Page 587 of Dark Love

“How do you know that?”

“I know everything about everyone that lives in the neighborhood. You know I’ll do whatever I have to in order to keep you safe.”

Max knows everything? He can’t know everything. It was too long ago for there to be anything for him to find.

“Then you have to trust Prue when she tells you that I’m right.”

This conversation makes my head hurt. “What are you talking about?”

Hope wraps her arms around my book. “I want to be an author.”

“That’s wonderful.” But definitely not cause for an early morning visit.

“Writing is a lonely job. I don’t like being alone.”

It’s kind of the nature of the job. “No one can write your words for you.” Ghostwriters technically can, but why become an author to just pay someone else to do your job?

“I know that. But I don’t want to do it alone. So I came up with a plan.”

Teenagers and plans… that’s not concerning at all.

“You’re too young. You need to go to college.” He isn’t giving in to her.

Hope’s chin juts out as her hand goes to her hip. “You didn’t go to college. You knew what you wanted to do at my age. I’m not a child. I’ll be eighteen in just a few weeks.”

Max stares at her.

Is this going to be a father-daughter batter of wills? “What is this plan of yours?”

“When I write, I want to be surrounded by people and books.”

That sounds like fun and a challenge. “Working at a library can be fun.”

Hope shakes her head. “Authors don’t make money in the beginning.”

“You don’t need to make money,” Max interrupts.

“Yes, I do. I don’t want my father giving me money until I’m old and grey.”

“Well, I’m going to do it until the day I die. Then it will all be yours, anyway.” Max folds his arms across his chest.

Hope turns back to me. “Do you see what I have to deal with?”

A father loving and protecting his daughter. “I do. Why don’t you explain to your father why it’s so important to you that you make your own money?”

“Because I don’t want to live in your shadow like a pampered princess. I want to be a strong, independent woman like Nonna. Like my mom would have wanted me to be.”

“Hope.” Max walks over and envelops his daughter in a hug. “You’re so young.”

“What if she does an internship?” They both turn towards me. “I have a friend who runs a bakery nearby. They serve food and fun drinks. Pretty much what Hope wants to do, minus the books and writing.”

“See, Dad. It’s perfect. I’ll intern with Prue’s friend. Then when I turn eighteen, I’ll buy my own place.”

She’ll buy it?

Max doesn’t look completely convinced. “I have two terms.”

“Name them.” Hope gets that stubborn tilt of her chin from her father.

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