“Okay.” She shrugged. “Tell your father. He’ll buy you one.”
“I will.” Not. If I told him, he’d buy me some expensive, top-of-the-line car. I wanted something old and rusty. Nothing fancy. I cleared my throat, ready to change the subject. “By the way, how’s your friend Mary? The one who went for surgery on Monday when we talked?”
“Oh, I think she’s better.”
I nodded, letting her walk in front of me and following her closely. “How do you know? Did you go see her again?”
“No. She’s back on our Words With Friends game as of an hour ago.” Mom looked back at me and shrugged. “She can’t play if she’s not feeling better, so she must be fine.”
I choked on a laugh. “Uh…yeah. I guess so.”
I followed her out the door, my attention focused on Dad. I looked for any signs of anger or frustration or knowledge, but he just smiled at me and hugged Mom. When he hugged me, kissing the top of my head like he always did, I wanted to shake him and ask him where Finn was. I couldn’t.
I had to play the game.
“Where have you been?” I asked him.
I looked up at him like I used to do when I was a little girl, with my chin resting on his chest. It took me back to a time when I’d thought he could do no wrong. I’d thought he was perfect back then. Invincible. How naïve I’d been. He was a good man. He really was. But he had flaws like the rest of us.
“You weren’t done until three and I knew your mother wanted to go shopping with you like old times.” He eyed the bags in my hands and Mom’s. “Looks like you were both successful.”
“Of course we were,” Mom said, fluffing her light red hair. “But where’d you run off to all day, Hugh?”
“Oh, you know, taking care of some business.” Dad averted his eyes and let go of me, pressing his lips together. His dark brown hair was immaculately in place, and he was clean-shaven. If he smiled, he’d flash those famous dimples that made all the women in America swoon. He could probably win the campaign with those two assets alone. “I’m starving. You two ready to eat something?”
I nodded. “Sure.”
“Absolutely,” Mom said.
He grinned, his dimples popping out. “All right. Off we go, the fearsome threesome.”
I didn’t follow him as he walked, and it took him all of two seconds to notice. When he turned to me with a curious expression, I gave him a level look. A few months ago, I wouldn’t have had the courage to stand up to him like this, but I’d changed. Finn had shown me how life was supposed to be, and it wasn’t this. “Lose the suits. I’m not ruining my cover because you’re scared we’ll be attacked at the restaurant.”
If Finn still followed us, Dad wouldn’t even hesitate to send the men packing. He would shrug and tell them to go eat. “You know I can’t do that.”
“Sure you can. Normal people do it all the time.”
“We’re not normal,” he stressed, looking pointedly at Mom. “A little help here, Margie?”
“But—”
“I am normal when I’m here.” I caught his gaze, biting down on my lip so hard it hurt. He wasn’t sending them away. This wasn’t good. Wasn’t good at all. “Back home I follow all your rules, even though it kills me to be so freaking sheltered. Out here, you need to follow mine. You promised I could be normal here.”
His tough façade cracked. “Carrie…”
“Please?” I curled my hands into fists, not dropping my gaze. “Daddy?”
Yep. I pulled out the big guns. Worked every time.
“Hugh…” Mom grabbed his elbow, holding on tight. “They can take our bags home, dear. It’ll be fine. Plus, it’ll be nice with just the three of us.”
Dad released a breath and motioned them over. “You can take our bags and head back to the hotel. We’ll be there after dinner.”
The security man nodded, took our bags, and motioned for his buddy to follow him. He wore the same black suit they always wore, and I tried to picture Finn standing beside them perfectly immobile and serious.
The image of the Finn I knew didn’t mesh well with the security guard Finn, but I knew that’s what he was. What he did. “Thanks, Dad.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, his voice gruff.
Mom grinned, looking back and forth between us. “So, where are we going?” Mom asked, linking her arm with Dad’s.
I forced myself to pay attention. “There’s a great burger place called Islands. We could—”
“Burgers?” Mom snorted. “I don’t think so, Carrie.”
Dad looked down at her. “I hear there’s a great five-star sushi place in town. Let’s go there. Sound good, Carrie?”
No. I hated sushi, and he knew it. Or at least…he should. Then again, maybe I’d never bothered to mention it to him. But there would be something besides sushi at the restaurant, so I could work with it. “Sure. That sounds great.”
“What time are your classes tomorrow?” Dad asked.
I had to think about it for a second. “Nine to four.”
“Any plans afterward?” Mom asked, her eyes on mine.
“Nope.”
Dad stiffened. “Do we have to do this right here, Margie?”
I looked at both of them, unable to follow whatever the heck was going on right now. I slid into the town car and waited for them both to be seated before answering. “I’d assumed I would be hanging out with you two, since you’re only here until Saturday night.”
“No hot date?” Mom asked, a smile on her face.
She wasn’t making any sense. One second she’s asking me to come home and marry a Stapleton, and the next she’s asking me if I have a hot date planned. I blinked at her. “Uh…no? Why?”
“Well...” Mom smiled even wider, but Dad grew even tenser, if possible. “Your father thinks you’re dating someone and hiding it. And I hope you are. Well, the dating part. Not the hiding, because I want to hear all about him. We all need to have some fun in college before settling down.”
Ah. So that’s why she was acting all happy to hear about the possibility of me dating someone. She viewed it as a fling or sowing wild oats or something equally untrue. I gripped my knees so tight it hurt, focusing on Dad instead of her. “Why would you think I’m seeing someone?”