Page 151 of Zero Chance

“You don’t have time to go anywhere and come back before?—”

“Oh my fucking God,” I blew, throwing up my hands in disgust.“She’s twenty fucking years old.Cut the cord already.”

Lifting a condemning finger, Ms.Breeker fumed.“Don’t you dare presume to tell me?—”

But a deep voice from the back hall called, “What in the world?Katherine?”as a man shuffled into the hall, wearing slippers, sleep pants, and an old, threadbare T-shirt.“What’s going on out here?”

Glancing at Waverly, I asked, “Dad?”under my breath.

She nodded without saying a word, but relief glittered in her expression, letting me know her father wasn’t quite as much of a hard-ass as her mother.

“Robert!”His wife whirled around desperately.“I need this young man thrownoffour property.”

Mr.Frank—Mr.Breeker?Whatever the fuck his last name was—jarred to a halt and blinked at me in confusion through the still-open doorway.

“Hey!”I smiled engagingly and waved, hoping to at least make it intohisgood graces.“Nice to meet you.”

He lifted one eyebrow and glanced at his wife.“Whoishe?”

I stuck out my hand, still smiling big.“Keene Dugger, sir,” I introduced before motioning my head toward Waves.“I’m Waverly’s boyfriend.”

Ms.Breeker choked on the term, and Waverly started coughing as if warning me to abort the mission.

But her dad merely gaped at me as if I’d lost my mind before glancing at his wife and then his daughter.He came back to me, saying, “I…wasn’t aware she had a boyfriend.”And he actually reached through the open doorway to take my hand for a shake.“Robert Frank.”

“A pleasure.”After gripping his fingers, I motioned to Waverly and shrugged ruefully.“It’s a fairly new development.Still feels weird to say out loud, actually.But…” I glanced at my girl and smiled.“Still true.”

Squinting at me, Mr.Frank scratched his chin thoughtfully.“Keene Dugger,” he murmured to himself.“Keene Dugger.Why do I know that name?”

He glanced at his wife, and she frowned back icily.“Probably because I complained about himnightlywhen he was a student at Northside,” she reminded him, only to glance at me and scowl.“He has to be the most obnoxious young man to ever grace my office.”

Turning to Waverly, I blinked.“Did she really complain about me?”

When she nodded, my jaw dropped.“So you always knew she was my school counselor?”

Waverly nodded again, and I gasped out an incredulous sound.“Thanks for the warning.”

“Well, thanks for warningmethat you were just going to show up out of the blue some night at nearly midnight to introduce yourself to my parents,” she shot back, spreading out a hand to display them in the darkened foyer, still wearing their pajamas.

I winced.“Okay, so this might not be my brightest moment,” I admitted, sending Waverly an adorable cringe that demanded she forgive me.“But I heard you might be hurt, and I couldn’t stay away.”

“Hurt?”Mr.Frank echoed in surprise and whirled to look at Waverly.When he noticed the bruising cut on her brow, he stepped forward, lifting his hand.“My word.What happened here?”He stopped himself before getting too close to her, though, and he dropped his arm as if touching his daughter were forbidden.

Ms.Breeker huffed irritably.“She had a little ordeal at the library.It was nothing.”

Mr.Frank looked as if he had more questions.

I leaned his way.“Don’t worry, I have no idea what the fuck happened either, man.And yourwifewon’t even let me sit out here on the front porch with Waverly for a few minutes to find out.”

When Waverly’s dad lifted his eyebrows to send his wife a questioning look, she crossed her arms over her chest moodily and muttered, “It’s past eleven o’clock.”

“But she’s a legal adult,” I shot back, lifting my hands in dismay.“Besides, her curfew’s twelve.She still has time to do whatever she wants.”

“I don’t want her going anywhere with him.I don’t like him,” she told Mr.Frank.

Ouch.I stepped back, never having heard her saythatbefore.And here, deep down, I thought she’d liked me back, and her stern, you’re-so-naughty demeanor had been more of a joke than her true, honest feelings.

Her husband obviously wasn’t used to hearing his wife’s candor either.

---