Page 64 of RomeAntically Challenged
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“What are the things you need to remember?” Annie said.
“Validate her feelings. Levelheadedness leads to listening. Don’t be a dictator.” Emmitt repeated the guidelines they’d talked about.
“And?”
“And remember, no matter what is going on inside that house, love her for exactly who she is in that moment.” He sent her a sidelong glance. “That’s a lot to ask of a dad whose kid is sneaking around with the school fuckboy.” Annie raised a condemning brow, and Emmitt sighed. “Fine, but I don’t have to like the moment.”
Annie chuckled, but inside her heart went out to him. Giving the town playboy a daughter who was into playboys was payback for all the nights his dates’ parents spent pacing the floor—awaiting their daughter’s safe return. “Nope, but you do need to try to see it through her eyes. She knows she screwed up, is probably super disappointed with herself. And while she needs to know that what she did was not okay, she also needs to know that you still love her.”
“Right,” Emmitt said, but he was too busy glaring out the window to be looking at Annie.
She followed his line of vision to the teenagers up ahead participating in some pretty PG-13 PDA. There was kissing, and then there waskissing, and the two high schoolers were quickly passing the first kind, racing toward the second.
“Not on my watch.” Emmitt unfolded himself from the passenger seat, and before Annie could tell him to take a deep breath, he was already halfway up the walk, his chest puffed out, his arms pulled slightly from his body and swaying as he walked.
He looked like the Hulk coming to crash the party.
“Hey,” he yelled as he disappeared into the night. “What are you doing to my daughter?”
“You’re not my dad!” some girl said.
“Where’s Paisley? Paisley Bradley-Rhodes, you better get your butt out here or I’m coming in!”
Not the levelheaded she was hoping for.
Annie strained to hear what was said next but could only make out the words “worst” and “nightmare,” and she was certain it was Emmitt talking.
She told herself not to snoop.This is none of your business.Emmitt and Paisley were both going to be embarrassed by how tonight was going down. They didn’t need some short-term tenant gawking at, what should be, a private family moment. That was what she told herself as she ducked her head to look out the passenger window.
The sun had set hours ago, and the moon was barely cutting through the thick fog that had blown in off the ocean. She could make out figures but no details, leaving her with two options: turn her car to face the house and flash the high beams, or press her nose to the passenger’s side window and squint.
While the first choice was tempting, she decided to check out how good the view was from the other side of the car. After unbuckling her seat belt, she climbed across the console and, knees on the seat, searched through the window for Emmitt.
She spotted him. He was standing on the front porch, with Paisley next to him while he towered over a boy who was likely Sammy. To the kid’s credit, he didn’t wet his pants or burst out crying.If he came at me like that, Annie thought,I would have.
“You. Car. Now!” Emmitt bellowed at Paisley, then turned back to Sam, and even through the fogged-up window, he looked lethal. “This is over. Understand?”
The kid stood silent as Emmitt marched Paisley—poor girl looked as if she were walking to her execution—straight to the car.
“Shit.” They were headed her way.
In a panic, Annie lost her balance and tumbled backward, landing ass-first between the console and seat. She twisted and turned, used the steering wheel to get leverage, then cursed herself for not taking yoga more seriously. Wedging her heel into the seat, she pushed up and—thank God she was free—rolled into her seat.
She smoothed her hair out of her face and pretended to be watching the wind blowing through the trees.
Both doors opened at once, and she felt the car dip to the right a little before Emmitt settled in the passenger seat and then slammed the door. So hard the car rocked.
A little afraid of what she might find, she turned her head and saw one very pissed off father who was struggling with the reality that his daughter had conned him. It wouldn’t be the last time Paisley pulled one over on Emmitt, but this time was hard because it was the first.
Her heart went out to him. Never had she wanted to hug someone as much as she wanted to hug Emmitt just then. His jaw was clenched, his muscles taut, and his body language screamedfailure.
“My life is officially over,” Paisley hissed as Annie pulled away from the curb and headed toward home. “I’m never going back to school again. Maybe I can homeschool or transfer to Eastland High, but no way am I ever going to be able to face Sam or any of his friends!”
“You should have thought of that before you lied to me,” Emmitt ground out.
“I didn’t lie. I said I was going to my friend Sammy’s house. Sam is my friend, and I was where? Oh, at his house! It’s not my fault you don’t know who Sam is. Daddy and Uncle Levi would have. And if they didn’t, they would have asked before saying yes.”
