“Melanie, can you please come out here?” Lucyasked.
Melanie didn’t like the sound of her friend’svoice, and Lucy wouldn’t interrupt them unless it were somethingimportant.
“Be right there!” she called.
Kyle leaned back to let her up, and shescooted down to the end of the bed. She grabbed her discardedsweatpants and tugged them on before pulling on a T-shirt and ahoodie.
Behind her, Kyle’s clothes rustled as hetugged on his jeans. She didn’t look back as she hurried over tothe door and opened it. Lucy’s pale face greeted her; she hoverednervously on the other side.
“Is everything okay?” Melanie asked.
Lucy’s eyes darted away, and Melanie followedher gaze to the tall, thin man standing by their front door. Herheart battered her ribs as the blood drained from her face and herstomach plunged into her toes. More gray streaked his hair andtinged his temples since she last saw him. His smile didn’t reachthe eyes so similar in hue to hers.
She managed to get enough control overherself to leave the room and close the door behind her. Kyle wasdressing, but she hoped he would decide to stay in there.
“Melanie,” the man greeted.
“Da-Dad,” she stammered and glanced at Lucy,who stared helplessly back at her. “What are you doing here?”
“Now, is that any way to greet yourfather?”
Before she had a chance to reply, the dooropened behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder at Kyle. Mostgirls would be mortified to have a man come out of their room infront of their father, but she wasn’t embarrassed.
No, she felt terrified.
Her father rarely came to see her, and henever visited without giving notice. The fact he’d shown up herewithout any warning wasnotgood. Not only that, but hemight say something to scare Kyle away.
“And who is this?” her father asked.
Melanie stared helplessly at Kyle beforelooking at Lucy again. Her friend looked like she was staring at awalking, talking viper with a lisp.
“Dad, this is Kyle,” Melanie said in a voiceshe barely recognized as hers. “Kyle, this my father.”
Her father, ever the oddity he was, smiled.Many dads probably wouldn’t be so happy to meet the man screwingtheir daughter, but not her dad. No, her dad was a consummatecharmer.
He probably thought he might be able torecruit Kyle to their side. Ever the opportunist, he would see Kyleas a strong, healthy young man he could use for his nefariouspursuits.
Melanie shuddered at the possibility andgripped her elbows as she hugged herself. She wouldneverlet that happen.
“Hello, Kyle.” Her father crossed the room tohim and extended his hand. “I’m Arthur Hall.”
Kyle wasn’t entirely sure how to take the manwho was a good two inches taller and twenty pounds lighter thanhim. The man seemed friendly enough, but Melanie’s distress wasnearly palpable, and she looked anything but happy to see her dad.Because of that, his guard remained up around the man.
“Hello, sir,” he said as he shook Arthur’shand.
“Please, call me Arthur. Sir was my father,and it makes me feel old.”
“Okay then, Arthur.”
Melanie resisted the impulse to rip Kyle’shand away from her father’s as she gazed between them.Please,don’t fall for his crap.
She’d seen her dad ensnare many in his webbefore; he’d swallowed them all whole. She wouldnotletthat happen to Kyle. When they released each other, she sighed inrelief.
“What are you doing here, Dad?” she askedagain.
“I came to visit my daughter; is theresomething wrong with that?”
There weremanythings wrong withthat, but she didn’t say so. She didn’t know what to say or do withKyle standing there. She didnotwant him to know anythingabout her past or the craziness of her life and dad.
