Out of Time (Out of Line #2)(26)
Author: Jen McLaughlin

“I have my reasons.” He looked over at me, pinning me against the door without even touching me. “Are you?”

My heart beat so loudly in my ears I couldn’t hear anything but my own panicked thoughts. “N-No…?”

Oh my God, did he know? Could he know? Had Finn told him?

He tilted his head. “Is that a question or an answer?”

“An answer,” I said, straightening my spine. If I was going to save Finn’s job and keep his father employed through his last few months, then I needed to do better at lying. I tried to ignore my racing pulse. “Of course it’s an answer. What kind of question is that, anyway?”

“The question of a concerned father.”

“Well, my concerned father needs to realize I’m not a little girl anymore, and he needs to relax.” When he opened his mouth to argue, I shot him a look that probably could have set coals on fire. “And this goes for you, too, Mom. I’ll date who I want, when I want, and I won’t answer to either one of you for it.”

Mom gasped, covering her mouth. “Carrie, don’t yell at us.”

I closed my eyes for a second. I hadn’t even raised my voice in the slightest. “I’m not yelling. I’m simply letting you two know that if and when I’m dating a man, I’ll bring him to meet you when I’m good and ready. Not a second before. You flying out here to check on me and try to catch me in a lie isn’t going to hurry me up any. You don’t like that? Then stop trying to dig into something that isn’t your business. Last time I checked, I was a legal adult. I expect to be treated as such.”

Mom’s eyes went wider, and Dad turned red…then even redder. I never stood up to them like this, so I got the shock they were experiencing—but dude, it felt good. Really, really good. “You listen to me, young lady, you’ll—”

Mom squeezed his arm, but didn’t look away from me. “Dear? I think this discussion is better ended right here and now. I know that look in her eye all too well. Let it go.”

“But I—” He broke off and pointed at me. “And she—”

Mom patted his arm. “I know, Hugh. It’s called growing up. Kids do that.”

“They don’t talk to their parents like that,” he huffed. “If I’d done that to my father, I wouldn’t have been able to sit straight for a week.”

The car stopped in front of the restaurant, but none of us moved. “I love you both very much,” I said softly, “but some things have to be done in my time, on my terms. That’s all I’m asking.”

Dad pressed his lips together, looking as if he wanted nothing more than to shout, but he nodded. “Fine. If you choose the wrong man, I will do everything in my power to send him packing.”

I had no doubt that Finn was probably the “wrong guy” in Dad’s eyes, but nothing would send Finn running. I was confident in his love for me, and in our love for each other. “You can try.”

He narrowed his eyes on me. “Are you at least going to tell me who he is?”

“There is no ‘he’ at all,” I stated, opening the door. “Now let’s go eat.”

I heard my mother whisper something to my father, and he answered back in hushed tones. When they climbed out of the car, he looked even more pissed off, but he was quiet. I couldn’t shake the sinking suspicion that Dad knew more than he was letting on—that he was playing us both against one another until one of us broke and gave away our secrets. It wouldn’t be me.

I was determined to keep my silence, my freedom, and my Finn…

No matter what I had to do.

Chapter Thirteen

Friday night I tossed all my shit into the green field bag on my bed, my mind at least a million miles from this damn drill weekend. It had been two days since I last saw Carrie, and I was like a man detoxing from heroin. I had the shakes and I needed her now. If I could hold her for one minute, and inhale her sweet scent, it would be enough to get me through the weekend. Just a small fix.

I hugged her sweater she’d left here, holding it to my nose to inhale deeply. It wasn’t enough. I needed more. I needed her. But I couldn’t have her until her parents left. It was f**king ridiculous that I was so impatient considering the fact that it would only be a few days apart. It shouldn’t be so damn hard to be without her.

But it really f**king was.

Even worse? Her father suspected I was hiding something.

I was, but I couldn’t say it yet. Not until my father retired. And the really shitty part about this plan? My silence would only make him hate me in the end.

I couldn’t betray my own father. Not even for my own chance at happiness.

Knowing I’d possibly lost the one chance I had to come clean with the man didn’t exactly sit well, but it was my dad. What was I supposed to do? Throw him under the tires to save myself? Over my dead body.

Still, it sucked ass.

My phone rang, and I crossed the room to pick it up off my bed. Once I saw the number, I relaxed a bit. I’d called my father the other day, after the cryptic lunch with Senator Wallington, but he hadn’t called me back. Dad always called me back right away. “Hey, Dad. It’s about time you returned my call.”

“Hello, son. I heard that you—” he cleared his throat and continued, “that you were getting company out there.”

“Yeah. I kind of expected you to come.” I reclined on my bed, Carrie’s sweater still in my hands. I absentmindedly ran my fingers over the bandage covering my chest. I’d gotten new ink today. “And don’t avoid the question. Why didn’t you call me back?”

I played with her sweater as I waited for Dad to answer. He sounded sluggish tonight. He made a weird moaning sound. “I wasn’t invited to come along, and I was busy.”

I cocked a brow. “Doing what? Guarding the dog? The rest of them are here.”

Dad laughed. “You know how much they love this stupid thing. He asked me to stay behind and take care of her.”

That was a lie. Dad never lied to me.

“You were invited. The senator told me,” I replied, sitting up straight. “He said you were going to come out, but something came up. Then I call, and it takes you two days to get back to me? Tell me the truth—what’s up, Dad?”

“Oh. Okay, then.” Dad sighed, sounding old and tired even through the phone. “I’m sick. I have a pretty nasty flu. It’s knocked me down pretty hard.”