be distracted.”
“Good, now that we’ve got that settled, we should get back to studying.” Lacy linked her arm through Kat’s.
Her cell phone vibrated in her pocket, and her dad’s picture flashed across the screen.
“Lacy, can you watch my stuff? My dad’s calling.”
“Of course,” Lacy said.
Kat hastily ducked outside the study rooms and into the hall, where she answered, her voice still a little shaky from crying. “Hey, Dad, what’s up?”
“Hey, honey. I was wondering if you had a minute to talk.” She resisted the instant pang of homesickness as she heard her father’s deep voice. London was far enough away that she missed him. It was the first time in her life she was really living apart from him.
“Sure, Dad. I was just studying with Lacy. What’s up?”
There was a heartbeat of a pause before he spoke.
“It’s…well…” He exhaled and her heart jolted.
“What is it? Did something happen to Mom?” It was one of her deepest fears—even though she hadn’t heard from her in years. The occasional birthday card was Kat’s only assurance that her mother hadn’t died. But that didn’t stop Kat from keeping a few faded photographs of her mother tucked away in her books and looking at them occasionally.
As much as she hated that her mother had run out on her and her father, she missed having a mother, another woman in her life.
Her father cleared his throat. “As far as I know, your mother is fine.” He paused, then coughed again. “What I have to say has something to do with me and your mother, sort of…”
Kat knew that tone well enough, and she could almost see him grimace.
“Dad, please, just tell me,” she whispered, her heart hammering hard enough to bruise her ribs.
“I’ve been dating someone for the last two months. A woman I met in London. I kept things casual, and I haven’t told you before now because it wasn’t serious. But now, well, it’s serious,” he said. “I wouldn’t have dropped this on you right before exams, but you’re coming straight to London after your tests, and you’ll be meeting her over the holidays. I thought you could use the winter break to meet her.”
Kat struggled to breathe. She’d given up long ago on the idea that her mother would ever come back; she wasn’t that foolish. Over the years she’d gotten used to having her father to herself. He was always there when she called and ready to drop everything for her. What would happen when he had someone else to care for?
Yet…he deserved to move on, to be happy. What kind of daughter was she if she wouldn’t want that for him? She took a few deep breaths.
“Okay…what’s she like?” Her knuckles whitened with her death grip on her phone.
“She’s wonderful, Kat. Smart, beautiful, compassionate. She’s divorced, too, and has a son about your age, maybe a little older. Her name is Lizzy. We were thinking it might be nice to celebrate the holidays together, the four of us. You’d get to meet her and her son.”
Kat didn’t say anything.
Clearing his throat again, her father continued. “What do you think? I know it’s bad timing with your exams, but I’ve been spending a lot of time at her place, instead of my flat. I really want you two to meet because I’m crazy about her.” Her father’s tone was hesitant but also hopeful. How could she say no?
“That sounds…great, Dad. I can’t wait to meet them.” Tears pricked the corners of her eyes. He was spending a lot of time at this woman’s place? He really was serious about her…Little jolts of pain stung her heart.
“I love her, Kat. Lizzy makes me happy.”
Kat could hear the affection in his voice, and strangely, it made the ache in her chest ease. Her father was excited, in love, and she realized she wanted that for him more than anything.
“How did you meet her?” Relaxing, she leaned back against the wall as she listened to him describe their first meeting at a grocery store.
“I broke an entire carton of eggs right on her shoes. She dropped a melon on mine. We made such a mess, crashing into each other like that. We started talking as we helped clean up and one thing led to another. I asked her out. I still can’t believe she agreed.” He chuckled, then grew serious again. “We’ve both been through hell with our previous spouses. Being a single parent isn’t easy. It’s lonely. When I met her, something just