Page 111 of Wrench
stomach sank when the kitchen light turned on.
¡°Dad?¡± I asked when he appeared around the corner looking worn out and anxious.
¡°What are you still doing up?¡±
¡°I woke up an hour ago and you still weren¡¯t home,¡± he said. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me
you were okay?¡±
¡°I¡ I popped home quickly around midnight.¡± I rubbed the back of my neck. ¡°I
thought you heard me¡¡±
¡°I was sleeping,¡± he said. ¡°Where were you? Where¡¯s Travis?¡±
¡°Umm¡ Travis and I aren¡¯t going to work things out,¡± I said, and my dad instantly
looked sympathetic.
¡°Oh, Sammy, I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said, softening up. ¡°Are you okay? Where have you been
all night?¡±
¡°Uh¡¡± Unsure of how to respond, I hesitated. I was an adult, and I had no reason to be
sneaking around behind my father¡¯s back. However, seeing his worried eyes, I wasn¡¯t
ready to tell him I was seeing someone else. I knew he¡¯d begin grilling me for information
about him, and what was I going to do? Tell him I was dating the Vice President of a
motorcycle club? ¡°After Travis and I talked and we decided to go separate ways, I was
upset and just went for a drive to think. But¡ I¡¯m feeling much better now.¡±
My dad nodded silently through narrowed eyes, inspecting me for dishonesty.
Deciding to seal the conversation, I added, ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Dad. I know I¡¯ve been a little
strange lately, but I¡¯m okay. Seriously. Next time, I¡¯ll keep you in the loop so that you
don¡¯t have to worry.¡±
Relaxing a little, he said, ¡°All right. Well¡ get some sleep, I guess. The sun is gonna
start rising soon.¡±
Following his instructions, I climbed up the stairs and into my bed. A dazed smile
crept up my face at the sudden thought of Isaac¡¯s warm lips against mine.
When I groggily forced myself to wake up the next morning at nine, I noticed I had
grenadine in my hair. A solid clump of cherry-scented strands stuck together in the back
of my head and I chuckled. That¡¯s what I get for having sex on a bar, I thought, patting
my hair. The scent of Isaac¡¯s musky cologne still lingered on my skin and if it weren¡¯t for
