Page 30 of Heartstruck at Dawn
He wanted Caleb to participate on the subject because he asked for his opinion once again. He didn’t have a choice but to keep expanding.
“A blind date puts us as security agents in a position where we cannot investigate much about the person prior to the meeting. And asking for the person’s information upon arrival might be—invasive and uncomfortable for both the person in question and for Miss Murphy, as well,” Caleb explained. He didn’t want to oppose the idea altogether but instead hinted itcouldcomplicate the logistics.
“I don’t want my daughter dating anyone who doesn’t go through a thorough background check. And Caleb, I want you to attend to this specific matter if such a situation should arise in the near future. If you deem the person inappropriate, I want you to inform me immediately. And I expect you to comply, kiddo,” he said, looking at me.
“But Dad—”
“I’m not taking any chances. Not after what happened with Thomas.”
This was extreme. So now Caleb got to decide who was fit to date me or not? Ridiculous!
Luckily, I wasn’t looking to date anyone soon. I was probably going to CJ’s party on my own. I wasn’t in the mood to invite someone as my plus one. And William was dating Erin for all I knew. I still didn’t know if he was lying to me about everything.
Luckily, we arrived at the restaurant, and the blind date conversation came to a halt. My father’s face looked stern as we got out of the car. Seeing me hug Caleb had made him feel more uncomfortable than I thought. But I felt like there was something else bothering him.
Mike and David stayed outside while Caleb walked us both to our table. He helped me to my chair and excused himself afterward. As soon as Caleb left, I asked my father if there was something wrong and insisted on how I could tell he was upset about something.
The server approached us before my father could answer. We ordered our drinks, and my father finally started talking.
“Is there something going on between you and Caleb?” he asked bluntly. My hands felt sweaty and began to slightly shake under the table. There wasn’t anything going on with Caleb, but somethingdidhappen. And it made me feel so guilty that it did, although I didn’t regret it one bit.
“Of course not. You know we’ve been good friends for years.”
“Why was he hugging you?” He was dead serious. But I couldn’t let this affect Caleb in any way.
“Actually …Ihugged him. I was in a terrible mood yesterday, and I wasn’t very polite to him. I apologized and hugged him afterward. But that was it,” I assured him. He didn’t look too convinced.
I’d never felt cornered by my father like this before. I saw a raw concern on his face. He seemed disappointed too. I didn’t know if he was disappointed in Caleb, in me, or both of us.
“Did Caleb give you that iPhone? You know I allow you to use your credit card freely, but I always check the statements, and I haven’t seen any charges for an iPhone.”
I immediately denied it but lying about how I got it felt wrong. Besides, it would be absurd to say I was carrying that amount of cash with me because I never did, and he knew that.
“It was a gift,” I confessed. “I couldn’t get my old phone to work. And, um—William bought the iPhone for me. He wanted to help and wouldn’t let me pay him back for it either.”
“So, are you and William … ?”
I took a deep breath. This was a full-on interrogation.
I explained how we were just friends and apologized for having him worry about everything. His features were softening back.
“No, no, I’m the one who should apologize, kiddo. I’m sorry. I’ve been so worried ever since you broke up with Thomas,” he explained with a furrowed brow. “I’m considering having you move back with me for a while, at least until we can get things with him under control.”
No!
Moving back with my father was the last thing I wanted to do. I had to convince him. But did he saygetting things with Thomas under control? I didn’t know things wereoutof control. He was probably trying to be extra careful with the situation.
“I don’t think that’s necessary. I haven’t talked to Thomas in a while. The last time I saw him was more than a month ago when he showed up at the apartment building, but Caleb told me they were handling it.”
I wondered if there was something they were trying to hide from me. It wouldn’t be the first time. I knew my father had done that before, plenty of times, in his attempt to keep me inside a pink sparkling glass bubble.
“Is there something I need to know?” I asked, hoping to maintain the practice of keeping me in the dark in the past.
His face went grim again for a heartbeat, but I saw how he persuaded himself to draw a smile on his worried face. “No, you’re right, kiddo. I’m probably just exaggerating. When I travel, I get anxious about not being here, but I know Aaron, Caleb, and David are doing an excellent job in taking care of you.”
I rode the wave of interrogation and tried making a few questions myself. “Any news on mother? On the investigation, I mean.”
“Oh, kiddo. You shouldn’t be worrying about such things. All you need to know is that you’re safe and that things are being properly handled.”
