Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 320(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Ada nodded again, looking serious and excited at once. “Lay-lay-phant,” she said, carefully enunciating every syllable.
I burst out laughing. “Very good, baby,” I said. “Mommy’s very proud of you.”
Ada trilled her tongue against the roof of her mouth, then darted out of the room. As soon as she left, my dad’s smile faded.
I frowned. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Was she a little monster today?”
My dad shook his head. “No,” he said. “She was perfect. But you look stressed,” he added. “A little early in the job to be working surprise weekends, no?”
I pressed my lips together and my dad beckoned me into the kitchen.
“Come on,” he said. “Let’s have a drink.”
As I sat down at the kitchen table, my father poured two large glasses of wine and carried one over to me. He sat next to me and raised an eyebrow.
“You know, just because you’re a grown-up now that doesn’t mean you still can’t talk to your old man,” he said.
I sighed. “I ... well, I just found out that I have to work with someone I hoped I’d never see again.” I took a long drink of wine.
My dad nodded, gesturing for me to continue.
“Ada’s father,” I said quietly. “The magazine is doing some profile on the best dressed men in New York, and I got assigned to cover him.”
“You’re an assistant, not a reporter” my father said with a frown. “Are they taking advantage of you, Harper?”
I sighed again. “It’s a start-up,” I explained. “We all have to wear a lot of hats.” I rolled my eyes at the business jargon, then continued: “I actually ran into him earlier this week. On literally my first day at the office.”
“Christ,” my dad said.
“Tell me about it,” I responded. “I was out getting lunch and boom, there he was. He walked up to me and everything.”
My dad was quiet and even though he hadn’t said anything to the effect, I could feel myself about to go on the defensive.
“I know he has a right to know,” I said, glancing up at the hall to make sure that Ada was still playing in her room. “But I don’t want to tell him.”
My dad didn’t say anything, and I felt even guiltier.
“His family is crazy,” I said, shaking my head. “They’d ... I don’t know, probably try to take her away from me and say that I wasn’t a fit mother because I’m not loaded like they are. They’re literally insane – crazy enough to the point where he wanted to pretend that he was married, just to get them off his back.”
“All parents want the best for their children,” my dad said slowly, and I could tell that he was conflicted.
“Of course I want the best for Ada,” I said. “But I know that I can give it to her, just me.”
Deep down, I wasn’t entirely sure if that was true. Even though I’d grown up with just a father for most of my life, I’d be lying if I said that sometimes, I’d lain awake at night and prayed for a mother. Prayed for my mother to come back to life, or even for my father to remarry a kind woman who’d love being a stepmother.
I swallowed hard as a lump in my throat began to appear.
“Seeing him again only hammered home just how much I want to protect Ada from his weird, crazy family,” I said. “But now that I have to work with him again, I have a feeling it’s going to come out.”
My dad sighed. He got to his feet and kissed the top of my head, just like he’d done when I was a little girl after a bad day at school.
“Don’t you have any advice?” I asked. “What would you do?”
“Hon, it’s not my life,” Dad said. “I trust that you’ll make the best decisions – for both you and Ada.”
I nodded slowly.
“I should get going,” Dad said. He took his wine glass to the sink and rinsed it, then went to kiss Ada goodbye. When he got back, he pulled me into a long hug.
“I’m really proud of you, hon,” Dad said. “You’re doing so well for yourself.”
I smiled weakly. “Am I?” I asked. “You’re the one person who seems to think so.”
“You’ll be fine,” Dad said, and I envied his easy confidence in me. “You’ve got a good head on your shoulders. And Ada’s an easy kid – you’re lucky.”
I laughed wryly. “Was I difficult?”
Dad smiled. “You were you,” he said. “But you turned out great.” He kissed my cheek, then hugged me one more time before leaving. After he was gone, I felt strangely lonely. Even after being in my new place for a week, I still wasn’t entirely used to living with just myself and my daughter.
When I heard the door to the apartment building slam, I went to the window and watched as my dad walked to his car. Right before he climbed in behind the wheel, he turned and looked up at my window. We waved to each other, and I couldn’t help but smile.