Page 61 of Safe With Me

“We didn’t kidnap her,” Keely said, getting between us to climb into my lap. “Mom said she wanted to invite her anyway. And after we had coffee—” she stilled and raised her index finger “—well, Jason and I had chocolate shakes, and everyone else had coffee, Lila came with us to the market, and we got two different kinds of ice cream for dessert.” She held up two fingers.

“How’d you con them into that?” I asked my sister as Lila smiled at me over her shoulder.

“Oh, it’s summer,” Peyton said. “May as well live it up before we both have to go back to school, right?” Peyton gave Keely’s ponytail a gentle tug as my father wrapped his arm around his wife’s waist from behind.

They’d always seemed like they’d been together forever and were meant to be—a big reason why I couldn’t even mention Peyton’s name in front of my mother.

“We did plan on inviting you here sooner,” she said to Lila. “And I was about to before Keelystronglysuggested you come home with us.”

“Well, I appreciate both invites,” Lila said, grinning up at Peyton. “Can I help you with anything?”

“I wouldn’t mind some help with sorting out the side dishes inside.”

“Why don’t you go inside and help your mom and Lila?” my father told my sister, pointing to the screen door with his spatula.

“Why?” she asked, squinting at our father.

“Because I want to talk to Mike for a minute.” Dad lifted a brow at me. “And it’s a boys conversation.”

“You can’t do that. You have to include girls ineverything,” she said, her hands on her hips.

“Come on, K,” Peyton said, shooting my father a weird look. “We’ll all have our own girls talk.”

Keely pursed her lips, and she popped off my lap to follow her mother and Lila inside. Dad set down his spatula beside the grill and took a seat next to me at the picnic table.

“What’s on your mind?”

“How do you know there’s something on my mind?” I asked, dropping my gaze to the ground instead of looking him in the eye.

“Because I’ve known you since the day you were born, and I know work exhaustion and other kinds of exhaustion, so talk to me.”

“It’s not a big deal. I just got off the phone with Mom. She wants me to come out there for the summer, and I keep putting her off. I’m going to have to do it eventually.” I scrubbed a hand down my face.

“No, you don’t. We’ve always told you that. You’re an adult now. You can choose whether you want to play into her games.”

“Yeah, but I worry what she’ll do if I don’t. So, I could manage a weekend in California if I have to. I just need to work up to it.”

He reached into the cooler by the grill and fished a bottle of beer out of the ice.

“Youdon’thave to. I’ve told you that. You’ve spent enough time worrying about her. You’re a good kid, but she isn’t your responsibility.”

He opened the bottle and set it down in front of me.

“I’m a twenty-five-year-old kid, Dad. I carry a gun to work.”

“Please don’t remind me of that. You know how I try to forget,” he said, a frown pulling at his mouth. “I was worried about you when you first came, but I see Lila relaxed you a little bit.” He nodded to the back door, shooting me a small smile.

I rubbed at my eyes, a different kind of stress zinging up my spine.

“Don’t do that, Dad.”

“Do what? The minute you noticed her, you lit up. And if myoldeyes served me right, she lit up right back. I’m glad Keely ambushed her to come here today.”

I was trying to figure out how to reply when I heard the slide of the screen door.

“So Keely tells me I need to have both a hot dog and hamburger because yours are the best,” Lila said to my father as she set down a large bowl of macaroni salad in the middle of their patio table.

“They are,” I said with a slow nod. “A Jake Russo hamburger is legendary. You’re in for a treat, Delilah.”

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