Damaged (new adult romance) (Never Leave Me, #2) by Eileen Cruz Coleman

DAMAGED
     
    It was Saturday morning. My cell phone alarm went off at exactly 6 a.m. I admit it, I was definitely excited and nervous about spending the day with Reece and I wanted to get up, shower, get dressed, and have breakfast before I got cold feet and crawled back under my bed covers. As it was, intent on reminding me that my father was homeless and that I still had not worked up the courage to talk to him, my demons had kept me awake for most of the night. I was running on adrenaline, for sure.
    After taking a quick shower, I rummaged through my closet for something to wear. Reece had only seen me in my work clothes and I was most certainly not going to wear a pencil skirt, a blouse and heels for a day of fishing and hiking in Southern Maryland. Realizing that I had the most boring wardrobe in all the continents, I decided to wear a pair of long shorts and a black t-shirt. Once I was dressed, I pulled my hair back in a crazy , tight ponytail, applied a hint of pink lipstick and darted to the kitchen for some coffee.
    When I entered the kitchen, I was immediately met with the aroma of coffee. And standing in the middle of the floor was a smiling , perky, ready-to-take-over-the-world, Grace. It was too late for me to make a run for it. I was caught.
    “What are you doing up so early?” I asked, stealing a look at the clock on the stove.
    Grace licked her lips. “The real question is why are you up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning? I don’t think Lisa and I have ever seen you out of your room earlier than noon on the weekends, yet here you are,” she shot a glance at the clock, “at 6:30 in the morning.”
    I walked over to the coffee machine. If Grace was going to interrogate me, I’d need coffee, first.
    She reached into the cupboard and handed me a mug. “So…, are you going to tell me what’s going on? Lisa told me you met some guy named Reece and that you’re practically in love with him, even though you won’t admit it.”
    “For the love of all things that are good, may I have a few sips of my coffee before you turn on the heat lamp?”
    Pinching her chin, Grace said, “Sure, that’s not an unreasonable request. Go ahead, sip away and then, you and I are chatting. I’ll wait for you in the living room.”
    Rolling my eyes, I said, “Don’t be surprised if I don’t show up.”
    “I’m not worried. We’ll find out what’s going on with you sooner or later,” she said, smiling and dancing out of the kitchen.
    Her words stung. Right at that moment, I wish ed I could gather all truth seekers and hide them in a closet. Okay, I know I’m coming across a bit paranoid, but I’m terrified of my roommates finding out about my father. Here’s the truth. Yes, I’m ashamed of myself for not helping him, for not letting him know who I am, for running away from him. But, I’m also ashamed of him . He abandoned me without even saying goodbye. And now, he lives on the streets. I love him, but I also hate him for leaving me and for becoming homeless. There you have it. Now, don’t go telling my roommates what I just confessed. I’m damaged goods, remember? Have pity on me.
    I decided to tell Grace about my date with Reece, only because I couldn’t take keeping anymore secrets. I had to be honest about something .
    Taking a deep breath, I entered the living room. Grace was on the couch, feet resting on the ottoman, her fingers busy changing channels on the clicker. She was a news junkie and couldn’t help f lipping through channels because she was terrified of missing any breaking news.
    “Seriously, how many times are you going to re-hash the same story? Enough already!” she screamed at the TV. Then she put down the clicker and turned to me. “I may need to become a reporter.”
    I plopped on the couch next to her. “Either that, or stop watching the news so much.”
    “That’s not likely to happen,” she said, winking.
    “So, how’s work, anyway? How’s the senator? How’s the