Temporarily Mine

33

JOSEPHINE

"Why'd you want to meet here?" I ask my dad, taking a quick drink of my water.

"I thought it would be nice to have a meal with my daughter."

"Mom always orders in food when you come." I smirk.

He lets out a low laugh. "Yeah, she does do that, doesn't she?"

"You didn't tell her you were here, did you?"

"Would we be sitting here so peacefully if I had?"

I scoff. "No, we would not."

He gives a small smile, tilting his head. "I hear you have yourself a boyfriend? Any threats I should be making?"

I laugh, covering my face with my hands. "Oh my god, Dad, no."

We don't talk about my relationships, ever, but maybe that's because I've never been much of a dater.

"Do I know him?" he asks.

"Mom told you about him, but didn't tell you who it was?"

"Who is it?"

I stretch my lips over my teeth in a nervous smile. "Hero."

His instant frown makes me laugh.

"Little Hero, who lives right behind you, way too damn close, and used to stare at you through the fence every second he could, Hero?"

I'm pretty sure I blush. "He's not little anymore."

My dad throws his head back with a laugh, but when he looks back, there's a softness in his eyes. "No, I guess he wouldn't be. Neither are you, baby girl."

He lets out a deep sigh and I know he brought me here for a reason that makes him feel uncomfortable.

I lay my forearms on the table, giving him a soft smile. "What's up, Dad?"

"Your mom called me the other night, she said she was worried about you." The corners of his eyes pinch. "Considering all the spending lately, and how you don't text me in the evening as often as before made me wonder if she had a right to be. I can never really tell with your mother, so I wanted a chance to chat with you away from her, just in case."

A knot forms in my throat even though I knew this was coming, but still, I delay. "Why didn't Leah come?"

"We have an issue at the firm, and one of us had to stay in town just in case."

"I'll have to drive over soon to see her, it's been a while."

He nods, tilting his head to the side. "Is everything okay, sweetheart?"

"Actually, Dad, yeah." A light laugh leaves me. "More so than any other time I've claimed so."

"Do I have the boy to thank for that?"

I smile, shrugging.

He chuckles. "All right, I won't pry... yet." He winks. "So why do you think your mom freaked out and called?"

I lick my lips, looking to my hands a moment. "I ..."

"Come on, Josephine."

Our eyes meet again.

"She's been giving me pills again, here and there, so not like before, but I don't need them, so I told her so." I hesitate. "I also might have threatened to move in with you if she tried to push me."

My dad laughs loudly this time, thanking the waitress for his drink as she sets it down. "That will definitely do the trick."

"Yeah, she's... something else."