Page 25 of Surprise Baby for Daddy's Best Friend

I sighed and curled into a ball, "Nothing."

I couldn't tell Mandi what was going on. I wasn't sure what would happen if she figured it out it was me all along. With how bad I was at acting, it wouldn’t be long, before someone put two and two together that I was the one seeing Jared.

Heat filled my cheeks, and I pushed my face back into the pillow to let out another scream. Just thinking about him sent my mind spinning and wanting to be near him again.

Mandi popped out of the bathroom with a towel, towering high on top of her head, toothbrush still stuck in her mouth. "You've been doing a lot of screaming. You sure you're alright?"

I pushed myself up and nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Life is just too complicated sometimes."

"Don't I know it," Mandi pulled the toothbrush out and pointed it at me. "Earlier today my dad was being weird about something and refused to tell me what was going on. He's usually really open about stuff." She hurried back into the bathroom to spit the remaining toothpaste out.

"Speaking of your dad..." I crossed my legs and leaned against the headboard. "What's he usually like? You know, at home."

Mandi sat in her bed and raised a brow, "Back home? I mean I don't get to see him all that often lately. Since his second divorce, he's stayed pretty much by himself and kept his nose in work. Why?"

I shrugged, "Considering everything, I'm just surprised he fits in with everyone." I waved a hand in the air. "I mean I know you're pretty wealthy yourself, but you've been down to earth this entire week, and from what Amanda said, you've always been that way. I guess I would have expected your dad to be more... stuck up at home?"

I wasn't sure if that was the right word for it. Perhaps having rich taste in women was the better question. This trip was a way for him to stay away from business, so it made sense he settled for some random girl instead of trying to find someone with more expensive taste in life. It was likely that when we returned home, I would never see him again and he'd find a woman more aligned with his financial situation. My net worth was closer to negative than his would ever be.

"He's not a snob. He grew up pretty middle-class so it's not like he forget his roots. And he raised me to be the same, he made me go to public school instead of a private school, and didn’t always give me everything I wanted or asked for."

"Does he have someone back home then? You said he was divorced, but he doesn't seem the type to be alone for long."

She shrugged, "He doesn't talk much about his relationships after the last one failed. Makes it hard for me to tell him that a woman is bad for him all the time when he doesn't tell me he's seeing someone. Though nothing has really stuck for longer than a couple weeks." She let out a soft groan, "Too many of them use him for his money and run off with their own piece of his business before he realizes it's happening. So, he doesn't get that close anymore."

I bite my bottom lip. I wasn't after his money. If anything, I didn't mind the idea of him being some random guy I found in the club that preferred to drink cheap drinks versus top-shelf liquor.

"Then what about his interests? You two must share some hobbies together?"

"Are you trying to interview me to be adopted by him or something?" Mandi laid down and tossed her hands in the air. "Sure, he likes his hobbies and I have mine. He's a guy that seeks out adventure when he can in the little time he does get, and I'm good with spending time with friends at home." She suddenly glared at me, "Are we done asking all these questions or did you want to dig deeper into my dad's life?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't--"

"No," Mandi sighed. "Don't apologize. I shouldn't have snapped. I've just been really stressed because you've been gone all these nights and the first night I have someone here, they care more about who my dad is than they do me. It just feels like life back home where all those adults when I was a kid kept trying to get close to my dad for their money." She turned her head toward me, "I know you're not doing that, but you get what I'm saying, right?"

"Yeah, I get it." It wasn't like I was trying to make her feel left out, but the sinking feeling in my gut wasn't going to go away by telling myself that.

"So, what about you?" She turned her head toward me. "We haven't really had the chance to talk much since you're constantly in and out of the room."

"What about me?"

"Well, what are you into lately? What do you want to do in life?"

I pondered the question. I'd thought about doing a lot of things in life. Being a nurse, a teacher, maybe even some fancy businesswoman that wore the next greatest pantsuit in the office but none of them felt like me. The only time I did feel like myself was when I could relax on the beach or some other distant location where I had peace and tranquility.

"Can I just be a full-time traveler?"

We both chuckled at the absurdity. Not like Mandi could fully relate to the idea of wondering about her next paycheck. She had a lot in savings and a leg-up financially, compared to most people. For me, I had my dad to help, but nothing like Mandi. If she wanted to somehow travel full-time, I had no doubt she could accomplish it. It wasn't like I was jealous, but I was definitely envious.

"Maybe we can do it together?"

I raised a brow.

"You know, like those content creators do. Travel the world making videos and taking photos of each other and making money from it."

"And where am I going to get the funds to start that?"

"Good point," Mandi pursed her lips and stared up at the ceiling again. "Well, do you like doing computer stuff?"

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