Page 38 of The Summer We Played Pretend

“Sorry, Dad. It won’t happen again.”

“Mom says you and Brendan had a bit of bad breakup.”

Taking a deep breath, I release my grip on the stair rail and turn around, remembering what Jackson said about my parents being adults and me being able to share my troubles with them.

"Yeah. He, uh,...he wants to get back together."

Dad's brow furrows. "And how do you feel about that?"

I hesitate and descend the steps to stand in front of Dad.

"I told him I don’t want to get back together," I admit.

His eyes soften, and he gestures toward the living room. "Want to talk about it?"

Not really. But if I want a better relationship with my dad, I have to try and he’s making the effort. For once, I need to accept that and not try to deal with everything on my own.

I nod, following him to the worn leather couch that I swear my parents bought before I was born but no one can bring themselves to replace.

"He cheated on me, Dad. With a younger girl from school. And as far as I can tell, he’s still with her.”

The words hang in the air, heavy and raw. Dad's eyes narrow before he offers me a sympathetic look. "Oh, Chlo.” He grabs my hand and squeezes it tight.

"I felt so stupid," I continue, tears pricking at my eyes. "Everyone knew before I did…" I trail off, remembering the humiliation.

Dad squeezes my hand. "You are anything but stupid, Chloe. You're brilliant, kind, and stronger than you know.”

"Thanks, Dad," I murmur, leaning into him.

Dad tightens an arm around me, and I breathe in the familiar scent of his aftershave mixed with the faint aroma of coffee.

"You know," he says, his voice a gentle rumble, "I don’t say it enough, but I’m proud of you.”

I pull back, wiping at my eyes. "Really? Because most days I feel like I'm barely keeping it together."

He chuckles softly. "You’re not the only one but here’s the thing, we're all just barely keeping it together. No adult really knows what they’re doing. We just have to keep pushing forward.”

I think about Dad and how he fights every day to even exist and nod. I know how tough his worst days can be.

“Your Mom says there, uh, might be a new boyfriend on the horizon?”

“Thanks, Mom,” I mutter with a grin. “Actually, I don’t know what he is yet.”

After yesterday’s kiss, I don’t know where I stand, especially if he’s avoiding me. So much for being honest with each other.

“I only ask because I heard about the fire at his dad’s work. How's Jackson doing? Is he okay?"

"A fire?" I repeat, confused.

"I just heard about it on the local news feed."

The world tilts on its axis. "A fire?" I repeat again. Images of Jackson, surrounded by flames and smoke, flash through my mind. "Is Jackson okay? Was he there? What happened?"

Dad shakes his head. "I don't have all the details, honey. I thought you might know. They just said it happened a few hours ago. No word on injuries yet."

My chest tightens, making it hard to breathe. Jackson practically lives at that shop. He hasn’t texted me all day. If he was there when the fire broke out...

"I have to go," I blurt out, already moving toward the door. My hands are shaking as I grab my keys from the hook. "I need to make sure he's all right."

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