Page 72 of Lilly

"I doubt it. Given how my dad's been acting, I'm sure I'll be stuck here. I'm seriously counting the days until we're back in college."

"Same here. It's been good to spend time with my dad this summer but I'm ready to go back to campus."

"So where were you going to take me?" I smile as I lie down on my bed.

"What are you talking about?"

"You said you wanted to take me somewhere for my birthday. So where were you going to take me?"

"I hadn't figured that out yet. I was thinking somewhere along the coast. Maybe camp out on the beach one night. Stay at a hotel the next. Or get a hotel for both nights if you don't like roughing it."

"I'd totally camp out on the beach. Jade and Garret did that for their wedding night. Harper set up a tent for them and made it all fancy with candles and stuff."

"I can't promise you it'd be fancy, but it'd be fun. And we'd be alone."

"That'd be the best part. We haven't been alone together in weeks."

"God, I know," he says, longingly. "I miss you so damn bad. You're only an hour away and I never see you."

"Let me talk to Rachel tomorrow. She'll talk to my dad. I'm sure he won't care if you drive up here."

"That's another thing. Apparently I'm getting a new car."

"You just got a new car."

"I got it almost a year ago and it was used. My dad wants me to have a new one to take to school in the fall. And this time, he's paying for it. All of it. I don't have to chip in half like last time."

"What kind of car?"

"Whatever I want."

"I don't get it. He's only worked at that job for what, a month? How does he have all this money all of a sudden?"

"I was thinking the same thing. I hope he didn't get himself involved in something he shouldn't have."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Selling drugs?"

"You think your dad would sell drugs?"

"He was around them for all those years he was on tour. He definitely has connections in that world. I'm sure sometimes he was even in charge of getting them for the band."

"Does he use them himself?"

"Not that I know of. I mean, I'm sure he has in the past but I don't know if he does now. I've never found any here in the apartment."

"So all this happened today? You got ten thousand dollars and the promise of a new car?"

"Yeah." He laughs. "Not a bad day, huh?"

"Sounds better than mine."

"Something else happened." He sounds serious now. "Something not so good."

"What is it?"

"My mom called."

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