“Party pooper.”
“Don’t you have work to do?”
“Yes, I’ve got a patient coming in and I need to give the art room another once around. Hey, I just wanted to thank you again for all your help. I can’t believe I’m actually doing the job I always dreamed of.”
“And you get to paint! I’m still waiting on that landscape painting.”
This time it was Morgan who laughed. “I’ll get right on that. I’m coming over for dinner tonight.”
“Sounds like a plan. See you later.”
Hitting end, I sat down and put on my running shoes. I wasn’t out the door before my cell phone rang.
My father.
“Daddy? Is everything okay?” I asked, my heart beginning to beat a bit faster.
“Of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be?”
I let out a sigh of relief. “For one, you never call me.”
“Well, that’s not a good thing on my part. I do have a surprise for you, sweet pea.”
Smiling, I opened the door to the stairwell and got ready to head down the steps.
“I love surprises! What is it.”
“Your mother and I are in town.”
I froze.
“And we just bought a small place here, so we can come visit any time we want.”
Closing my eyes, I said a silent prayer. Please tell me this is all a joke.
“You bought a place here? In Austin?”
“Yes! We can rent it out if we want while we’re not there. I don’t know why you didn’t buy in this building. We got the penthouse for a steal. We’re meeting the architect and the builder here in about an hour. Why don’t you come on over and take a tour of the place?”
“Daddy, did you buy in the Austonian?”
“Yes. When your mother mentioned you had looked at it, I pulled it up. It’s a good investment. Austin is booming right now. So even if we get it remodeled and fixed up to our liking, it won’t be a big deal to sell it when you give up this silly dream of living here.”
I balled my fists, took the phone away from my ear, and counted to five.
“Give me a few minutes and I’ll leave. I need to change. I was about to go for a run.”
“Sounds good, sweetheart. Just let the doorman know you’re here for us. We closed this morning, so the place is officially ours.”
“Right. Of course you did. I’ll be there in a bit.”
“Bye, sweet pea.”
Two hours later, I was leaving my parents’ new condo with them and heading out to grab dinner. I felt someone staring at me and glanced over my shoulder, only to find no one there. The weird feeling in my chest made me look twice.
“What’s wrong, darling?” my mother asked.
“Nothing. I thought someone was here.”