Page 26 of Degraded Terms

“With anything. I thought I wanted to be a CPA, but I don’t know.”

My dad nods slowly. “It’s okay not to know. Sometimes it takes a while to figure it out, and that’s okay.”

Tears start to gather in my eyes. “Is it? Because I feel like I wasted my time and your money getting a degree I may not use.”

“Hey,” he says, reaching and grabbing my hand. “You didn’t waste any time, you came to learn and you did. I can’t tell you how many people have degrees for something completely unrelated to their field. It’s okay, sweetheart. This is what life is about, exploring what we may or may not want. I didn’t go to college, kiddo, but I think the biggest lesson they teach is about life.”

“Maybe for rich people, Dad. But my scholarship only covers one degree and…”

His face drops a bit, knowing he can’t afford to send me for more semesters if I want to go. I’ve never faulted him for our life, considering I was a product of a one-night stand and a mom who didn’t want me. I loved growing up in his truck, traveling across the states until I was old enough to start school.

He told me that the first year he tried to quit trucking and get a more local job, it wasn’t enough to help with the bills since my aunt watched me full time. So then the school year was my and my aunt’s time, and the summers were for my dad and me.

And I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. A four-year university had seemed out of reach initially, and before the scholarship, I had planned to attend a community college first. But everything worked out the way it was supposed to. I chose a path that gave me the best chance at succeeding in a high-paying job to give back to my dad and aunt.

My dad clears his throat. “Whatever you want, Ava girl. We’ll make it happen. I don’t want you to worry about anything like that.”

It breaks my heart even more, and I give him a small smile. “Thanks, Dad. I just don’t know right now. I feel like I’m lost.”

“Can I tell you a grown-up secret?”

My eyebrows raise and my grin is real this time. “A grown-up secret?”

He nods. “Yeah. That lost feeling…it never really goes away. Most of us don’t have it all figured out, especially not at twenty-two. And that’s okay. We have one life, Ava. Don’t be afraid todo whatever you want in that life. Change degrees, change jobs, move around wherever life takes you. I’ll support you through it all.”

The ache in my throat builds until my tears spill over. My dad tsks and wipes at his face.

“Ava girl.”

I wave for him to stay sitting and get a hold of myself enough to talk. “Thank you.”

“Don’t got to thank me. That’s my job as your dad, kiddo.”

Scrunching my nose at him, I smile. “I still appreciate it. Anyway, enough about me. What’d you see on the road?”

His eyes light up. “Ava girl, I swear I’ve never seen…”

My smile doesn’t drop as I listen to my dad tell me about his adventures.

Chapter 10

Asher

I watchthem from the opposite side of the diner. My jaw is tight when she gives him another smile. A smile I’ve only seen directed at me once, and I want more of those smiles. While I enjoyed her tears, the blush of her cheeks, and the trembling mess of her panties, the smile had nearly done me in.

He seems a bit older than her, but that gives me no comfort considering the age gap between us. His ball cap prevents me from getting a realistic assessment of what he looks like, and it irritates me more with each passing moment.

Once their food is gone he stands and I watch him walk to the restroom before turning back to Ava. She’s staring out the window, her previous happiness wiped from her face. My fists curl and I ache to join her, let her know she’s not alone.

My attention tracks back to the man as he walks towards me to pay for their meal, and I finally notice their resemblance. She has his eyes, the same shape and color. Our gazes connect and he gives me a half-smile with a tip of his head, and I hate it.

The man is kind to a stranger, unaware of the things I’ve done to his daughter. I nod and turn back to my now-cold coffee.

Even after the bill is paid, they linger and chat for a while. It’s when I see her dad check his watch twice in a span of ten minutes that I know they’ll be wrapping up soon. I pay for my coffee and leave the diner, rushing down the street to watch them walk out.

They hug one more time, and he kisses the top of her head before he walks off with slumped shoulders. My attention bounces between where she stands and her dad, who eventually hops into the driver’s cabin of a semi-truck. He’s not pulling anything currently, so I assume he only stopped by to visit her for a few hours.

Ava’s shoulders slump as soon as he drives past, giving her a small wave.

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