Page 22 of Their Little Christmas Bounty
“Come on, Dad.”I poke at the remains of my sandwich, no longer hungry.I’m more heartsick now than I was when I left Lyle and Austin behind.
Dad covers my hand in his.“I just want you to be happy.You’re a special girl.Maybe you need a special relationship.”
“Psh.”I roll my eyes.
“No, don’t discount what I’m saying.”He gives me a kind smile.“If there’s something with these bounty hunters, it’s worth exploring.Ironwood hires solid people, Ariel.If you like them and they like you, don’t let the opportunity slip away.”
I know how easy it would be to fall for them both.Austin, with his intense, stern stare.Lyle with the outward appearance of friendliness but a dark streak of sadism hidden beneath.
But talking with my dad about my love life is starting to feel awkward.I’ll have to talk to Janie later, instead.
When I go into the bathroom to freshen up, I notice a square of tissue in the wastebasket.
Maybe it’s because I was just thinking about Janie, but the tissue has a lip print in her signature shade.Selenão’s “Crimson Rust.”I’d know it anywhere because she’s been wearing it for years.
I stare for a long, long time at that stupid tissue.Janie has no reason to be here, at my dad’s house.Sure, she’s his assistant, but it’s an office job.Dad doesn’t bring work home—he stopped that when I was young, because Mom asked him to.
So why is Janie’s lipstick-blotted tissue in his house?Why was she here?
Heart pounding, I leave the bathroom, ready to confront my dad.He hasn’t heard me re-enter the living room and he’s looking at his phone.From the side, I can see a wistful, happy expression on his face as he taps on the screen.
His phone vibrates quietly and he chuckles.He must be texting with someone.He looks like a man in love.
Who is he texting, though?Janie?
Is my dad in love with my best friend?
“Hey.”I clear my throat, announcing myself because I feel like I’m intruding on a private moment.My emotions are swirling all around.Dad hasn’t seriously dated anyone since Mom died.Maybe he had hook-ups, but the word “hook-ups” and my dad don’t belong in my brain together, so I never wanted to dwell too much on the idea.
Janie isn’t a hook-up kind of girl, though.She never could do casual sex.So if she’s seeing my dad…that means it’s serious.Or it soon will be.
“Hey, Ariel.”Dad’s ears turn a little bit pink.Like I caught him and he’s feeling guilty or embarrassed.“Are you all done with your sandwich?I can clear the plates.”
“Yeah.”I swallow past the questions crowding my throat.If he’s seeing Janie, he’s not ready to talk about it.I’m not ready to talk about it, either, because I’m not sure how I feel.Shouldn’t Janie talk to me about it?Like, I’m her best friend.I should be the first to know.“Um, I just remembered something and I gotta run.But I’m glad we did this.”
“Me, too, sweetheart.”
“I, um, I should get going.”
He squints at me.“Everything okay?”
“Yeah.”It’s a lie.Nothing is okay.I think my dad and my best friend might have something going on, and I fell for two bounty hunters but I’m not relationship material.
“Listen.”He takes my shoulders and stares intently into my eyes.“You have every reason to be afraid of a relationship.But it sounds to me like you know these guys are the real deal.I want you to be happy.”
I suck in a deep breath.“I want you to be happy, too, Dad.Are you?”
“I am if you are.”
“I’m working on it.”
As I leave his house, I resolve to be happy.
Even though it scares the shit out of me.
* * *
Lyle
