you?”
“God no. Fit as a fiddle. Why do people say that anyway? Are fiddles known for being unusually fit?”
“I don’t know,” Mia said. “I never thought about it.”
“Neither had I until just now. Anyway, what do you think about the Saturday after Thanksgiving? Can you spare a little time for your father?”
“You really want to come here?”
“Why not? It’s where you live. I want to see how you’re doing out there in flyover country. Make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m fine.” If he’d really wanted to know how she was doing, he could have simply called her at any point over the last three months and asked.
“You sure you don’t want to change your mind and fly home for Thanksgiving? I’ll pay for the ticket. I hate the thought of you spending the day all alone in a strange town.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ve got plans for the holiday, actually. Some friends here have invited me to join their Thanksgiving dinner.”
“Do these friends include that farmer you’re dating?”
“Who told you about that?” As if she couldn’t guess. It had to be Holly, who she was going to murder the next time she saw her.
Her father chuckled. “Your sister, of course. She said he works in some kind of dairy? My god, the pickings must be slim there.”
“Josh owns a goat dairy,” Mia said through gritted teeth. “He makes artisan cheeses that he sells to high-end grocery stores and restaurants in Austin.”
“Well, well, a young entrepreneur.” Her father didn’t try to hide the sarcasm in his voice. “I guess I’ll have to come to you, then. Does that Saturday work with your busy schedule?”
“Um…sure.” She couldn’t think of a reason to say no. And even though she knew better, she was curious to find out what her dad wanted. Because it wasn’t just to get to know her better.
“Perfect. I’ll take you out to dinner at whatever passes for a nice restaurant down there. You can even invite your farmer friend to join us if you want.”
The thought of subjecting Josh to her father’s pretentious judgment was horrific enough on its own—but dragging Josh out to a restaurant was something she would certainly not be doing.
No way in hell.
“I should come to dinner with you,” Josh said when she told him about her father’s impending visit.
“I’m not asking you to do that.” Mia shook her head as she scrubbed the baseboards in her apartment. She only had a week and a half to get the place spotless before her father arrived to pass judgment on her life, which meant she was in a full-on cleaning frenzy.
Would her father even notice her baseboards? Almost certainly not—unless there was something wrong with them. Whatever she managed to overlook, that was what he’d home in on like some kind of imperfection-seeking missile. She could only imagine what he’d think when he pulled up in front of Birdie’s house and saw the couch on her front porch. Or when he encountered her chickens in the yard.
But there was nothing Mia could do about any of that, so she was focusing on the things that were within her control, like the dirty baseboards inside her apartment.
Josh came over and stood behind her, looming at the edge of her peripheral vision. “Because you don’t want me there, or because you don’t think I can handle it?”
“Neither.” She threw a frown over her shoulder, disturbed he’d ascribe either motivation to her. “Because my father isn’t worth your time and there’s no reason to let him make both of us miserable when I can save you the trouble.”
Josh crossed his arms, arching an eyebrow as he stared her down. “Wouldn’t it be easier for you if I was there to act as a buffer?”
Scowling, she went back to scrubbing the baseboard. “That’s not the point.”
He bent to take the sponge from her and pulled her to her feet. His hands squeezed her shoulders. “That’s not an answer to my question.”
“Of course I’d love to have you on my side, but—”
“Then I’m going.” His tone left no room for argument.
Still, she tried to talk him out of it. “Josh, please don’t—”
“Unless you can look me in the eye and say you’d rather not have me there, I’m coming to dinner.”
Mia sighed in defeat. She wasn’t above lying to protect him, but it was useless when Josh could see right through her. Damn him and his uncanny emotional perception.
Smiling, he leaned in to kiss her cheek. “That’s what I thought.”
Mia pulled her