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Plans for the Future
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My Father's Best Friend A Step Back
Lanie“I don’t know what he expects me to do at that lodge,” Mom continued on, her voice blaring from the speakers of my desk phone. “He’s only going there because that man, what’s his name, is going there too. The one whose company your father wants to buy. He’s hoping to do some business over Christmas vacation.”“Have you told him this?” I sifted through some papers on my desk, looking for the parent survey forms the school collected the day before.Mom was silent. I could picture her well, probably pursing her lips as she pressed the phone to her face and looked out at the bird feeder in the backyard. It was her greatest hobby, that bird feeder. Somehow, she recognized a lot of the birds that came to it. If a regular visitor stopped coming by, she’d worry they’d been eaten by a cat or flown into a window.“No,” Mom finally said. “You know how your father is.”“Yeah.”“He told me he met with Andrew.”Segue much, Mom?“Uh-huh,” I carefully answered, “and things are good between them
My Father's Best Friend Guys Can Be Idiots Sometimes
LanieRaven’s question took me by surprise. Andrew had never called me his girlfriend, so I wasn’t about to go there. Luckily, the best answer was indirect.“I’m speaking to you as someone who cares about you.” Leaving the desk, I settled in the chair next to her.Raven studied me, the resistance in her face melting away. “Have you heard about Jason?”I shook my head. “Should I have?”She shrugged. “He’s just, like, really popular here.”“Okay,” I encouraged with a nod. “What do you think of him?”“I like him.” She twisted the end of her sweatshirt. “I mean, I did, until he had to go and be a total idiot.”“Tell me the whole story.”She eyed me. “Are you going to tell anyone?”“I have to report the slap but nothing else.”“Fine. So, here’s the thing… I liked Jason. You know, kind of a lot. And I thought he liked me too.”“Has anything happened between you guys?”“Yeah, last week we hung out after school, like, three days. Just me and him. No one else. As more than friends.” She gave m
My Father's Best Friend In Trouble Again
AndrewMy phone buzzed in my pocket, and I surreptitiously peeked under my desk to get a look at it. As I always hoped, it was Lanie calling.Loudly clearing my throat, I looked back up at the four employees seated across from me. “We’ll deal with this account tomorrow. You can go back to your desks now.”They all exchanged confused looks.“Right. Back to work,” I reiterated, adding a smile to show them I was still working on being nicer.Still looking dazed, they collected their papers and left. The second the door closed behind the last one of them, I dialed Lanie.“Hi,” she answered.“Please tell me this is a midday phone sex call.”She laughed. “I wish. You do know I’m at work, right?”“So am I.” I put my feet up on my desk, getting more comfortable in my chair. Not until Lanie did I really learn the meaning of relaxing.“Unfortunately,” she slowly said, “This isn’t a personal call.”“Uh-oh.” Without my thinking about it, my feet were back on the floor. I leaned forward in my seat
My Father's Best Friend Jealous?
AndrewEnding the call with Lanie myself, I checked the time. Raven would be out of school soon. The rest of the day’s work, I could take care of in my home office.Getting what I needed for the rest of the day together, I left the building as quickly as I could. Raven had declined my offer to pick her up from school anytime that week, saying instead that she wanted to ride the bus.At the house, the whir of the vacuum cleaner greeted me. Leaving Karen to her cleaning, I went right to my office in the back. With my computer powered on, I kept the screen showing the front security cam open as I responded to emails. That way, I’d known Raven was home the minute the school bus dropped her off.Before long, movement in the corner of the screen caught my eye. Jumping up, I raced down the hall and to the front door, opening it as she stepped onto the porch.Raven’s eyes went wide at the sight of me.“Welcome home,” I said.The round eyes narrowed. “Right.”“What?”She pushed past me, her ba
My Father's Best Friend Telling Mom
LanieThe light turned yellow, and I slowed the car down, not in any rush to get to my parents’ house.“When are you leaving?” I asked Erica.“First thing tomorrow morning,” she answered, her voice coming through the car’s speakers. “Traffic is going to be a bitch.”“You’re not complaining about the romantic weekend your boyfriend is taking you on already, are you?”“Never.”I smiled to myself. Each time we’d talked since the interaction with Dirty Pirate Guy, aka Troy, Erica had gushed about Matt in one way or another. It seemed that having another guy ask her out was all it took for her to remember she was, as she put it, one of the luckiest people in the world.“And when are you back?”“Sunday night. It’s the full, extended weekend, baby.”“Sounds nice.” The light changed to green, and I sighed as I hit the gas. “I’m four blocks away.”“Don’t be afraid. You’ve already told them you’re sleeping with Andrew. Telling your parents about Thanksgiving will be a piece of cake.”“Just to c
My Father's Best Friend At Least He's Not Divorced
LanieI nodded, liking where the conversation with my mom about Andrew was going more and more.“Also,” Mom continued, “His ex-wife is dead, so that’s good.”“Mom,” I gasped.She pursed her lips. “Oh, stop. You know what I’m saying. Her death was a horrible thing, especially with Raven being so young. But at least you won’t have some ex meddling in your affairs, trying to interfere with Raven all the time like if Andrew was divorced.”“Right,” I nodded, looking at my reflection in a red ornament.“What are you making to bring?”“Um.”“Lanie!” Mom’s eyes were wild. “I thought I raised you better than that.”“You did. I haven’t decided what I’m taking yet, that’s all.”Mom gently set the angel on a bed of tissue paper. “I assume you want things to work out between you and Andrew.”“Um, yes?”“Yes with a question mark or with a period?”I bit on the inside of my cheek with frustration. How come it felt like everyone was grilling me on the seriousness of our relationship? The only people
My Father's Best Friend You Just Set the Table
AndrewI stared at the multiple grocery bags on the kitchen table, my head spinning.“Okay. How many recipes are we following again?”Raven inspected the laptop on the counter. “There’s the stuffing, the turkey, the green bean casserole, the cranberry sauce. That’s for Lanie. Um, sweet potatoes, salad. Course, any idiot can make that.”I sucked in a long breath, wondering if I was having my first anxiety attack. “Salad. Okay. We can do that. Where’s the lettuce?”Raven made a face. “That’s the last thing we have to make. We need to get the oven ready for the turkey. Did you thaw it?”“Uh.”“Dad!” Raven loudly clapped her hands. “Keep it together. Did you thaw the turkey?”“Y-yes,” I stuttered. “I think so.”“What?” She looked disgusted.I opened the fridge and cautiously poked the turkey. “I think it’s thawed. How do I tell?”“Drop it on the floor,” she sarcastically snapped. “If it breaks a board, it’s still frozen.”“Don’t start an attitude with me, Raven. Not right now.”As I spun
My Father's Best Friend Stolen Kisses
AndrewBy the time the meal was finished, my kitchen was unrecognizable. Not even when Karen went on a cooking frenzy, as she sometimes did when stressed and made enough casseroles for a week, did the counters look like this.“You have carving tools?” Lanie asked me as she took the turkey out of the oven.“Sure do.”“And never been used,” Raven added.We moved with a rhythm, taking the dishes into the dining room, a place I only ventured into if a client was over for dinner.“Can we light those?” Lanie asked, pointing at the tall, untouched white candles in the center of the table.“Of course.” Grabbing the lighter from the fireplace’s mantle, I handed it over—making sure my fingers grazed Lanie’s an undue amount in the process.She lit the candles, adjusted the angle of the turkey, and straightened the cloth napkins.“I think you missed your calling,” I said. “Maybe you should have gone into home décor or the culinary arts.”Lanie wrinkled her nose. “Nah. I like my life the way it is
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