Read Online Damaged: A Violated Trust (Secrets) by Melody Carlson - Free Book Online

up.
    “Thanks.” I set my guitar aside. “Rough night?”
    He rubs his stubbly chin and chuckles. “Not particularly.”
    I want to mention that he got home kind of late but control myself. He asks about the game and I tell him a little. I consider mentioning Harris to him, but my mom has trained me well. Best to keep my mouth shut about boys. Pretend I don’t even know they exist. And while Dad is way more laid-back than Mom, I’m still not willing to risk this. However, I do decide to mention the guitar lessons.
    “Really?” He takes a sip of coffee. “You’re that good?”
    I shrug. “I don’t know. But this guy wants to learn and I offered to help him.”
    “That’s nice.” Now his brows lift. “Is he a good-looking guy?”
    I roll my eyes. “Oh, Dad.”
    He laughs. “Just curious.”
    “I guess so.” I look around the living room. “I thought about giving the lessons here, but I don’t want to disturb you or — ”
    “Not a problem. Estelle wanted to drive over to Monterey today. I thought you might want to come, but if you have other plans …”
    “I did promise to do the lesson,” I say, trying not to look too eager.
    Dad tilts his head to the side. “Okay, if you don’t mind.”
    “Not at all. How far away is Monterey anyway?”
    “About two and a half hours if the traffic’s good.”
    “Oh … that’s a lot of driving.”
    He nods. “But she really wants to go and I’ve been promising her for a while now.”
    “So you’ll probably be home late again?”
    He shrugs like he’s unsure, but I can tell by his expression that he knows they’ll be late and that he’s a little uncomfortable about it.
    “It’s not a problem. I just wondered.”
    He smiles. “You’re a good kid, Haley.”
    “You’re a good dad, Dad.”
    “Well, I better grab a shower. Estelle will be here in about twenty minutes. She’s insisting on driving.”
    “That’s nice for you.”
    He nods. “Yeah. She’s got a Mustang convertible that’s a nice little ride.”
    “Sounds like fun.”
    He pauses as he’s going into the hallway. “You’re sure you don’t want to come along?”
    “Positive. In fact, I have some homework I should probably work on today.”
    “Okay. And maybe we can do something together tomorrow.”
    “Great.” I smile.

...[CHAPTER 7].................
     
    A s Dad is getting ready for his day trip with Estelle, I start to worry about whether or not Estelle’s little brother will report to her that he saw me kissing Harris in Wet Willie’s parking lot. I can’t see any reason Buck would do that, but who knows? Then again, Estelle seems pretty cool about that sort of thing. And it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why Dad came home so late last night. So hopefully she’s into the whole live-and-let-live thing too. Besides, there’s no law against kissing.
    Estelle arrives at just a little past noon. “You look pretty,” I tell her as I let her into the condo. She’s wearing white pants and a yellow sweater set — very classic and mature looking compared to last weekend. Is she trying to look older for Dad’s sake?
    “Thanks.” She pats her sleek blonde hair. “Although, I’ll probably look totally frazzled before the day is over. Your dad likes us driving with the top down. You coming, Gordon?” she yells down the hallway.
    Before long, Dad’s ready and they both tell me good-bye and to have a good day, and, once again, I have the condo all to myself. Only this time, instead of feeling a little left out and lonely, I’m totally jazzed. I can have Harris over here and not worry about a thing.
    I go around straightening things up, making the place appear as tidy as a bachelor pad can possibly look — I even dust the ficus plant — and then I check my phone again. Still no calls, no texts. Has he forgotten me?
    Harris doesn’t call until after three and I try not to sound impatient or overly eager, but it’s not easy.
    “So is now a good time to come over