Page 68 of Madden

I toss back my head to laugh. “If there’s one thing you are, it’s forward.”

“Probably not the best way to find a husband, but I think it worked. We’ll see when he takes me for date number two tomorrow night.”

The line beeps, and I check to see my father calling in. I wince, knowing I can’t keep putting this conversation off.

He’s called me several times over the past few days. The first time I told him I was busy and would have to get back to him. The other two calls were bad timing.

I already know where the conversation is going to go, and the last thing I wanted was to have it while I was in Carolina Beach.

“Helloooo?” Serena sings. “Are you still there?”

I snap out of it. “Sorry, I’m gonna have to call you back.”

“What? You didn’t even tell me about your trip. I need to hear all the juicy details about you with your man.”

I run my fingers over my forehead, massaging the skin.

“It’s my father. He’s been trying to get ahold of me.”

“Ooh.”

I don’t have to explain it further. She gets it.

“Well, call me right back. I need to hear about the rock god and his skilled fingers too.”

I slap my hand over my mouth to contain my laughter and end the call, reassuring her she’ll hear from me after I eat dinner.

By the time we hang up, my father was sent to my voicemail. A notification pops up, but I ignore it, and instead redial to call him back.

“I was starting to think I was going to have to show up at your place again.”

I roll my eyes. “Let’s not make a habit out of that, okay?”

“Well, it’s great to hear from you too, sweetheart. I’ve missed you.”

“I’m sorry, I was out of town visiting a friend, and it wasn’t a good time when you called before.”

I lift my glass of wine to my mouth, sauntering into my living room and climbing onto the couch. The sunset turns the sky into a swirled mixture of pinks, oranges, and yellows in the distance beyond all the tall buildings.

“A friend? Is this the same friend I met who was also photographed with some blondie at the Grammy’s last week?”

So he has been keeping tabs on him? What the hell?

“That’s the one.” I wince.

“What’s going on between the two of you? Are you seeing each other, and if so, why didn’t you go with him and not her?”

I can practically feel my forehead pulsating with the headache coming on. I’m not ready to answer all these questions when I don’t even know some of the answers myself.

“Like I said, Daddy, we’re just friends.”

He sighs. I picture him sitting behind his large oak desk in his office, rocking back while he taps his finger, mentally shuffling through all the questions he’s been meaning to ask me.

“Is this why you called me, to ask me about my relationships, or is there something you wanted to talk about?”

The line goes silent, and I wonder for a moment if he hung up.

“I’m just trying to catch up with my daughter. We’ve missed you coming around on Sundays for dinner, you know. Is it so bad stopping by to see us, even for a couple of hours?”

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