down. He’d also given me her number to call whenever I had any questions.
I miss Rosie, actually. She’d been great. As far as I knew, she was stationed permanently somewhere far, far away now. I wondered what she’d have thought about Lincoln and even if she’d known him before leaving.
Not that it mattered. Dad was the only one here now. His gaze dropped to the paper, indicating that he was done with our conversation.
I pushed my chair back and went to place my empty mug in the dishwasher. “You want me to cook you dinner tonight? Just you and me?”
“That would be great, honey,” he said without looking up.
Perfect. I hated it when he got so uncomfortable that he shut me out. “Okay, I’ll go get some meat from Haley’s deli. See you later.”
“See you.” He flipped his hand up in a casual wave, his eyes already tracking whatever article in the newspaper he had been on before.
Haley’s deli was busy when I got there. The waitress she had hired hustled between the tables, smiling and pointing toward the back when I caught her eye.
My best friend stood behind the slicer, humming along to a tune when I entered. Not wanting to surprise her while there was a blade spinning in front of her, I called out above the noise. “Hey. How was the rest of your night last night?”
Flipping the switch on the machine before she turned, she gave me a smug, knowing smile. “Probably not as good as yours was, hmm? I didn’t leave with any of those Navy guys.”
“You didn’t?” I frowned as I slung my purse down on a counter and leaned my hip against it. “I thought for sure you would.”
“So did I.” She sighed, then gave a small shrug. “Something came up. He had to get back to the base.”
“That’s a disappointment.” I snagged a piece of roast turkey off the plate of sliced meats and popped it into my mouth, flashing Haley an apologetic grin when she shook her head at me. “What? I’m just testing it. I need to get some from you for dinner.”
She rolled her eyes at me, but there was a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “Whatever. Tell me about the guy you went home with.”
I released a contented sigh. “Lincoln. We had fun, but I doubt I’ll see him again. As soon as he found out who my dad was, I think I kissed any chance of a repeat performance goodbye.”
“He’s not a fan of good ol’ Charles?” She made a sound at the back of her throat. “Well, I guess it’s no surprise you picked him for your homecoming fun, then. You’ve always had that rebellious streak against your father.”
I held up a finger. “Wait a minute. I didn’t even know he wasn’t a fan of Dad before I saw his face when I told him.”
Haley’s blonde brows shot up. “Let me guess, though. You only told him after you slept together? You knew there was a very good chance he wouldn’t like Charles. Therefore, you wanted him to get to know you as you before you told him.”
I huffed out a breath but shrugged. “We were having so much fun together. I really like him. I mean, not in a ‘I want to marry the guy and have his babies’ kind of way, but we could have some fun together this summer.”
“Don’t sweat it.” She swatted my hand away when I reached for another piece of turkey. “I know what you meant. I also know why you didn’t say anything before. Navy guys always get weird around you when your dad is mentioned. For your sake and the sake of a fun summer, I hope you do end up hearing from him.”
My phone chimed from my purse. A text from an unknown number waited for me when I fished the device out.
Want to go to the beach with me tomorrow? L
A bright smile spread my lips, and Haley chuckled. “I’m guessing he got over it?”
“Yep. It looks like I’ve finally found one with balls.” My smile widened as I twirled my phone between my fingers. “Excuse me for a moment while I arrange my next date.”
Her chuckles turned into laughter, but she waved me off and turned her slicer back on. “You have fun. I’ll just be here.”
Vowing to find out from Lincoln if he had a friend I might be able to introduce to mine, I lifted my phone and tapped out