Page 14 of The Second Dance

“What’s wrong?” His voice is protective and strong. I want to crawl through the phone to sit on his couch.

“Nothing.”

“Doesn’t sound like nothing.” He says.

I sniff again. “It’s just work.”

“Not going well?”

“You don’t know the half of it.”

He pauses. “Okay, tell me, then.”

I glance back at the bar. The neon sign is the only light glowing in the sleepy little town. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this…”

“Who am I going to talk to? I don’t have friends. You know that.”

I give him a watery laugh. It’s true. My dad is a self-described introvert. He likes me and his dog, Ralph. And that’s it.

“Well, that ground the Songbird Foundation is taking over? It was donated by one family.”

“Yeah?”

“The Thomas family.”

He barks a dry laugh. “Well, if there was anyone who could afford to do that, it would be the Thomas family.”

I fiddle with the hem of my skirt. “Did you know Bo Thomas’s parents got a divorce?”

He sighs. “Yeah. A few months ago. That was quite the scandal. Right around Christmas time, too.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. Everyone was pretty shocked. I mean, we all knew Chad had a wandering eye, but Heather put up with it for so many years… I think those Thomas boys are taking it pretty hard. She was the center of their world.”

“She’s the one who gave us the land.”

He whistles.

“I didn’t know who she was. I swear to God.”

“Well, you wouldn’t. She never went to church. I think she was raised Catholic, if I remember correctly.”

I think of Heather Thomas. She seemed a little lost when I met her. Lonely and so, so sad. It kind of makes sense now. “I don’t want to be caught up in their family drama.”

“That’s good. Don’t let those rich snobs push you around.”

I think of Bo and Skyler. They always had nice trucks and the right brand of jeans, but they never struck me as snobby. “How rich could they possibly be?”

He laughs.

And then, laughs some more.

“Dad.”

He coughs. “They’re rich, honey. Filthy rich. I don’t do their books, but I know who does. And as of last year, they owned over seventy thousand debt-free.”

“Seventy thousand dollars?”

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