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“Micah invited me to dinner with his family. I’ve decided to go there.”
Dad’s hurt expression nearly broke me. “Oh. I see.”
“Um. He also said you can come too. We’re both invited.”
“Oh.”
Was that all he had to say? Oh? His subdued response sent a pang of frustration through me. I was giving him an alternative, something more comfortable. We could still celebrate together, but not alone together. Yet, that wasn’t enough for him? The conversation was beginning to feel like it was hanging in an uneasy balance, ready to crumble at any moment.
“Here,” Justin said, putting my drink down in front of me. He sat down in the chair next to me and took a sip of his own drink as he casually rested his arm on the back of my chair.
Dad stared at him for a few moments before finally focusing back on me.
“Will you come?” I asked.
“I’ll have to let you know,” Dad finally responded. “I’m not so sure. Wouldn’t they feel awkward if I came?”
“Why?”
“I don’t know them.”
I tilted my head at Justin. “He’s invited too. And his aunt. They don’t really know each other either. Micah’s mom is looking forward to having more people there. Apparently, they’re used to bigger family meals for Thanksgiving, but they don’t have family here.”
“Maybe. I’ll have to think it over.”
Dad’s response was heavy. Was it too much to ask for him to spend the holiday here with me instead of in Vegas? The worry surfaced—if I didn’t go with him, would he still go back home and leave me here?
Justin’s hand rested on my knee, offering a comforting squeeze. I instinctively grabbed his hand, taking all the support I could.
“Think about it?” I asked, my question almost coming out more like a plea.
Dad stood up. “I will. I need to go meet with someone now, but I’ll call you later?”
I frowned at his abruptness. “Okay.”
It didn’t feel like I could breathe again until Dad was gone. I grabbed my cup and took a deep drink to warm my cold insides. Unease settled in me as I wrapped my mind around his sudden exit. Did I just scare him away?
“Are you okay?” Justin asked.
“Confused. A little scared.”
“He didn’t give you a no.”
I turned my cup, staring at the label. “But he didn’t give me a yes either. He ran away instead.”
Justin jumped a little in his seat.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
He pulled his phone out and looked down at it, his eyes widening. “The hospital.” He jumped to his feet as he answered. “Yeah.”
He listened briefly, his eyes bugging out. When he hung up, face paling right before my eyes, he said, “My dad had a heart attack.”
I’d thought Justin was back with me, but he looked lost all over again.
I stood, already moving to my car. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
