to know.
So she would have to tell him. “Kind of.” She winced slightly as she said it—she loved her dad and didn’t like upsetting him. It was all a matter of balance. “I know you’ve always been concerned that I’ll turn out like your friends’ daughters, but…I’m twenty-six and I’ve only really dated two guys, both of whom you pretty much shoved at me. And…well…I think it’s time I started having a little more freedom in my life, don’t you?”
Her father took a drink of iced tea and ran his hand back through his graying hair.
“Maybe you’re right. I just worry about you.”
She wanted to tell him not to worry, that she wouldn’t do anything to let him down—but the truth was, if he knew what she’d been up to the last two nights, he’d be…well, it was unthinkable how crushed both her parents would be. And yet…maybe if they hadn’t been so controlling, she wouldn’t be driven to such wild lengths right now. She felt like a caged animal who’d just broken free— of course she was going to go a little wild.
So finally she said something she felt was really true. “I can take care of myself, Dad.” And she could. She had no regrets about her hot romps the last couple of nights.
A little embarrassed when she thought about it in the light of day, maybe—it was so new and she’d been so bad—but ultimately, she felt more energized and alive than ever before.
“Well then,” he finally said, “I’ll…see what I can do about being…less protective of you. But don’t expect it to happen overnight—it’s…a big change for me.”
She nodded, pleased at this first step. “Don’t worry—I’ll let you know when you’re slipping up. You just have to promise to trust me. You have to promise not to freak out if I say I met a guy and want to go out with him, all right?”
Her father looked troubled—but acceptant. Eyes narrowed, he grudgingly said,
“All right.”
“There’s…something else we should discuss too,” she said. She actually hadn’t planned this at all, any of it, but now seemed like a good time to barrel ahead.
“What’s that?”
“I’m bored,” she said.
And his eyes went wide in disbelief. “I’ve given you everything a girl could ever want and you’re bored ?”
Oh Lord, she sounded like exactly what she was—a spoiled rich girl. This part hadn’t come out right. “What I mean is, I’d like to do more with my time. I think I’m pretty smart and I’d like to put that to use in some way.”
Unfortunately, though, her father still looked stunned. “I…don’t know what to say, Payton.” He seemed at a loss. “Your mother never wanted to do anything other than, well, bask in the sun and go shopping, bless her heart—and that’s fine with me. I just always assumed you’d feel the same way.”
She thought that was pretty shortsighted, the view of a typical old-school man, but rather than chide him for it, she kept on the path of honesty. “I guess I did, until recently. I just feel…unfulfilled.” Of course, she was suddenly feeling much more fulfilled in a sexual sense, due to Scott, but not in other ways.
It appeared her father was still trying to wrap his head around this new concept, but suddenly, his eyes looked brighter. “Well, I guess maybe this…could be exciting,” he said hopefully. “As I said, I never thought you wanted to be involved in my business, but now that I know you do…well, there are so many directions we could go in from here. Maybe you’d like to start shadowing me and seeing what I do on a daily basis. Or maybe there’s a particular field you’re interested in—the hotel business, small business acquisition, some other aspect of the tourist trade?”
Uh-oh. Hell. She’d given him the wrong idea. Or he’d jumped to conclusions.
Whatever the case, this would require still more frankness. “Actually, Dad, it’s not the family business I’m interested in—in fact, I’m not sure yet what I
So she would have to tell him. “Kind of.” She winced slightly as she said it—she loved her dad and didn’t like upsetting him. It was all a matter of balance. “I know you’ve always been concerned that I’ll turn out like your friends’ daughters, but…I’m twenty-six and I’ve only really dated two guys, both of whom you pretty much shoved at me. And…well…I think it’s time I started having a little more freedom in my life, don’t you?”
Her father took a drink of iced tea and ran his hand back through his graying hair.
“Maybe you’re right. I just worry about you.”
She wanted to tell him not to worry, that she wouldn’t do anything to let him down—but the truth was, if he knew what she’d been up to the last two nights, he’d be…well, it was unthinkable how crushed both her parents would be. And yet…maybe if they hadn’t been so controlling, she wouldn’t be driven to such wild lengths right now. She felt like a caged animal who’d just broken free— of course she was going to go a little wild.
So finally she said something she felt was really true. “I can take care of myself, Dad.” And she could. She had no regrets about her hot romps the last couple of nights.
A little embarrassed when she thought about it in the light of day, maybe—it was so new and she’d been so bad—but ultimately, she felt more energized and alive than ever before.
“Well then,” he finally said, “I’ll…see what I can do about being…less protective of you. But don’t expect it to happen overnight—it’s…a big change for me.”
She nodded, pleased at this first step. “Don’t worry—I’ll let you know when you’re slipping up. You just have to promise to trust me. You have to promise not to freak out if I say I met a guy and want to go out with him, all right?”
Her father looked troubled—but acceptant. Eyes narrowed, he grudgingly said,
“All right.”
“There’s…something else we should discuss too,” she said. She actually hadn’t planned this at all, any of it, but now seemed like a good time to barrel ahead.
“What’s that?”
“I’m bored,” she said.
And his eyes went wide in disbelief. “I’ve given you everything a girl could ever want and you’re bored ?”
Oh Lord, she sounded like exactly what she was—a spoiled rich girl. This part hadn’t come out right. “What I mean is, I’d like to do more with my time. I think I’m pretty smart and I’d like to put that to use in some way.”
Unfortunately, though, her father still looked stunned. “I…don’t know what to say, Payton.” He seemed at a loss. “Your mother never wanted to do anything other than, well, bask in the sun and go shopping, bless her heart—and that’s fine with me. I just always assumed you’d feel the same way.”
She thought that was pretty shortsighted, the view of a typical old-school man, but rather than chide him for it, she kept on the path of honesty. “I guess I did, until recently. I just feel…unfulfilled.” Of course, she was suddenly feeling much more fulfilled in a sexual sense, due to Scott, but not in other ways.
It appeared her father was still trying to wrap his head around this new concept, but suddenly, his eyes looked brighter. “Well, I guess maybe this…could be exciting,” he said hopefully. “As I said, I never thought you wanted to be involved in my business, but now that I know you do…well, there are so many directions we could go in from here. Maybe you’d like to start shadowing me and seeing what I do on a daily basis. Or maybe there’s a particular field you’re interested in—the hotel business, small business acquisition, some other aspect of the tourist trade?”
Uh-oh. Hell. She’d given him the wrong idea. Or he’d jumped to conclusions.
Whatever the case, this would require still more frankness. “Actually, Dad, it’s not the family business I’m interested in—in fact, I’m not sure yet what I
Similar Books
