Page 24 of Obligation
“Good.” Carissa didn’t tell him about the sorority—he’d freak out and lecture her about how he wasn’t paying thousands of dollars per semester for her to party.
Dad took his seat at the head of the table, and Cayla sat to his right. Carissa sat beside Cayla. The chair to Dad’s left was reserved for Mom, and the seat beside her was for Cory.
Ruckus near the back patio filtered into the dining room, then dissipated before the guys entered the room several minutes later. They’d all changed and wiped away the sweat that had been clinging to them.
Carissa tensed when Bradley walked in. He hesitated until Cory told him to sit wherever he’d like. Of course, he had to claim the seat next to Carissa. Not that she minded all that much, but having him so close rattled her.
“Who won?” Dad asked.
“Me and Bradley,” Cory said with a proud grin.
“Yeah, by two points.” Garrett laughed.
Mom carried the food into the dining room and set the bowls and platters in the center of the table. Once she was seated, Dad helped himself to a generous piece of lasagna before passing the dish around the table.
Conversation stopped as everyone filled their plates, the only sound that of silverware on Mom’s nice China. When Carissa handed the breadbasket to Bradley, his fingers grazed hers, and he held on longer than necessary. She sucked in a sharp breath and pulled her hand away.
“Carissa, are you free Thursday evening?” Dad turned his full attention to her.
“I think so. Why?” She poured dressing over her salad.
“I’m having dinner with a business associate, and I thought you might like to go with me.” He looked at her expectantly.
She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. The only time her father invited her to a business dinner was when someone her age would also be in attendance—usually a guy. Single and worthy in her father’s eyes.
“So?” Dad asked, a single brow arched.
“Is this another attempt to set me up?”
Beside her, Bradley choked on his food. He coughed and reached for his drink.
She ignored his reaction, not wanting him to see how horrified she was that her father would choose now to do something like this. Why couldn’t he ever ask her in private, without putting her on the spot in front of everyone?
“Jack’s son is a respectable young man.” Dad took a bite of his lasagna.
Carissa clenched her jaw, then exhaled slowly in an effort to keep her temper in check. “Dad, you know I’m with Danny.”
No one else at the table bothered to look up, all of them suddenly very interested in their food. Maybe that was better. The less people involved in this trainwreck, the better.
Dad huffed and pointed his fork at her. “And you know that boy is nothing but trouble. You can do better.”
How many times had her father told her that? How many other worse things had he said about Danny? Normally, she’d bite her tongue and endure the Danny-bashing portion of dinner, but today, something inside of her snapped.
She stood, threw her napkin onto her plate of uneaten food, and stormed outside. Kicking off her shoes, she sat on the edge of the pool and dipped her feet into the cool water. Sitting out here usually calmed her, but she continued to seethe with anger.
She knew her father hated Danny, and that was fine. She could deal with that, but she couldn’t handle her dad constantly trying to replace her boyfriend. Didn’t he realize she was legally an adult and could make her own choices? She was almost twenty-one for crying out loud. She didn’t need her father to dictate her life.
“You alright?”
She glanced over her shoulder to find Bradley standing a few feet away, hands tucked into his pockets. “You must think I’m a spoiled rotten brat.”
“No, I don’t think that at all.” He toed off his shoes and sat beside her, his feet dangling in the water, too.
“Yeah, right.” She rolled her eyes. Twice now he’d been witness to her getting angry and storming off. Toddlers behaved that way, not grown women.
“I don’t. Promise.” He gently nudged her shoulder with his. “I think you’re dealing with a lot of stuff, and people keep piling more on you.” He shrugged. “Anyone would crack eventually.”
Well, she hadn’t expected that. She swirled her feet beneath the water, momentarily mesmerized by the ripples. “My dad thinks Danny’s dangerous.”
