Page 79 of Those Two Words

“Any idea where I can put this cake?”

Noooo.I really wish I didn’t know that voice. The idea of being caught now is a terrible, terrible idea.

I might be almost thirty-five years old, but no one wants to be caught in a compromising position with another person at their own kid’s birthday party.

Not when that someone is dressed like a Disney Princess.

Especially by that someone’s father.

thirty-two

JOHANNA

Patrick makes it ten feet across the kitchen in the blink of an eye. His crown sits lopsided on his head, and I’m sure I look like a disheveled version of Rapunzel.

His hands are raised in the air like he’s been caught with them in the cookie jar. Am I the cookie jar? I could easily brush aside the fact we were found making out in the kitchen, but we were doing so much more than that.

Of all the people, it had to be my dad. I wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole. And from the look on my dad’s face as he places the cake on the kitchen island, he’s thinking the same thing.Without making eye contact with either of us, he slinks out of the room, like he was never there.

And boy, do I wish he hadn’t been.

“He’s going to kill me,” Patrick whispers, a terrified look on his face. I shouldn’t find this funny because he looks genuinely scared for his life, but he knows as well as I do that my dad wouldn’t do that.

I think?

“He will not,” I say as I straighten out my dress and hair.

“I should go talk to him?”

“I’m sure a conversation with my dad about how he caught you with your hands in my pants will go down well.”

“Jo,” he hisses. “This is serious.”

“It really isn’t.” I’m just as mortified, but Patrick is acting like a scorned teenager. Before he can start to freak out anymore, we’re saved by the bell. “Oh look, your guests have arrived.”

I usher him to the front door, and with my head held high, go in search of my dad. I’m a grown woman, I can make out with whoever I want. Sure, I didn’t plan on him finding out this way, but he was bound to find out eventually.

My dad stands in the middle of the living room with a tiny teacup in his hands. My heart threatens to fall out of my chest when I take in the room. There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Lottie is a very lucky girl, with a dad that loves her unconditionally.

“Hey, staying for a spot of tea?” I ask in a regal accent.

He looks up from the table and smiles stiffly, not the usual reaction my accent gets from him. “You’ve been doing that accent since you were a kid. Your mom did the exact same.”

The mention of Mom has me pausing, but I shake myself out of it. Dad tries his hardest not to talk about her too often, but that’s not fair. He loved her and just wants to reminisce about their life together.

“Quite the party, hey?”

He eyes the giant T-rex in the corner of the room wearily. “I’ll say.”

“Patrick’s done an amazing job. Lottie is going to love it.”

“He’s a great father. A great man,” my dad adds, but his tone is off, and I can see he’s playing over his next words. “I just want you to be careful, Johanna. You’ve only been back for a couple of months, and I don’t want all the progress you’ve made over the years to go down the drain because of some old feelings.”

“Old feelings?” I ask, arms dropping to my sides from where they were toying with one of the streamers.

“Getting close to Patrick might not be the best thing for you.”

“So what, I’m supposed to hide away from the world?” I snap. “You’re the one who asked me to come back to town. Your plan to save the restaurant is why we’re working together. Now you’re worried we’re too close?”

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