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I shrug, pushing back in my chair and attempting to keep my posture relaxed. “Yup.”
With a nod, he studies me carefully. “So, you don’t see her around very much?”
“We have a marketing class together but other than that, not really.”
It’s a little white lie meant to put his mind at ease.
“That’s probably for the best.” Even though the response seems casually thrown out, the intended meaning strikes a nerve.
Irritation explodes inside me and my fingers curl around the polished arms of the chair, my clipped nails biting into the smooth surface. “It’s for the best that we don’t interact very much?”
His expression shifts as if he finally found what he was searching for and isn’t happy about it. “You know exactly what I mean.” There’s a brief silence before he adds in a lower tone, “You’re siblings.”
Is he out of his mind? What I feel for Carina isn’t at all sisterly-like.
It never was. Not even when we were fourteen years old.
“No, we aren’t,” I snap, immediately regretting the outburst.
“In all the ways that matter, you are. You’ll be family for the rest of your lives. It doesn’t matter if Pamela and I are no longer married. Carina is like a daughter to me.”
I gnash my teeth.
There’s no point in arguing with him.
When I continue to silently stew, he says, “There are plenty of girls out there. Find one of them. In fact,” he leans forward, the sleeves of his perfectly pressed button-down resting against the table, “if you’re interested in settling down, you should take Jaclyn out sometime. She’s been asking about you.”
Jaclyn Bowman is a gorgeous girl who has long, sable-colored hair and eyes to match. She’s petite and curvy. Not to mention, outgoing. She’s been learning the ropes at Hamilton Bowman Construction for as long as I have. Although, with her working in the office and me out on construction sites all day during the summer months, we don’t run into each other very often.
As likeable as she is, Jaclyn doesn’t hold a candle to Carina.
“I’m not interested in your partner’s daughter,” I say with a grunt, unable to believe he’s playing matchmaker.
“Perhaps you should reconsider. She’s grown into a beautiful and poised young woman. If you ever decide to follow me into politics, she’ll make the perfect wife. And then your children would inherit the company.”
“Dad…” My voice trails off on a frustrated groan. This isn’t the first time this conversation has reared its ugly head. Unfortunately, it probably won’t be the last. He seems stuck on shoving me in Jaclyn’s direction.
It’s almost a relief when his cell phone rings and I don’t have to pull an excuse out of my ass to end this uncomfortable conversation. He picks up the sleek device and glances at the screen.
His mouth tightens into a thin line. “I need to take this.”
I jerk my head into a nod as he rises from his chair and saunters out of the spacious dining room. A minute later, the door to his home office closes softly behind him.
Relief courses through me and my muscles loosen as I stare out the floor-to-ceiling windows into the swirling darkness that has now fallen. Throughout my life, Dad and I have always been close.
We rarely fight or have disagreements.
There’s one exception to that rule and it’s Carina.
He treats the pair of us like we’re actually siblings when that’s not the case. Maybe he’s still holding onto hope that Pamela will change her mind and sweep back into his life.
There are times when I think back to senior year, and I wonder what would have happened had everything been allowed to play out without interference.
But we’ll never know.
And that’s the problem.
Chapter Seven
