Page 46 of More Than a Spark

“Yeah, sure.” He breathed in deeply. “Let’s get cleaned up and sleep.” He yawned. “It’s making me tired thinking about the all the shit that’s coming up this week.”

“Okay.” I kissed his head.

* * *

The next morning,I’d woken up at a reasonable hour, dressed, then said goodbye to my still-sleeping boyfriend and headed out. I showered at home and changed before saying much to Dad and walked out of the guest bedroom with a t-shirt and a pair of grey board shorts on.

Dad stood in the kitchen of his small bungalow, a coffee cup in his hand. “Hey, so how about we hit up Sunny’s Diner for breakfast?”

“Sounds good.” I tugged my truck keys from my front pocket. “Want me to drive?”

“Sure.”

We drove in near silence to the restaurant, only a few blocks away. For some reason, I half expected him to have already figured out what was going on between me and Milo. As we parked, I eyed the restaurant, a plain diner in a strip mall looking like a thousand others in the area. It was probably why Dad liked the place. Only locals would know about it.

We climbed out of my truck and headed for the double glass doors under a red tile roof overhang, and I opened the door for him. My heart pattered in my chest. I had to tell him what was going on, right?

A hostess met us and seated us in a brown vinyl booth next to long row of windows looking out over the busy boulevard. Some of the windows had metal mini-blinds pulled down over them to shield the intense morning sun worming its way in.

She set menus down on the table between us. “Your server will be right with you.”

“Thanks.” I held my menu in front of my face. The silence was turning awkward.

With a sigh, Dad set his menu on the table and pushed on my menu to lower it from my face. “So, what’s going on?”

My heart climbed into my throat, and I swallowed it down. “N-nothing, why?” My gaze darted between his eyes. Fuck, I should just come out with it. But we hadn’t even ordered yet.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this quiet. You always have something to say.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “Everything all right with Milo?” He tongued his teeth under his upper lip. “You been spending a lot of time at his place.”

“Y-yeah, everything is, is great. It’s like we picked up right from where we left off.” A stuttered laugh sprang from my throat. Fuck, that was a huge lie. We’d sped light years ahead of where we’d left things when I’d moved to Flag.

He eyed me. “Is that so.”

I set my menu down. What could I tell him? “And he’s living with a group of guys that are really cool. So, we’re all hanging out.”

The waitress stopped by, and Dad ordered pancakes and bacon while I ordered my standard eggs with bacon and toast, along with coffees and orange juice.

Dad fingered the edge of his napkin. “So, how is Milo doing? Isn’t he graduating soon?” His gaze met mine.

“Yeah, he is.” Shit, he’d applied to AllAction games. What if he got the job? He’d said it was a long shot. Better not to worry about something that hasn’t happened yet. “He um, he’s been working at this marketing company doing graphics, but his heart isn’t in it. I’ve been pushing him to try a video game company.”

The waitress set our drinks down and I poured cream and sugar into my coffee, then sipped it. Okay, so we’d ordered and were talking about Milo. Should I tell Dad about us now?

“Video gaming, huh? I think Malcolm is on the board of some video gaming company. Have you told your mother you’re back in town yet?” He sipped his coffee, watching me over the edge of the cup.

Fuck. Malcolm…Mom’s wealthy and successful new husband, the man Dad and me could never compete with. “Um, no I haven’t called her yet.” I took a deep inhale. I knew what was coming next.

Tapping the table in front of me, Dad said, “You need to call her, son. She needs to know you’re living here now.”

“Why?” I shifted in my seat and scanned the restaurant a moment. Was I starting something with Dad, so I didn’t have to tell him about my new status with Milo? Maybe.

He straightened his spine, his gaze growing hard. “She’s your mother. You need to have a relationship with her.”

My chest wound tightly. What the hell did I need her for? So her and her snooty husband could look down on me? “Yeah, I know.” I slumped my shoulders. It wasn’t fair to take it out on him. I fingered the grip of my coffee cup. “I’ll call her this week. I promise.” I flashed my eyes at him.

“You better.” He glared at me for a beat, then gave me a warm smile.

The waitress dropped off our food. “Is there anything else I can get you right now?” She gazed at each of us.

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