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“Then nervous?” he asked.
“Maybe that.”
“Is everything okay?” he asked. She hated that he looked concerned and she didn’t want him stressing over that.
“Yes. It’s just. I’m not sure how to say this.”
Her father laughed. “You’ve never had a problem saying anything to me before. Unless you’re in trouble?”
“God no,” she said. She took a deep breath. She and Gabe joked about the wording, but for the life of her she couldn’t remember any of it. Instead she just blurted out, “Gabe and I are dating.”
Phew. There. It was in the open. Words flew around the room like birds in a storm. No poop dropped on her yet so maybe she was safe.
Her father only stared at her. He blinked a few times.
“What?”
“Gabe McCarthy and I are dating,” she said. “I know it’s a shock. It was to me too. But he wore my stubborn pride down with his dimples and smooth skin.” Something like that.
Her father started to laugh. “I didn’t know Gabe had dimples.”
She wanted to do a palm slap to her forehead. “I’m just joking.”
“So you’re not dating Gabe?”
“No, that I’m serious about. How come you’re not shocked?”
“I’m just trying to process this all. I thought you didn’t like him.”
“Maybe on principal alone,” she said. “You know, jealous of how good looking he is. Could be he rubbed me the wrong way.”
There was no way she was going to tell her father or anyone the history she had with Gabe. That fell in the lines of Vegas again in her mind.
“I guess I can buy that. How long has this been going on? You two didn’t even talk at the wedding. You can understand my confusion I’m sure.”
“I know, I know,” she said. “It’s on me. It’s been maybe two months. I don’t keep track of those things.”
“That’s a long time for you to not say something,” her father said. “But it would explain your improved mood.”
“Improved mood?” she asked. She felt her back stiffen. “What does that mean?”
“It means that you’re laughing more. You are relaxed and dare I say happy? Your mother’s comments didn’t even seem to affect you on Saturday. I wonder if that has something to do with it.”
She sighed. There were just some things she couldn’t keep from her father. Even if she tried to hide it like she was, but it didn’t matter.
“It probably does have something to do with it,” she said. “Anyway, there you go. You can let the Fierces know Gabe is off the market.”
She saw her father lift an eyebrow at her. “You wantmeto do that?”
“I do,” she said. “I told you to tell them not to even consider setting me up, but they had plans for Gabe. Carolyn told me yesterday. He’s taken though.”
Her father nodded his head. “I’ll make sure that message is passed along.”
“Good,” she said. “That is all I had to say.”
“Then we can both get to work.”
“I’m telling you guys,I’ve never seen my daughter act like that before. I had all I could do not to jump up and do an old-fashioned fist pump when she told me she was dating.”
