Page 62 of Homewrecker

Seth tips his head slightly, and I get ready for another amazing kiss when the outside light snaps on above us.

"Hey, did you get the chickens in?" Dad calls out the door, oblivious to what he's interrupting.

Seth and I break apart like two teenagers caught making out in the family basement.

"Yeah, they're snug in bed," I say.

"Aw, great!" Dad pokes his head further outside the door. "The plumber showed up. Things are all set in here. Come check it out."

Seth shakes his head, and I'm sure we're thinking the same thing. My dad is becoming a real cock blocker.

I sashay up the steps in my pajama pants like I'm a supermodel and call out over my shoulder, "Thanks again for helping me with the chickens!"

"Sure," he says dryly. "No problem."

While I'm drinking a cold glass of water at the sink, I watch Seth and Mutt lope across the lawn together, presumably to retrieve that lumber he dropped near the chicken coop. As far as boyfriends are concerned, I've never dated a guy who would literally drop everything to assist me. I once asked my ex Kirk to help me put together a dresser from IKEA. He was too busy looking at records at a flea market.

I will not fall for Seth. I will not fall for Seth. I will not fall for Seth.

He glances back over his shoulder toward the house and runs a hand through his dark hair. Now that I've been close enough to kiss him, I know that his hair is closer to black than brown, like that shade of mascara I like named Nearly Noir. Goddammit. I can't give my heart to this man who lives hundreds of miles away and seems to see past my bullshit and swagger. If I did, I'd have to tell him all my secrets, even the terrible ones.

Sip the water, slow the breath.

I need to get my head on straight. In a few weeks, I'll be home and back to my normal routine. I'm not Dad. I don't need a romance that's going to shake me to my core.

* * *

Dad strapsa band-aid over the Neosporin he's put on my arm and gently smooths down the tape. I'm reminded of sitting on the edge of our bathtub while he washed off my scraped knees and elbows before bandaging them.

"Remember when you decided to take up skateboarding?" he says, clearly experiencing the same walk down memory lane.

"It was that damn kid Jaylon who lived upstairs. I wanted to be cool like him."

Jaylon had blue hair and could jump off ramps, while I barely mastered stopping.

Dad shivers. "I was so relieved when you gave up that thing."

"I wasn't the most coordinated child."

Dad hugs my shoulder and plants a kiss on my head.

"I'm so sorry I gave you chicken detail. I didn't want Renata to come home and think I'd abandoned you to deal with the plumbing issue. I feel like such a failure."

"Let's face it, we both needed a rescue today," I say, giggling as I picture Seth watching me wrangle chickens.

"I was bested by a toilet, and you were mauled by birds," he says.

Laughter bubbles up from my chest and suddenly I'm cackling so hard I nearly fall off the bed. My stomach hurts, but I can't stop. Dad is cracking up, too, tears streaming down his cheeks. I can't remember the last time I laughed this hard. At least I can thank the chickens for that.

Eventually, Dad wipes his eyes and gets quiet.

"Seriously, Andie, tell me the truth. Did I make a mistake coming down here?"

My chest tightens. This is it. The opportunity I've been waiting for since I got here. One little snip of his confidence, and I can slice him away from this place.

"You know I trust your opinion," he continues. "You're not just my daughter anymore. You're my friend, too, and you know me better than anyone. Am I a fool for thinking this could work out?"

He's not going to ask me again. If I want him to come back with me, this is the time to do the deed.

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