Page 172 of On the Breakaway

“Yes, it’s still him.”

She sighs. “He’s getting more persistent.”

“Or maybe there’s something important he needs to talk to you about.”

I don’t miss the way she chuckles under her breath while waiting for the phone to stop buzzing again. Turning off the burners, I fix our plates and load them onto the tray.

The phone starts ringing for a third time, and this time Avery doesn’t even budge. Something twists uncomfortably in my stomach when I notice how defeated she looks. I talked to my parents yesterday, answering on the first ring and chatting with them for over an hour about the most random things.

“You should answer.” I grab her phone on my way into the living room with our food.

Avery lifts her head. “No.”

“Chaos, he’s going to keep calling.”

“I don’t want to.”

I hand her the phone and set the food down on the coffee table.

Avery mutters under her breath. “I hate that you’re right.”

“I know.”

“I hate that you know you’re right.”

“I know that too.”

She rolls her eyes before reluctantly answering.

I settle onto the couch, wrapping us both up in the blanket together. Without thinking about it, I reach for her hand. Her fingers lace through mine, squeezing as she puts the phone on speaker.

Maybe it’s because she wants me to hear the conversation, but I have my suspicions that it’s really just so she can balance the phone on her knee while curling both arms back up under the blanket.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Well, look who finally answered her phone.”

The warmth from the morning dims as Avery’s shoulders tighten beside me.

“I’ve been busy.”

“Not too busy to talk to your mother.”

I watch her jaw flex. “I’ve talked to her like once, Dad.”

“I know all about it. She called me to tell me that she visited.”

My thumb brushes the back of her hand, and she relaxes into it.

“Okay, and?”

“I need to come out and see you.”

If I didn’t have a front row seat to the way Avery’s body tenses, I’d think he was just a father wanting to see his daughter.

“Okay.”

Then any hope of his good intentions shatters at his next words.