with a call, but his thumb seemed to have a life of its own. He pressed the dial button.
She answered right away, and the sound of her voice made John’s heart pound like it used to when they were kids dating. Now, as a grown man sitting in a remote cabin in his boxers with the phone to his ear, he couldn’t begin to find his voice.
“Hello? John?”
Damn caller ID! He couldn’t just hang up, but he didn’t know what to say.
“Hey, Sara. How’s it going?” He winced.
“Fine,” she responded shortly.
“Good.” John looked up at the shadowy ceiling and ran his fingers through his short cropped hair.
Met with stony silence, he cleared his throat. “Well, I was just checking.”
He longed to tell he her that he missed her, loved her , but his pride was in the way, and the words stuck in his throat.
“I talked to Grace about something. You should know . . .”
“What? Don’t tell me she changed her mind and got back together with that fool boyfriend of hers. The kid’s going nowhere.”
There was a long pause. Then Sara said, “That’s not what it was about.”
“Oh. Well, good,” he said gruffly.
“We talked about Destiny.”
His heart sank. “What about her?”
Again, Sara hesitated. “It seems she might be a little worse off than she led us to believe.”
“No surprise there,” John said immediately, and hated himself for it.
“You know what? Never mind. I don’t know why I even bothered to—”
“No, tell me what’s going on, Sara. I deserve to know. I’m her father.”
Sara said nothing to that. He could just imagine what she was thinking, and he wanted to tell her she had it all wrong. He was a good father. That was why he had to take a stand.
“Sara, tell me.”
“It’s nothing, really. Not that big a deal. She’s just . . . she’s a waitress.”
No surprise there. Relieved, John asked, “Well, what did you think she was? A rock star?”
“Not a rock star, John. Destiny isn’t into rock—she’s into country. And I thought she was making a living at it, but—”
“Who makes a living singing songs?”
“Plenty of people do, and if you believed in her, then you’d—”
“I believe in her . I just don’t believe in throwing away your life on a stubborn whim.”
“Oh, really?” Sara said in such a loaded tone that John had to clutch the phone to keep from tossing it across the room.
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing,” Sara said.
He shook his head.
“You just don’t get it, do you?”
“What don’t I get?”
“I think we should help her out.”
“I’ve tried. She doesn’t want my advice.”
“Not with advice. With money, maybe, so that she can—”
“Handing her money isn’t going to make her wake up and smell the coffee.”
“That’s not what I—”
“Look, I love my daughter,” John managed to spit out. I love you, dammit.
“Then support her dream.”
A muscle jumped in his jaw and he gripped the phone tighter. “Don’t you see, Sara? That’s all it is. A dream! She needs to build a solid future. Dreams don’t pay bills,” he ground out. “Destiny needs to get her head out of the clouds and come down to reality!”
“Oh, really? If everyone felt that way, we wouldn’t have music or art. Theater. Movies. We wouldn’t have the pro sports that you love to watch, for that matter. We need dreamers, risk-takers.”
“You said yourself you’re upset that she’s waitressing. I don’t get why I’m the bad guy just because I—”
“No, I’m disappointed. It’s not that I don’t approve. I just wanted something better for her.”
“That’s the point! So do I. She’s my daughter, for Pete’s sake!”
“ Our daughter! And do you think this isn’t a sacrifice for her ? Leaving her friends and family? Living alone? Waiting tables? She’s doing what she has to do to make her dream come true.”
“She’s wasting her life away, Sara!”
“You don’t know that!” she said fiercely. “What she
She answered right away, and the sound of her voice made John’s heart pound like it used to when they were kids dating. Now, as a grown man sitting in a remote cabin in his boxers with the phone to his ear, he couldn’t begin to find his voice.
“Hello? John?”
Damn caller ID! He couldn’t just hang up, but he didn’t know what to say.
“Hey, Sara. How’s it going?” He winced.
“Fine,” she responded shortly.
“Good.” John looked up at the shadowy ceiling and ran his fingers through his short cropped hair.
Met with stony silence, he cleared his throat. “Well, I was just checking.”
He longed to tell he her that he missed her, loved her , but his pride was in the way, and the words stuck in his throat.
“I talked to Grace about something. You should know . . .”
“What? Don’t tell me she changed her mind and got back together with that fool boyfriend of hers. The kid’s going nowhere.”
There was a long pause. Then Sara said, “That’s not what it was about.”
“Oh. Well, good,” he said gruffly.
“We talked about Destiny.”
His heart sank. “What about her?”
Again, Sara hesitated. “It seems she might be a little worse off than she led us to believe.”
“No surprise there,” John said immediately, and hated himself for it.
“You know what? Never mind. I don’t know why I even bothered to—”
“No, tell me what’s going on, Sara. I deserve to know. I’m her father.”
Sara said nothing to that. He could just imagine what she was thinking, and he wanted to tell her she had it all wrong. He was a good father. That was why he had to take a stand.
“Sara, tell me.”
“It’s nothing, really. Not that big a deal. She’s just . . . she’s a waitress.”
No surprise there. Relieved, John asked, “Well, what did you think she was? A rock star?”
“Not a rock star, John. Destiny isn’t into rock—she’s into country. And I thought she was making a living at it, but—”
“Who makes a living singing songs?”
“Plenty of people do, and if you believed in her, then you’d—”
“I believe in her . I just don’t believe in throwing away your life on a stubborn whim.”
“Oh, really?” Sara said in such a loaded tone that John had to clutch the phone to keep from tossing it across the room.
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing,” Sara said.
He shook his head.
“You just don’t get it, do you?”
“What don’t I get?”
“I think we should help her out.”
“I’ve tried. She doesn’t want my advice.”
“Not with advice. With money, maybe, so that she can—”
“Handing her money isn’t going to make her wake up and smell the coffee.”
“That’s not what I—”
“Look, I love my daughter,” John managed to spit out. I love you, dammit.
“Then support her dream.”
A muscle jumped in his jaw and he gripped the phone tighter. “Don’t you see, Sara? That’s all it is. A dream! She needs to build a solid future. Dreams don’t pay bills,” he ground out. “Destiny needs to get her head out of the clouds and come down to reality!”
“Oh, really? If everyone felt that way, we wouldn’t have music or art. Theater. Movies. We wouldn’t have the pro sports that you love to watch, for that matter. We need dreamers, risk-takers.”
“You said yourself you’re upset that she’s waitressing. I don’t get why I’m the bad guy just because I—”
“No, I’m disappointed. It’s not that I don’t approve. I just wanted something better for her.”
“That’s the point! So do I. She’s my daughter, for Pete’s sake!”
“ Our daughter! And do you think this isn’t a sacrifice for her ? Leaving her friends and family? Living alone? Waiting tables? She’s doing what she has to do to make her dream come true.”
“She’s wasting her life away, Sara!”
“You don’t know that!” she said fiercely. “What she
Similar Books
