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"Sure."
"Okay, we’ll be there in a few minutes," Alisha says to my daughter.
Samantha hurries away, and I narrow my eyes at Alisha when she walks towards her closet without looking at me.
"What's going on?" I ask, stopping before her.
"Samantha needs to talk to you." She slips into her black pumps, and when she turns and wants to walk to the door, I stop her by touching her arm.
"What is going on?" I whisper in her ear. "You've got the same nervous energy Samantha showed when she saw me."
She places a chaste kiss on my cheek. "That is not for me to answer. So let's get our coffee. But, button-up first." She pats my bare chest.
She shoots out of the room towards the kitchen, and as I close the buttons, I can't ignore the gnawing awareness that something is up. When I enter the kitchen, they're standing with their backs to me, focusing on the coffee machine that's pouring caffeine-providing liquid in a cup. I stay silent, but my mind shoots into action at my daughter's words.
"I'm nervous. How do you think he will react? Will he freak out?"
Freak out?
"He needs to know, honey," Alisha says, placing a hand on her shoulder. "He's your father. Remember that he cares for you."
"That's true, so speak up and tell me what is going on," I say as I take a step into the room, focusing my attention on Sam, who looks alarmed.
"I..." she begins. Her eyes wander to Alisha, who places a cup on the kitchen counter.
"Take a seat and drink your coffee. Samantha has something important to tell you."
Alisha's eyes have a pleading look. So with easy strides, I take a seat. "Okay, I'm sitting. Now, what's up?"
Alisha gestures to Samantha to take a seat opposite to me while she sits on the stool next to me. The way Samantha plays with her glass of water, shifting it from one hand to the other one, causes alarm bells to ring in my head.
"What's going on?"
"Cole," Alisha begins, "I told you Samantha was hanging out with some new friends from school this week. But that wasn't exactly right… She's hanging out, but not with friends from school."
My eyes flash to my daughter, whose hands are firmly clutching the glass she's holding, while her eyes dart everywhere but to me. "Samantha? Who have you been hanging out with?"
The water in her glass moves unsteadily as she brings it to her lips. "I've been hanging out with a guy," she says in a barely audible voice.
The muscles in my neck contract as I raise a brow and tilt my head. Internally I'm shouting at myself.Keep calm. Breathe in... Breathe out.Both girls are watching me with hawk eyes.
"A guy?" I say as neutral as possible. "Okay. And what is the name of the guy?"
I glance down when Alisha squeezes my hand. "Stay calm," she hints.
Easier said than done.With my heart rate being an unbalanced metronome, I refocus my attention on Samantha, who's now biting on her nail.
"Samantha, I asked you a question. Do I need to repeat it?"
She shakes her head, grabs her water, and takes a few sips. I grind my teeth as my patience is quickly disintegrating.Why is she stalling to answer this simple question?
"His name is Leo. We met at the ice cream shop on our street. He's friendly, and I enjoy talking to him."
My eyes narrow. "Okay. But I don't understand why you two think I would disapprove of it. I may be uncomfortable with the fact that it's a guy. But I would never prevent you from making new friends."
I get up from my seat and walk to the coffee machine to control my rising impatience, knowing there is more she's not telling me. Just when my espresso is ready, Samantha speaks.
"Leo is twenty."
