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“You kidding?Hellno!”
“I didn’t think so,” Rust said, and folded his arms over his chest.
The refs dropped the puck and play resumed.
“So how’s school going?” Dad asked me, adding, “Rust couldn’t believe it when I told him you’re in college.”
“Good,” I lied. I certainly wasn’t going to tell Dad the truth tonight.
“Are you liking your classes any better?”
“Still hate ’em, actually,” I said.
“Well, nobody said you had to love them.” Dad turned to Rust. “All I ask is that she keeps a four-point-oh GPA and doesn’t get pregnant.”
Ugh,I thought, having heard that line for the thousandth time. And yet I hated it more with each iteration.
Rust let out a burst of amused laughter. “That’s all you ask? Johnny, you barely got through high school with, what, a two-point-oh? And a pregnant girlfriend?”
“Exactly my point, Rusty. I want a better life for my baby girl. I don’t want her to fuck her life up before it even gets started.”
“Sorry I was born, Dad,” I said with a roll of my eyes. “Womp womp. I ruined everything.”
“Hey, c’mon, sweetie.” Dad patted my knee. “You know what I mean. If I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
You sure about that?I wondered.
“So are you still waiting tables?” Dad asked, a note of disapproval in his voice, just like every other time the subject of me working came up.
I’d quit my serving job when my OnlyFans took off, but I didn’t want to give Dad the satisfaction of knowing that. I groaned instead. “Dad. Please.”
“I really wish you’d quit that job, sweetie,” he said.
“Wait a minute. Youdon’twant Isabelle to work?” Rust asked, confused.
“I’d rather her focus on her studies,” Dad said. He turned to me again. “If youhaveto work, why can’t you find some library job? Or some sort of job where you can study while you’re on the clock?”
“I’ll get right on that,” I said sarcastically.
“I just want what’s best for you,” Dad said defensively.
For a moment, the three of us fell silent. Our heads shifted left and right, following the back-and-forth action on the ice until, apparently, divine inspiration struck Dad.
He snapped his fingers. “Oh! I just got a great idea.”
Dad always had amilliongreat ideas, none of which ever interested me, because they always involved me doing exactly what he wanted me to do. But this time, I gotta say, Dad actually surprised me. Itwasa great idea—just maybe not for reasons he’d intended.
He turned to Rust. “You said Minka chewed up your couch on your last road trip.”
“Yeah… so?”
“Do you have a dog sitter?”
“I have a neighbor kid who comes by a couple times a day to feed her and let her out,” Rust said.
“No wonder. You can’t leave a husky home alone for that long, big fella. Minka probably chewed up your couch because she’s bored and lonely. You need someone who can be with her throughout the day,” Dad said. He turned to me. “And you need an easy job that will let you focus on your studies. It’s a win-win. What do you say?”
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as Rust and I caught each other’s eyes. I quickly looked away, afraid Dad would catch on.
