Great. Now, the world knew that Marshall was single.
“Well, this gets it wrong. I broke up with him. Not that it matters.”
“He sucked anyway,” Derek said, restarting his game and leaning sideways with the controller.
“Yeah, he kind of did,” she agreed.
Stacia sprawled out on the couch next to her brother and watched him finish up his game.
By the time their dad got home later that night, they were in a fierce competition to see who would win at Donkey Kong, and his hello went unnoticed. Stacia stood and shrieked as she rounded the corner of the last leg of their race and then plopped back down as Derek beat her at the last second.
“I will get you next time,” she groaned.
“Yeah, right. That’s four of the last six games. I win. You lose.”
“Whatever.”
A soft chuckle emanated from behind them, and they both whipped around.
“Dad!” Stacia cried.
“It never gets old. Come here, sweetheart,” her father, Curt Palmer, said.
Stacia launched herself into her dad’s arms, and he hugged her close. “It’s good to be home.”
“Good to have you here. You’re going to have to tell me all the trouble you’ve been getting into,” he said, releasing her. “Over steaks?”
Stacia nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Great. I’ll fire up the grill. Derek, you pull together some sides in the kitchen.”
“Yes, sir.”
Curt wrapped his arm around his daughter, and they walked into the kitchen as a family to scrounge up some dinner. Her father was an excellent cook and always had been. It had been surprisingly easy, having a single father while she was growing up. Her mother had left them when they were young. And, while he had dated other women, he’d never been serious about anyone since Mom. Not that Stacia knew much about her mom. She hadn’t seen her mother since she was in elementary school. Good riddance. Stacia didn’t know what a woman had to do to completely lose custody of her two kids, but she always assumed it had to have been pretty bad.
“Now, tell me about what happened,” her dad said as he started grilling.
“Well, I broke up with Marshall.”
Her dad’s eyes widened as he looked at her. “You did? Honey, are you all right?”
“Wait…you didn’t already know?”
“I was more curious as to why a tuition bill just came into my email, but I’m concerned about what happened with Marshall as well. I thought you liked him.”
Stacia frowned. Her father didn’t know the girl she had become after leaving his house, and it was for the better. For all he knew, she was still a virgin. Little did he know what she’d done behind his back the summer after high school.
“Um…I did like him. I just…he wasn’t the one, I guess. I mean, you knew Mom was the one, right?” Stacia asked.
“I did,” he agreed, flipping a steak.
Her father would still get this look in his eyes when she brought up her mom. It was like he was still in love with her after all this time. Stacia wondered now if it was just the memory of her. How could he still love someone who had left him and their two small children?
“So, he wasn’t it.”
“Okay,” he agreed. Just like that, he let it drop. Man, she loved her dad. No matter how overprotective he was. “Now, the tuition bill?”
“I’m taking summer classes for journalism requirements.”
“Journalism? That’s new.”
She nodded. “I thought I’d try it. I still have to apply and be accepted to the school. And then there’s no guarantee I’d do well in the classes or get a job related to it after graduation.”
“You’ll do fine. You can do anything you put your mind to,” he said with a grin before putting the steaks on the plate and ushering her back inside.
Derek was back at his video game, the sides he’d scrounged up forgotten. But she and their dad got him away again, and they had a family dinner together. It was nice to just be at home and not have to worry about anything. To them, she was just family. Not
“Well, this gets it wrong. I broke up with him. Not that it matters.”
“He sucked anyway,” Derek said, restarting his game and leaning sideways with the controller.
“Yeah, he kind of did,” she agreed.
Stacia sprawled out on the couch next to her brother and watched him finish up his game.
By the time their dad got home later that night, they were in a fierce competition to see who would win at Donkey Kong, and his hello went unnoticed. Stacia stood and shrieked as she rounded the corner of the last leg of their race and then plopped back down as Derek beat her at the last second.
“I will get you next time,” she groaned.
“Yeah, right. That’s four of the last six games. I win. You lose.”
“Whatever.”
A soft chuckle emanated from behind them, and they both whipped around.
“Dad!” Stacia cried.
“It never gets old. Come here, sweetheart,” her father, Curt Palmer, said.
Stacia launched herself into her dad’s arms, and he hugged her close. “It’s good to be home.”
“Good to have you here. You’re going to have to tell me all the trouble you’ve been getting into,” he said, releasing her. “Over steaks?”
Stacia nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Great. I’ll fire up the grill. Derek, you pull together some sides in the kitchen.”
“Yes, sir.”
Curt wrapped his arm around his daughter, and they walked into the kitchen as a family to scrounge up some dinner. Her father was an excellent cook and always had been. It had been surprisingly easy, having a single father while she was growing up. Her mother had left them when they were young. And, while he had dated other women, he’d never been serious about anyone since Mom. Not that Stacia knew much about her mom. She hadn’t seen her mother since she was in elementary school. Good riddance. Stacia didn’t know what a woman had to do to completely lose custody of her two kids, but she always assumed it had to have been pretty bad.
“Now, tell me about what happened,” her dad said as he started grilling.
“Well, I broke up with Marshall.”
Her dad’s eyes widened as he looked at her. “You did? Honey, are you all right?”
“Wait…you didn’t already know?”
“I was more curious as to why a tuition bill just came into my email, but I’m concerned about what happened with Marshall as well. I thought you liked him.”
Stacia frowned. Her father didn’t know the girl she had become after leaving his house, and it was for the better. For all he knew, she was still a virgin. Little did he know what she’d done behind his back the summer after high school.
“Um…I did like him. I just…he wasn’t the one, I guess. I mean, you knew Mom was the one, right?” Stacia asked.
“I did,” he agreed, flipping a steak.
Her father would still get this look in his eyes when she brought up her mom. It was like he was still in love with her after all this time. Stacia wondered now if it was just the memory of her. How could he still love someone who had left him and their two small children?
“So, he wasn’t it.”
“Okay,” he agreed. Just like that, he let it drop. Man, she loved her dad. No matter how overprotective he was. “Now, the tuition bill?”
“I’m taking summer classes for journalism requirements.”
“Journalism? That’s new.”
She nodded. “I thought I’d try it. I still have to apply and be accepted to the school. And then there’s no guarantee I’d do well in the classes or get a job related to it after graduation.”
“You’ll do fine. You can do anything you put your mind to,” he said with a grin before putting the steaks on the plate and ushering her back inside.
Derek was back at his video game, the sides he’d scrounged up forgotten. But she and their dad got him away again, and they had a family dinner together. It was nice to just be at home and not have to worry about anything. To them, she was just family. Not
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