back from the bathroom.
“Uh oh,” Erin said, straightening up a little more in Seth’s arms.
“What?”
“I know you were trying to ease Anna’s insecurities and it was very nicely played, I must admit. But, for once, I think you might not have explored every possible outcome.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Seth was looking annoyed again—likely because she’d been distracted from her loving, sexy mood.
“Your encouragement of Anna might have had a result you never intended.” She nodded to her left, drawing Seth’s attention to what she’d just seen. “Try not to overreact.”
Anna was across the room, looking lovely and happy, her cheeks pink and her blonde hair framing her face. She was laughing at the moment.
She was also flirting shamelessly with a very handsome young man who was at least five years older than her.
Four
Erin stuck her head into Anna’s room after tapping lightly on the door. “Hey there. You all right?”
It was almost ten o'clock. They’d gotten home a little while ago and Anna had gone to change clothes. She’d been quiet on the way home, and Erin hadn’t been able to tell what she was thinking.
Anna had changed into a sweatshirt and pajama pants, and she was propped up against the pillows on her bed with her laptop. “I’m fine,” she said with a wry smile. “You aren’t going to expect me to go to counseling now, are you?”
Erin snorted and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Why would I expect that?”
“I don’t know. I figured you were all worried about what I…what I told you earlier. It’s not that big a deal, you know.”
“I know.” Erin paused, thinking through her words carefully before she spoke. “Unless it’s something that really bothers you.”
Anna looked uncomfortable and incredibly young in her baggy sweatshirt. “It doesn’t. I mean, it doesn’t bother me much.” She didn’t meet Erin’s eyes.
Her daughter’s reluctance and uncharacteristic shyness were obvious clues that this was serious for Anna—at least more serious than she was admitting to.
“And I feel kind of dumb about what I said about Dad,” Anna mumbled. “Especially after how he was this evening.” Her expression lightened as she added, “He was so funny when he saw me talking to that guy. I thought he was going to throw the poor guy across the room.”
Erin wanted to giggle at the memory of Seth storming over to Anna in the restaurant, but she managed to keep her face sober. “You weren’t flirting with him just to upset Dad, were you?”
“No! Didn’t you see the guy? He was cute! And he was looking at me.” Anna’s eyes were wide and innocent, and Erin was satisfied that the girl had no idea of her father’s little maneuvering.
“He was way too old for you.”
“Probably around nineteen. He ran away too quickly anyway as soon as Dad came over, but that’s just five years' difference. Not much more than Dad is older than you.”
Erin’s spine stiffened. “But we didn’t date when I was fourteen years old. When I told you that it might take a more mature man to appreciate you, I didn’t mean you should start looking for those more mature men right now.”
Anna met her eyes squarely. Then snickered. “I know. But wouldn’t Dad freak out, though?”
Erin felt another pang of worry shoot through her chest. “He loves you so much, sweetie. Please don’t torture him just for fun.”
When Anna didn’t answer—just stared down at the screen of her laptop—Erin adjusted so she was propped on the pillows beside her daughter. She glanced down at the laptop and saw Anna was working on an article for her school newspaper.
“Anna?” she prompted, reaching over and gently closing the laptop, then moving it to the nightstand.
“I’m not going to torture him for fun.” Anna released a pitiful sigh. “It was nice, though.”
Erin swallowed hard and studied the girl’s face. “What was?”
Anna didn’t answer right
“Uh oh,” Erin said, straightening up a little more in Seth’s arms.
“What?”
“I know you were trying to ease Anna’s insecurities and it was very nicely played, I must admit. But, for once, I think you might not have explored every possible outcome.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Seth was looking annoyed again—likely because she’d been distracted from her loving, sexy mood.
“Your encouragement of Anna might have had a result you never intended.” She nodded to her left, drawing Seth’s attention to what she’d just seen. “Try not to overreact.”
Anna was across the room, looking lovely and happy, her cheeks pink and her blonde hair framing her face. She was laughing at the moment.
She was also flirting shamelessly with a very handsome young man who was at least five years older than her.
Four
Erin stuck her head into Anna’s room after tapping lightly on the door. “Hey there. You all right?”
It was almost ten o'clock. They’d gotten home a little while ago and Anna had gone to change clothes. She’d been quiet on the way home, and Erin hadn’t been able to tell what she was thinking.
Anna had changed into a sweatshirt and pajama pants, and she was propped up against the pillows on her bed with her laptop. “I’m fine,” she said with a wry smile. “You aren’t going to expect me to go to counseling now, are you?”
Erin snorted and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Why would I expect that?”
“I don’t know. I figured you were all worried about what I…what I told you earlier. It’s not that big a deal, you know.”
“I know.” Erin paused, thinking through her words carefully before she spoke. “Unless it’s something that really bothers you.”
Anna looked uncomfortable and incredibly young in her baggy sweatshirt. “It doesn’t. I mean, it doesn’t bother me much.” She didn’t meet Erin’s eyes.
Her daughter’s reluctance and uncharacteristic shyness were obvious clues that this was serious for Anna—at least more serious than she was admitting to.
“And I feel kind of dumb about what I said about Dad,” Anna mumbled. “Especially after how he was this evening.” Her expression lightened as she added, “He was so funny when he saw me talking to that guy. I thought he was going to throw the poor guy across the room.”
Erin wanted to giggle at the memory of Seth storming over to Anna in the restaurant, but she managed to keep her face sober. “You weren’t flirting with him just to upset Dad, were you?”
“No! Didn’t you see the guy? He was cute! And he was looking at me.” Anna’s eyes were wide and innocent, and Erin was satisfied that the girl had no idea of her father’s little maneuvering.
“He was way too old for you.”
“Probably around nineteen. He ran away too quickly anyway as soon as Dad came over, but that’s just five years' difference. Not much more than Dad is older than you.”
Erin’s spine stiffened. “But we didn’t date when I was fourteen years old. When I told you that it might take a more mature man to appreciate you, I didn’t mean you should start looking for those more mature men right now.”
Anna met her eyes squarely. Then snickered. “I know. But wouldn’t Dad freak out, though?”
Erin felt another pang of worry shoot through her chest. “He loves you so much, sweetie. Please don’t torture him just for fun.”
When Anna didn’t answer—just stared down at the screen of her laptop—Erin adjusted so she was propped on the pillows beside her daughter. She glanced down at the laptop and saw Anna was working on an article for her school newspaper.
“Anna?” she prompted, reaching over and gently closing the laptop, then moving it to the nightstand.
“I’m not going to torture him for fun.” Anna released a pitiful sigh. “It was nice, though.”
Erin swallowed hard and studied the girl’s face. “What was?”
Anna didn’t answer right
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