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I roll over to face the back of the couch and interrupt him. “C’mon. I’m not going anywhere. It’s too late and too early and I’m too sleepy to drive.” I blindly pat the empty space behind me.
The lights turn off and then the couch dips as he squeezes into the empty space. He grabs the blanket from the back and adjusts the throw pillow under our heads before slipping one arm over my waist and the other under my neck.
“I’m doing a terrible job, Brent,” I mumble.
“What are you talking about?” he whispers, the silence of the shop seeming so loud now.
“I’m supposed to keep you from doing exactly what we’re doing.”
“I promise we won’t do it again.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better when it’s you who isn’t supposed to be doing it in the first place,” I point out.
“Let’s sleep, all right?”
I’m too tired to argue further, but I don’t miss how he avoids promising to do better.
My body is still stiff from sleeping on the couch last night and not moving hardly at all in those few hours I laid there. Jamie didn’t look that tired this morning, but I was and since I’m not supposed to be working all-nighters anymore in the first place, I decided to take the morning off. There was an additional reason, of course. Kayla texted, wanting to know if I’d looked at the papers on the cruises yet.
I hadn’t.
After I caught a few more hours of sleep, I looked them over before returning to work. I hope she doesn’t expect me to help pick because I honestly don’t care. All of the destinations sound great. She and Gregory can decide.
Kayla calls me as I pull into my driveway at the end of the work day.
“Did you look them over?” she asks after I answer.
“Yeah. They all look good.” I get out of my truck and head inside.
She sighs. “Dad, you’re supposed to narrow it down.”
“And you’re supposed to be picking the cruise with your brother,” I remind her, tossing my keys on an end table and walk up to my room.
“He acts like I’m pulling his teeth. I think he’s mad that I left him to live with Mom, but if that’s the case, he could always move in with you.”
“Gregory’s fine where he is.” He hasn’t complained about his living situation once to me. Well, other than the other night. “How are things with you and Logan?”
“Dad,” she chastises. “You know, you can stop asking me that now,” she says as if it’s been a long time since she moved in with him. It hasn’t been. It’s only been a few weeks, maybe a month. “We are still learning how to live together, but as Logan
says, we’re firmly in the honeymoon stage. We’re fine, Dad.” As if I don’t understand what the honeymoon stage means.
She’s missing the point of why I ask, though. “I’ll ask you for however long I want. You’re my little girl, remember?”
“I know. You don’t have to worry. That’s all I meant. What are you doing tonight? I was thinking Logan and I could come over for dinner.”
“What about tomorrow night?” I already have dinner plans with Jamie tonight. I sit on the edge of my bed, waiting to see what she says.
“Do you have another date? Is that why we can’t come over?”
“Yes.”
“You seem pretty serious about her, Dad. Isn’t it—”
“When it’s time, you’ll meet her, Kayla. We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?” I need to get off here and shower to make sure I’m ready in time. We say our goodbyes and off to the shower I go. If this thing with Jamie continues on much longer, I’ll have to tell Kayla. I don’t particularly like the idea of keeping something from her, especially since it’s likely going to be a tough thing for her to accept. If we’re still seeing one another in two weeks, I’ll tell Kayla.
After a while, I leave to pick Jamie up from campus. On and off all day, and since last night really, I’ve been trying to figure out what could’ve been bothering her. What would make her ask me if I could always picture myself as a father? Or maybe that had nothing to do with her weird day. I don’t know.
She grins as she walks toward me. At least she seems in better spirits today so far. “Hey, Brent.” Jamie lifts up to kiss my cheek. “I’m starving.”
