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“Am I interrupting your work?”
He shakes his head. “No.” his dismissal is so quick, so easy, that it makes my face warm. Even if he was in the middle of something important, he’s choosing to give me his time and attention. “What’s going on, Nate?”
“We’re headed out tomorrow, and I just wanted to have a moment with you. Just the two of us.”
Dad’s face brightens. “You can always have a moment alone with me.”
“Not if I don’t want to walk in on a game of tonsil hockey,” I shake my head, half-pretending to shake away those memories.
“Uh, well.” He presses his hand to his chest and clears his throat.
I laugh. “Kidding. Mostly.”
“I never want you to feel uncomfortable with Sonia around.” His gaze hardens. “You know that, right?”
“I do.” I nod. “Anyway, I didn’t come here to talk about Sonia. I wanted to talk about…” I swallow and scratch the back of my head. “This isn’t easy to say.”
A frown mars my father’s forehead.
“I want to talk about Laney.”
His eyebrows pop up. “What about Laney? Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. Just…thinking about two weeks away with her. Alone…”
It’s so embarrassing , telling my dad that I might have feelings for my nurse. My best friend’s ex. Although I’m not sure if I can call Mason my best friend anymore after what happened the other night.
Plus, my dad and I haven’t ever had a conversation like this. Our closeness only began with my accident. It’s all so shiny and new.
I mourn the years we missed out on bonding because of his distance.
However, I know he mourns them far more than me and is repenting in kind.
“You like her.” He nods, his voice soft and tender. “Have feelings for her, I should say.”
I wince. “Is it obvious?”
“Been obvious.”
“Oh god.”
Dad chuckles, his dark eyes sparking. “And now you’re worried you’re going to be alone with her for two weeks and that someone might cross a line. Do I have that right?”
“Yes.” I almost begrudge my father’s wisdom.
“That’s…tough.”
I wait for him to say something, anything that might help me.
His hands are folded on the desk, and his eyes are downcast. Focused.
Dread creeps into my system at what he might be about to say, so I speak instead. “I thought you might have some advice considering how things shook out with Sonia and–”
“It is rather similar to my own situation, isn’t it? Ex of someone close to you in a position that tows a line between you that you really shouldn’t cross?”
“I guess. Although you didn’t know Sonia was my ex when you met her. I’ve known Laney for a long time.” I shake my head. “That’s fucked, isn’t it?”
Dad shrugs. “Maybe it’s hereditary. Being fucked up.”
