“My door is always open,” he said.“There’s no reason for you to struggle.”
She took another sip of water, and remained silent.
“You have a date tonight?”
“Yes.”
“I’m glad you’re going out.It’s healthy.”
“I don’t need your approval.”
Her father took the hint that she wasn’t in the mood to chat.Shaking his head, he lifted his hands and walked away.
She retreated to an upstairs bathroom to get ready.She’d chosen a poppy-colored chiffon dress she’d bought on a whim last summer but never worn.It was knee-length and flirty, with a plunging neckline and an open back.She took her time getting ready while Emily ate dinner with Jackson and her father.She donned a pair of strappy heels and twisted her hair into a loose bun.Light makeup completed the look.When she was finished, she studied her appearance with a critical eye.
“Jackson,” she called down the hall.
“What?”
“Come here.”
He appeared in the doorway.
“Tell me the truth,” she said.“Do I look like the kind of woman you take home to meet your mother?”
“Is this a trick question?”
“No.”
He gave her a quick study.“You’ve got a lot of, ah, skin showing,” he said, touching the center of his own chest.
“Too much?”
“Too much for a family dinner, yeah.”
She smiled with relief and grabbed her purse.“Then I’m ready.”
Downstairs, Vanessa kissed Emily goodbye and waited for Paul to arrive.When he pulled up in his white truck, she felt another flutter of nerves.She hurried toward the door and tried to sneak out unnoticed.
No such luck.
As Paul exited the vehicle, her father followed her outside.She glared at him in silent entreaty, which he ignored.He was determined to act the doting parent.Vanessa couldn’t avoid introducing them without making an awkward scene.She felt like a teenager on her first date instead of a woman approaching thirty.
Paul had dressed for the occasion, and he’d never looked better.He wore a pale blue linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow, and lightweight gray trousers.His shoes were a nondescript brown leather.He wasn’t trying too hard, but he didn’t have to.His handsome face and lean physique did most of the work.
While she admired his appearance, he returned the favor.His gaze landed on her neckline and stayed there.He stumbled over an uneven patch of sidewalk, distracted by the sight.Then his attention jerked toward her father.
“Eric Nava,” her father said.
Paul shook his hand.“Paul Murphy.”
Her father gave a curt nod.He didn’t ask where they were headed, or grill Paul about what he did for a living.
“Don’t wait up,” Vanessa said.Then she put her hand on Paul’s arm and led him across the driveway.He opened the door on the passenger side of his truck.She felt his fingertips on her bare back as she climbed into the vehicle.
“Don’t wait up?”Paul repeated as he got behind the wheel.
“What?Isn’t that a thing people say?”
