He clears his throat. “Are you sure everything’s all right?”
Gosh, I’m so far from all right, I don’t even know what to call it. But despite that, I still say, “Uh-huh.”
I should have waited to call him back, waited until I had my emotions more under control.
“Harper, talk to me.”
How does he do this? I didn’t grow up with him in the same house, or even in the same state for most of my life, yet here he is, suspecting something wrong.
“It’s nothing, Dad. Just that time of the month.” I cringe at the lie, but it’s still better than telling him I’m pregnant. I can’t even imagine how that would go, especially with how things went with him and my mom.
According to her, their relationship was never meant to be. They had a fling that didn’t work out, but thankfully they figured out their crap so they could co-parent me.
Why does that have to hit home so badly?
He makes a low grunting sound. He probably doesn’t believe me, but hopefully he’ll drop it for now anyway. “When’s your mom coming back?”
I think for a moment since she and Tom—they got married last year—just changed their plans again. “Not for a while. I think two or three months? They’re still in Australia for a few more weeks before traveling to other countries in Australasia. She loves it over there, and Tom indulges her wanderlust.”
My mom has never been as happy as she’s been since she met Tom. He’s a nice guy, a bit boring for my taste, but he’s good to her, and that’s what matters. Lucky for her, he also has enough money for them to go on extensive trips.
“She always did want to travel.” He’s quiet for a moment. “Listen, why don’t you come out here for a while? Use this free time to visit your old man.”
“What about Bacon?”
My dad chuckles. “I’m sure Mrs. Zimmerman would take him.”
He knows all about my mom’s elderly neighbor who absolutely loves Bacon, no matter how much she complains about him. I’m the only reason she didn’t get the fat feline while Mom’s away.
“I’ll think about it.” I’d love to take a trip to Northern California, but would I really be able to lie to his face? And not just his, but my stepmom’s too? I absolutely love her, and it might be even harder to hide anything from her than from my dad.
“Just let me know. I’ve got to go. I have a new swimmer, but I can tell you about that next time.”
My dad loves his work as a swim coach. He’s always been busy with his training schedule—first being a swimmer himself and then turning his passion into coaching. Despite moving to the other side of the country for work when I was three, he was always good with phone calls and visits. It’s been my norm my entire life and all I know.
Normally, I try to keep up with my dad’s job and his athletes, but I’ve been too busy sulking the last few months with my life taking a dive. For a while I didn’t really do much at all. But my dad understood and didn’t try to push our regular swim talk on me, even though I usually love listening to him talk about it.
“Sounds good. I’ll let you know.”
There’s some background noise going on before my dad says, “Sharon says she wants to talk to you.”
“Okay.” My mouth automatically lifts into a smile at the mention of her name.
My dad met Sharon shortly after moving to the West Coast, so she’s been a fixture in my life for as long as I remember. She’s a total gem.
“I’m gonna be late. Maybe go for a swim?”
I think about the pool this apartment building has. It’s a pretty cool one with one side almost entirely made out of glass which allows for a view of the New York City skyline. A sight that never gets old.
“You know what, maybe I’ll actually do that.”
“Let me know how that goes. Talk to you soon. Love you, kiddo.”
“Love you too, Dad.”
“And please think about coming for a visit. We’d love to see you.”
I chuckle at his persistence. “Will do, Dad. Bye.”