Page 74 of A Better Place

Part one of mission: complete.

After I made my phone calls to make the rest of the arrangements, I settled in on the couch to talk with my other favorite girl.

“Hey, Dad. What have you been doing? You’ve been on the phone forever.”

“Ah, just setting some stuff up. Talked to the realtor… she wants me to keep the house staged, but I’m ready to have my stuff here.”

“Yeah, I figured that would be coming.”

“Why do you say that?”

She gives me the duh-Dad look. “Uh, Carly?”

“About Carly…”

She bursts out laughing and squeals. “Knew it!”

“Knew what?”

“Just that you’d end up talking about her!” She giggles.

I stand and pace my small apartment, raking my fingers through my short hair. “Does it bother you?”

“What? Why would it?”

“I don’t know. We’ve never really talked about it, even after you guys met. I feel like a shit father.”

“Did you ever think that we’ve never talked about it because, until Carly, you had never met anyone worthy of talking to me about?”

She has a good point. I dated. A few times. But no one captured my attention… my heart.

“Maybe you have a point,” I admit.

“Of course I do,” she says proudly, causing me to chuckle.

“She said yes.”

“Be more specific, please.”

“To a date. What else?”

“I don’t know! You seem pretty…”

“I wouldn’t say pretty. Handsome. Hotty McHotPants is also a winner.”

“Gross, Dad. As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me, it seems as though Carly is so much more to you. Know what I mean? Like this date? Yeah, it’s a first date. But it’s like the last first date.”

I get what she’s saying. Completely. And oddly enough, it doesn’t scare me in the least. It gives me a sense of peace I hadn’t known for a long time, or ever.

“And just to say, it kind of sounds like this may be your official first date, but it’s like you’ve been together for longer. From the moment she face-planted into your um… you. Tripping over her own two feet right into Captain America, she became yours. You became hers.”

“I don’t think you’re allowed to talk to Aunt Tess anymore.”

“Actually, it was Uncle Barrett,” she admits.

“Gossiping little…”

“And Josh,” she adds.

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