as I zombie walked to the coffee pot. The coffee brewed so slowly that I could have driven to Harry's and gotten a cup faster.

"Hey," I said softly, my voice still thick with sleep as Hailey bounced in.

"Morning," she answered, sitting at the counter as I poured myself a cup of coffee.

"What are you doing up so early?" I asked after the precious first sip, feeling slightly more human.

"Early? It's after eight. My dad gets up at five every day. That's early."

"You poor deprived child."

"Yeah, I have it rough," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Want some cereal?"

"Sure."

I pulled out a bowl and poured her some cereal, adding milk before handing it to her. "I need to ask you a serious question," I said, adopting a serious stare.

Hailey paused spoon suspended in the air. She looked frightened with her wide eyes and partly opened mouth. I felt bad for what I was about to say.

"Does your dad put the milk in the bowl before the cereal?"

She giggled and shoved the spoon in her mouth looking more relieved than amused. She shook her head no, and after she swallowed, she said, "Only cereal killers do that."

I put my hand to my heart. "A pun. I'm so proud." I fake sniffled and she laughed more genuinely this time.

After breakfast, we cleaned up the kitchen, and Hailey headed back upstairs to go on her computer while I went next door to get ready.

Later, we were out the door and headed to the mall. We hit a few stores and stopped for lunch. It was a lot of fun. At the vintage boutique we were hunting for the perfect spring fling dress. I had taken it upon myself the other night to bring this up because it was Hailey's first dance. While Jake would try his hardest, I had a feeling that what Hailey needed was a woman’s touch. To give her the freedom to choose something that brought her joy, without the fear of her dad's judgment.

As we looked through the racks, I decided to keep up my pseudo-parenting schtick.

"You know, I didn't have a date for my first dance."

"You didn't?" she questioned, not looking at me, but I could hear the interest in the way her voice curled up at the end.

"Nope. I went with my two best friends. It was so much fun. We danced and laughed all night. Way better without stupid boys getting in the way."

"Too bad I don't have a best friend."

My brow furrowed. "What do you mean? What about Mary and Hannah?"

"They're not my friends anymore."

Oh, I remember those days. "Do you want to talk about?"

She shrugged and I didn't push her.

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