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“Nope, not at all.”
“Hm. What do you think?”
“I think it’s up to you.”
She chews on her lip for a second, looking out the windows before taking a big bite of her ice cream. As she thinks, I ogle her, loving the way her cheekbones are so prominent on her face. It’s so sexy. She’s sexy. When she said she wanted to wear a dress to her interview, I was all for it. But I wasn’t prepared for the red number she pulled out. It’s a long dress that stops below her knees and hugs her body. It’s hot, especially with the black high-heeled boots she’s got on.
“I think I do want to thank him,” she says as she turns her head to look at me. “I mean, I don’t like him because of what he’s done to your family, but I appreciate his help.”
I nod. “Want to call him now?”
She bites her lip. “Is that okay?”
I shrug, pulling my phone out and dialing his number. “Yeah.”
I thought I would be nervous calling him, but I’m not. We wait as it rings, and when my dad answers, I say, “Hey, Dad. I’ve got you on speaker. I’m with Avery.”
“Oh, hey, Avery. How did it go today? I saw that Stu emailed me, but I haven’t been able to check it.”
“It went great,” she says, and I smile as she beams. “I wanted to thank you because I got an internship there and also a showcase in March.”
“That’s wonderful. Congratulations,” he says, all happy and shit.
I hate to think this, and it may make me a dick, but why does he like Avery? I mean, I love her, she’s great. But so are Claire and Baylor. Both great women who complement my brothers perfectly, and my dad hates them. He’s never even spoken to Baylor and is nothing but rude to Claire. It’s weird. I don’t know what’s up, but it makes me nervous.
“Thank you,” she says, looking guilty. I don’t blame her. I feel the same.
“So, you two out celebrating?”
“Yeah, with ice cream,” I say and she flashes a grin.
“Sounds like fun. But damn, boy, didn’t I raise you right? Take her somewhere fancy.”
She rolls her eyes and I smile. “Maybe later.”
“All right. Well, I got a call coming in soon and I’m preparing for it. Congratulations again, Avery. Hey Jace, text me your game schedule so Ellen and I can come again. I’ve been meaning to ask you for that.”
My heart drops into my gut. I suck in a breath, while Avery shakes her head. I look up at the ceiling. There is really only one thing I can do.
Be honest.
“Yeah, Dad, I don’t know. It bothers Mom, you being there.”
“Your mom has a boyfriend. She doesn’t care about me.”
Why is there remorse in his voice? He left her. What the hell?
“Yeah, well, I don’t know. I just don’t think you should come.”
He pauses, and Avery brushes her hair off her shoulders, watching me. “And you’re saying this b
ecause of your mom?”
“Yeah, I don’t want to upset her.”
He doesn’t say anything, just lets out a long breath. I feel sick. Like utterly sick. I don’t want to disappoint him. But then, did he care about my feelings when he broke up our family? No. So why should I care about his? Probably because I’m hoping one day, he’ll do right by my mom and she’ll take him back. Then Jude and Jayden will come home and we will be a family again. I know that’s a stupid thing to want. We are all grown up, and they grew apart, but I would do anything to have my family back together.
But then I look across the table and I realize she is what I want most.
