Page 34 of Faking the Face Off

He watches me for a long moment, and I can tell he doesn’t entirely believe me. But finally, he nods. “Alright. Don’t forget you can talk to me if you need to.”

“Of course,” I say, though my mind is already racing. I’m sure more bills will be coming soon, plus we have more in arrears that need to be handled, but the second half of my payment won’t be here for a few more weeks. And if there is a hospital bill, too, I could be put in a position where I’ll need to sell a kidney and one of my limbs to get us more money. But I’ll figure it out—I always do.

My phone buzzes again, and I glance down.

Fine, but if you suggest matching cowboy hats, I’m out.

I laugh softly, the sound breaking the tension.

Dad tilts his head, his expression softening. “You’ve been smiling a lot lately,” he says, his voice quieter now.

I shrug, tucking my phone away. “Have I?”

“Yeah,” he says. “I haven’t seen you like this in a long time.”

I turn back to the ice, watching the sunlight streak across its surface. “Feels kind of nice,” I admit.

“Good,” he says with a small smile. “You deserve that.”

For a moment, the stillness of the arena feels comforting instead of strange. The noise, the chaos, the stress—it will all come rushing back soon enough. But right now, I let myself enjoy the quiet.

The buzz of my phone pulls me out of the moment. Molly’s name flashes on the screen.

“Hey, Molly,” I say, walking toward the hallway for some privacy.

“Anna,” she says, sounding frazzled. “The kids have a half-day today, and I completely forgot. Can you grab them from school? I’m stuck at work.”

I glance at my dad, who’s now scrolling on his phone, oblivious to the conversation. “Sure, no problem. I’ll head there in a bit.”

“Oh, and can you stop by the pharmacy, too? Ellie’s prescription is ready, and I won’t have time to get it before they close.”

“Got it,” I say, scribbling a quick note on my phone.

“Thank you! You’re a lifesaver.”

I hang up, shaking my head with a small smile. Molly’s life is a whirlwind, and as her assistant, I’ve become her emergency contact for everything. While I love what I do, talking to Sutton about what I want for my future has me thinking even more lately about what I want in five years, or ten. Do I want to be grabbing prescriptions or operating off someone else’s to-do lists? Let’s face it, the way things are going, if I stick around too long, I could end up taking Lucas to prom. That would be awkward.

As I slip my phone back into my pocket, movement catches my eye. A man walks into the arena, his stride purposeful. He’swearing a rumpled suit, his tie slightly askew, and he’s heading straight for my dad.

“Who is that?” I mutter to myself, watching as the man stops in front of Dad. They exchange a few words, and then the conversation escalates. The man’s voice rises, sharp and accusatory.

I hesitate, my stomach tightening.

Dad stands, his posture defensive. “You don’t have any right to come here,” he snaps, his voice louder than I’ve heard it in weeks.

My heart sinks. I stride toward them, stealthily in my sneakers, which serves my purpose. I don’t want the stranger to hear me walk up. As I get closer, I catch the tail end of the man’s reply.

“I have every right when you’re dodging calls and ignoring notices,” he says, his tone smug.

“Excuse me,” I cut in, stepping between them. My voice is sharp enough to slice through their argument. “What’s going on here?”

The man looks at me, his expression shifting from irritation to thinly veiled condescension. “And you are?”

“His daughter,” I say firmly, glaring up at him. “And you are?”

“Here to settle a matter of overdue payments,” he says, pulling a clipboard from under his arm. “Your father owes?—”

“I know exactly what this is,” I interrupt. “But you’re trespassing and I’m pretty sure what you’re doing is illegal. This is private property, and you’re not allowed to harass people like this.”

---