Page 20 of Late to Love

“This is me taking a day off for my mental health,” I shoot back. “Something even more necessary now that I know my own father doesn’t have faith in me.”

He has the decency to blush. “Sorry, Darcy girl. I look at you and still see you in pigtails, that’s all. No matter how old you get.”

“Maybe so, but your pigtail game was never that good, and thislittle girlis a grown-ass woman, Dad. You know it, and you need to treat me like it.”

He lifts his chin, stubborn as always.

Wonder where I get it from.

I sigh, then round the counter to give him a hug. “Love you, you old coot.”

“Love you too, girlie.”

“Now where’s that stack of invoices you said I needed to look at?”

I make quick work of the paperwork at Dad’s, then pick up all the things at the Pig that we’ll need to get through the day. I already know Amanda will have packed her own stash of goodies, and we’ll have plenty. Which is the point. We stopped dividing up who would bring what years ago, because we never had enough when we did that. But when we leaned into the chaos of “just pack a bag,” we discovered we always had plenty, and it was fun to see what we ended up with.

Finally, I pull up to Amanda’s, and she gets in the car with her own beach bag stuffed to the gills. “I over-packed,” she says.

Laughing, I aim towards the beach. “Good. Me, too.”

There are a couple of good spots around, but we ultimately decide to head to the area just off the pier, where we can grab ice cream and rinse off before getting back in the car at the end of the day. It’s definitely the more touristy part, and it’s packed with mid-June tourists, but I don’t mind. People-watching is one of my favorite things to do on the beach.

We unpack our bags, a little game of show and tell before settling into our routine of sunblock, sunglasses, and books. Combined, we have five peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, two giant bags of chips, a bowl of cut-up watermelon, a bag of baby carrots, strawberries that are on their last leg, and more water than we will possibly need. Also, sunscreen, two hats, and an extra pair of sunglasses. All in all, plenty to get us to dinner if we’re so inclined.

I’m on my front, letting the sun soak into my back, when my phone goes off in my bag next to me.

“Who’s rude enough to call when we’re at the beach?” Amanda mumbles.

Reading the name on the screen, I laugh. “Anthony.” Then I answer the FaceTime, not bothering with a hello because I know that’ll irritate him—and honestly, irritating him is a lot of fun.

“Where are you?” His voice is gruff, sending a shiver through my body in delight. Then he squints. “Are you at the beach?”

“Your powers of observation are second to none, Mr. Hall,” I deadpan. “What do you need?”

“Why aren’t you here?”

I laugh. “Because I needed a day off. I’ve barely taken any time for myself, not that you’ve noticed.”

“I notice when you’re not here,” comes the response.

The warmth that pools in my lower belly at his words should be concerning, but I don’t say anything. I take a move from his own playbook and stay silent.

“You should have called, or texted,” he grumbles.

“I didn’t know I needed to tell you my every move,Daddy.”

He growls, and I thrill to hear it. “I don’t need to know your every move, Miss Belle, but as someone whose place you’re working on, it’s common courtesy to at least let me know that you won’t be here. It’s rude not to.”

I sigh. “Fine. You might have a point.” As much as I hate to admit it.

“I know I have a point.”

Thankful for my sunglasses, I let myself stare at him. God, he’s so sexy, especially when he’s mad like this. There’s a little line that furrows between his brows, and his hazel eyes sparkle with something that looks almost like worry. But why would he worry about me? Despite this call and the rare times I see him outside his normal routine, the man most often appears to simply tolerate me. I wish there were more to it, but I’m beginning to think I’ve made the rest up.

“Fine,” I tell him. “I’m sorry for making you worry, Daddy.”

His jaw ticks, but he doesn’t bother to correct me on anything I just said.

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