Page 113 of Faking All the Way
My dad looks over at it, brushing dust off his hands, then shakes his head. “Nah, that’s still a keeper. It’ll be greatonce I get the chance to fix it up. It’s solid oak underneath all that damage. Just needs some work.” He pauses before adding almost casually, “You could help next time you come to Maplewood.”
There’s a slightly awkward moment as his words land, the unspoken subtext clear. He’s hoping that this won’t be my only visit to town, that I’ll come back again at some point.
Edward grimaces slightly, as if he’s realized he overstepped the careful boundaries of our relationship. He shakes his head, waving a hand. “I mean, if you have time. I know you’ll be busy with the team and getting settled in Denver. It’s not a problem if?—”
“Okay.” I cut him off. “Let’s put it in the keep pile.”
I don’t explicitly say I’ll come back to visit again, don’t make a promise I’m not sure I can keep. But the implication is there, and we both know it.
My dad glances at me in surprise before a small smile crosses over his weathered face. “Yeah. That sounds good.”
We continue going through things, working in comfortable silence broken only by the occasional question about whether something should stay or go. Murphy is still winding around our legs, getting in the way every chance he gets. Every time I bend down to pick up a box, he gets there first, climbing into or onto it before I can move it.
“Your cat is useless,” I tell my dad.
He chuckles. “Mycat? I think he’s more your cat at this point.”
I roll my eyes, but scratch Murphy under the chin anyway. Just as I’m about to shoo him off the box he’s perched on top of, the doorbell rings upstairs, echoing down into the basement.
I frown, glancing at the stairs. Alexis better not have figured out where my dad lives or something. I was caught completely off guard when she showed up at the cabin this morning, and Ihave zero desire to see her again. The thought of her somehow finding out I’m here and invading this space makes my jaw clench.
“You know who that is?” I ask.
My dad flushes slightly, little spots appearing on his cheeks. “Uh… I might.”
Huh.
We head upstairs, Murphy trailing behind us, and when I open the door, my eyebrows shoot up. It’s Audrey, my dad’s neighbor. The woman who drove him home from the park that day when I had to rush to help Kat.
“Oh! Hi, Asher,” she greets me warmly, waving past me to Edward. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”
“Not at all.” I step back, opening the door wider.
“When I drove Edward home that day, we got to talking,” she says as she steps inside, holding up a covered dish that smells incredible. Like rum and sugar and spice. “And then we ran into each other again the other day just down the block and got to chatting. Turns out we both love rum cake at Christmas. So I made one and wanted to drop it off.”
I glance over at my dad, noticing that his cheeks are flushed deeper now. He straightens his shirt a bit, running a hand through his hair before smiling almost nervously at Audrey.
Oh, damn. I see how it is.
“That’s really nice of you,” I tell Audrey when my dad seems a bit too tongue-tied to speak, taking the dish from her hands. It’s still warm, so it must’ve just come out of the oven. “Come on in.”
We all head to the kitchen, and I set down the cake on the counter. Murphy immediately jumps up to investigate, sniffing at the covered dish with great interest.
My dad clears his throat, shooing Murphy away. “Uh, would you like to stay for a piece, Audrey? I was just about to make some coffee.”
“Oh, I don’t want to impose,” she says, but there’s something in her tone that suggests she wants to be convinced. “I know you two are probably busy.”
“It’s no imposition at all. We were clearing out the basement a little, but we’re due for a break anyway.”
My gaze ping-pongs back and forth as I watch their interaction—the way my dad is standing a little straighter, the way Audrey smiles at him, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. They’re both being slightly awkward in that way that teenagers do when they like each other but aren’t sure how to show it.
There was a point in my life, not that long ago really, when seeing my dad interested in anyone would have pissed me off. It would’ve brought up all that old anger about how he walked out on my mom and me, how he chose to be alone rather than be with his family.
But it’s been a long fucking time since then. I’m not that angry kid anymore, even if part of me still carries those scars. And the truth is, I don’t like the idea of him being all alone in this house with just Murphy for company. He’s getting older, and everyone deserves connection.
As Audrey agrees to stay, slipping off her coat and hanging it on the back of a chair, I glance at my watch. “Uh, actually, I should probably run. I’m supposed to meet Kat downtown soon, and I can be a bit early.” I glance over at my dad. “I’ll come back tomorrow for more basement organizing. We made good progress today.”
“Sounds good,” he says, but he’s mostly looking at Audrey.
