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Over my dead body am I setting Trix up with someone. I’ve had enough torture for a lifetime watching her with Rob. Seeing her on the date last night is enough to know I won’t survive another round. I can handle the idea that she’ll never want me, given that she dated Rob. I want her to be happy. I just don’t need to watch it unfold. Especially not after last night. The way she smiled at me, teased me, looked at me when we were at the fair. Fuck… if the alerts about the photographs hadn’t come, I might have been stupid enough to try to kiss her.
But now we have bigger problems on our hands. Namely getting to the bottom of whoever is fucking with her on social media. Whoever is getting close enough to photograph her. I have to figure out how to deal with that first before I can let my feelings about her get in the way.
“Let’s not try to play matchmaker right now. She’s got a lot going on, and the goal is to help her.”
“Finding her a guy could help her.” Lizzy grins as she eats a bite of her cereal. I can only imagine what devious plan she’s already working over in her mind for Trix. She’s been so boy crazy lately, plastering her room with images of the band she’s into now, and on her phone constantly, planning for the school dance that is coming up at the end of next week.
“Yeah? And don’t think I missed you and your friend holding hands last night. We’re going to talk about that. Does your mom know?”
“Mom knows about Billy. He’s just a friend.”
“You hold hands with all your friends?”
She rolls her eyes at me and shakes her head.
“It’s not like that. It’s just that everyone else is all hooked up, and we’re the single ones, so it kinda pushes us together.”
“Hooked up?” I nearly choke on my protein shake. “No one better be hooking up. You guys are way too young for that.”
“Not like that. And Dad, I hate to tell you, but there are people in my class who already have boyfriends. Some of them have done more than just kiss. You’re going to have to accept that I’m older now. Mom knows I’ve been thinking about dating.” She says it with the voice of someone who’s a decade older, and it’s unsettling. I’m not ready for adult Lizzy just yet.
“Dating is one thing. Holding hands, fine. Kissing, if your mom knows, okay. Anything more than that, you’d better be having a conversation with one of us first. I don’t care what other kids are doing. I care about you. Are you and Billy kissing already?”
Lizzy blushes, and I feel bad for being so direct, but lately, it feels like she’s growing up fast, and I’m barely hanging on anymore. I’m trying hard to skirt that line between staying her parent, being an authority figure for her, and still trying to stay coolheaded enough that she can tell me things she might not otherwise. I want her honesty. So does her mom. That was something we agreed on a long time ago about raising her. But I’m worried her high school years are going to test all of those boundaries.
“No, Dad. Billy and I haven’t kissed.”
“Have you kissed someone else?”
“Dad…” There’s an exasperated sigh.
“I just want you to be careful. I was your age once.”
“I know. A million years ago. You weren’t that much older than me when you and Mom had me.” She levels me with a look. One that cuts me to the core and reminds me that she’s mine—the same attitude and independence that drove my parents crazy.
“Which is why we want you to be careful. You know we love you. I’m glad it all worked out. But we were lucky we still got through college, had you, and had help to raise you.”
“I’m not having sex, Dad. There are no babies to worry about. I had sex ed, and Mom and I talked. I told her I’d talk to her first. You know this.”
“Okay.”
“Meanwhile…” She rolls her eyes.
“Meanwhile, what?”
“Meanwhile, you don’t practice what you preach. When was the last time you even had a girlfriend? Not counting Nikki because I hated her.”
My daughter recalls the actress I dated. One she had loved when she was five and saw a movie with her as a princess but grew to despise when she met her just after her eleventh birthday. I roll my shoulders and stand up from the position where I’ve been leaning over the counter.
“I’m working on it. Finding someone takes time.”
“Maybe instead of us helping Trix, you should ask her for help. She said she was helping Madison work on Quentin’s image. Finding him some dates with smart women. I bet she could find you a date.”
Like I said. This kid is mine. Great minds think alike. I just have a much more specific idea of who Trix could find for me.
“I’ve thought about trying to work on my image a bit too. But Trix is busy with Madison at the moment.”
“She’d have more time if she wasn’t running back and forth to a hotel. If she was here… you could talk to her more. She might be able to fix you.”
