Page 58 of Quarantine Crush
But when I look back at them, Joe isn’t laughing either. In fact, he looks way too serious right now.
“We know something happened between you and Emy. You want to tell us your side of how it all went to hell?” he asks.
Of course, Emy would have already called her dad. Shit. Just kill me now.
“I take it you’ve already talked to Emy?” I say, stating the obvious.
He snorts and shakes his head. “Of course I have. She’s my baby girl, but true to her nature, she wouldn’t tell me exactly what you did to break her heart. Said it wasn’t important and she didn’t want to make things awkward for me and your old man.”
I almost fall out of my chair. “What?”
They exchange a different look this time, and my mind reels at the knowledge that even now–when our friendship is lying in tatters–Emy is trying to protect me. My eyes dart to where she’s sitting on the balcony. The fact that she’s already trying to minimize the fallout for our family makes me feel sick.
“Listen, things are a little strained between us right now, but I’m gonna fix it. I just– I don’t know if I can do it before Emy and I get there in a few days, so I want to warn you upfront.”
“Emy’s not coming to the lake house.” My dad’s tone is sharp, and my mouth falls open in surprise.
“What do you mean she’s not coming?” I ask, my voice raw.
“She called me last night, crying, and said she couldn’t come to the lake house because she needed some space,” Joe says, his eyes sad. “Care to tell us what went so terribly wrong?”
“It’s nothing we can’t work through,” I assure them because I’m a total chickenshit who can’t admit to his dad that he’s an asshole.
“Right,” Joe says slowly, and I can’t bring myself to meet his eyes anymore.
“I just need her to see that our friendship is too important to risk on love. I mean, plenty of people have meaningful friendships without them being romantic, right?”
“Knox,” my dad says, “I say this with love, but you’re as dense as a brick when it comes to that girl.”
“Excuse me?”
“You want unconditional friendship, get a damn dog.”
“That’s not what I’m–”
“Emy’s a leading lady, not some supporting character.”
“I know that. She deserves the best,” I say.
“Damn right she does,” Joe chimes in. “But for whatever reason, she doesn’t want the best. She wants you.”
“Thanks,” I say wryly, and he winks.
“The point is,” my dad says, “if you mess this up–which you obviously have– you’ll lose her forever. And you won’t find another one like her, believe me.”
“I know.”
“Good. Then you have three more days to fix it.”
I run a hand over my face. “What if I can’t?”
My dad grins. “You’re an American, not an American’t.Fix it. Otherwise, Christian might make his move.”
I glare at the dads, who are both chuckling and completely unconcerned with the fact that my heart is being ripped to shreds. I’m not going to get any more sympathy–or answers–here.
“Thanks, Dad. Joe. You’ve both been a real help,” I say.
“Anytime,” they say in unison, ignoring my sarcasm.
