LITMIR.BIZ

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junior college. Truthfully, I have mixed feelings about her going away. You’re right. I can’t imagine never having my girls. They’re my reason for getting out of bed every day and putting one foot in front of the other.”

      Boy, in her current condition, she could really relate to that. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him about her pregnancy, to share it with him. To bond. But she swallowed the temptation.

      “Look, Scott, has it occurred to you that the test might not even belong to her?”

      His face brightened. “Actually, no.”

      “You’re obviously a glass-is-half-empty kind of guy,” she said wryly. “It’s always possible that it belongs to a friend who didn’t want to take the test at her house. And Kendra was just being supportive.”

      “Way to put a positive spin on this.”

      His sudden smile had a very weird effect on her. She felt the force of it through her whole body. Her stomach dropped as if she were riding an elevator that suddenly plunged toward the basement. And her heart fluttered as if powered by a horde of humming birds’ wings.

      “I’m a pro at spinning,” she finally managed to say.

      “Spinning the facts?”

      “No, actually. Salad spinning is more my style.”

      “Thanks for the benefit of an alternate perspective.” He laughed. “But seriously, I’m sorry I dumped on you.”

      “Like I could have stopped you.” She smiled.

      “You could have left.”

      “No, I really couldn’t. I’ve never met anyone who looked like they needed to talk more than you did today. And it is helpful, especially if somebody listens.”

      “I don’t normally get carried away like that.”

      “No problem. Don’t give it another thought.”

      Thea sincerely meant that. She had a feeling Scott’s daughter was searching for an emotional something. And the pregnancy test was troubling. She was aware that the girl had reached out to her, even if it was behind her father’s back. Obviously her graduation party was a big deal to Kendra and for some reason she couldn’t tell her father.

      “But do me a favor, Scott.”

      “Sure. What?”

      “Just keep in mind that some girls confuse—”

      The garage door slammed just before Kendra walked into the family room. She looked at the two of them. “Hi, Thea.”

      Scott felt the hostility radiating from his daughter. Even if he hadn’t, he wasn’t ready for the conversation he knew he had to have with her. “How is Zoe?”

      “She wasn’t home.” She glared at him. “How come you’re still here?”

      Talking to Thea had begun to calm him down, but he could feel his blood pressure climbing again. He glanced at Thea and saw the sympathy on her face as she quietly watched Kendra.

      “What does that mean?” he asked.

      Kendra lifted one shoulder. The sullen gesture was one he saw from time to time and it never failed to fire up his frustration. “You’re selling the house,” she said. “Your work here is done. I figured you’d go back to the office.”

      He picked up the pregnancy test stick and held it up. “Not after I found this.”

      Kendra’s eyes grew wide. Then surprise was replaced with angry resentment. “You were snooping in my stuff?”

      “If you call dumping the trash in your bathroom snooping—yes.”

      Thea picked up her purse. “Scott. Kendra. You two need to talk. It would probably be best if I leave you alone.”

      “Don’t go,” Kendra said. “I want you to stay.”

      “But, this is private.” Thea took a step back.

      “Not anymore. Thanks to my Dad.”

      “Don’t make this about me,” he defended. “If you straightened up after yourself, I’d never have known. Your room—”

      “You were in my room?” Her voice rose in pitch to just below what only a dog could hear.

      “Yes. And you know why.”

      “To sell it.” Kendra huffed out a breath.

      “It’s part of the house.”

      “I can’t believe you let strangers in my room.”

      Thea cleared her throat and slid her purse on her shoulder. “I’ll just get my things together.”

      “Please don’t go,” Kendra begged. “I didn’t mean you’re a stranger.”

      But she was. Practically. Scott looked between the two of them. “Why is it so important for her to stay?”

      “Neutral third party,” his daughter said, tossing a strand of hair over her shoulder. “I need a witness.”

      Scott looked at his daughter, the dark hair and blue eyes that were so like his. Maybe that’s what scared him the most—that she was so much like him. A little rebellious. A little daring. Hostile and angry. The thought of her making the same mistakes and living with the consequences tied him in knots. He wanted her to have more choices, fewer problems. Hell, he wanted her life to be perfect, however unrealistic that was. How did he get through to her?

      He looked at Thea, who was studying him. If it would help Kendra, he had no objection to Thea sticking around. After spilling his guts, there wasn’t a whole lot she didn’t know. He nodded slightly and she took her purse off her shoulder.

      “Now, forget about the house,” he said, glancing at the pregnancy test. “There’s something more important we have to focus on.”

      “That’s none of your business.”

      “I disagree,” he shot back. “I’m your father. If you’re having sex—”

      “I don’t want to talk to you about this.”

      “I don’t care. Are you pregnant?” he demanded.

      “That’s none of your business,” she said angrily.

      “The hell it’s not. You’re my daughter.”

      “An accident of birth doesn’t give you the right to tell me what to do.”

      “Actually it does. And another reason I can is that I pay all the bills around here.”

      “There won’t be an ‘around here’ much longer, thanks to you,” she said.

      He glanced at Thea, who was diplomatically silent. Then he met his daughter’s angry gaze. “It’s not going to work.”

      “What?” she asked defiantly.

      “You’re trying to take the heat off by changing the subject.”

      “And you don’t give a damn about my feelings.”

      “If you’re talking about the house again, I’m not going there.” He took a step forward. “Focus, Kendra. That pregnancy test tells me you’re having sex. I need to know if you’re going to have a baby and who the father is.”

      Like heat rising from blacktop, animosity rolled off the teen in waves. “I can’t believe you. For the last eighteen years, you’ve practically ignored me. I’m eighteen. I’m an adult, too old for you to interfere in my life.”

      “You’ll never be too old. And I’ll always be your father. It’s my job to interfere.”

      “Why can’t you just leave this alone? Leave me alone?”

      Scott

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