Page 162 of Shifting Spirits

I hug him. He might be a workaholic, but he’s still my dad.

“I wish you didn’t need to work so much,” I tell him.

“I don’t need to,” he says. “I realized that this year. I’ve had my head down for so long that I didn’t see it, but I don’t need to work as much as I do. We’re wealthy. We have been for years. I don’t why I didn’t see it before. I’ll be cutting back this year. I’ve asked your mother to do the same. We should be getting ready to retire.”

“That’s great news.”

“Sit,” he says. “Tell me what it’s like in Wolf Creek. How’s school?”

We sit down and talk with my dad, and I realize I’m not quite done with this town.

My parents may not be perfect, and this definitely isn’t the house I call a home, but I have roots here, and I don’t want to just abandon them.

A couple of hours later, I tell Dad I hope Mom’s feeling better soon, and we head back to pick up the car and go home.

“I’m glad we did this,” I tell my mates.

“Me, too,” Carter says. “I like how your mom’s thoughts went straight to grandbabies.”

“That was kind of funny,” I admit, “but you could have tried not to laugh.”

“I tried! It just burst right out of me.”

“Your dad seems nice,” Silas says.

“He is. He’s just usually too busy to talk.”

I guess realizing he could have lost me for good shocked him into sparing us a couple of hours tonight.

It was nice, but I didn’t need it.

I have everything I do need right here.

“You feel better?” Adrian asks.

“So much. You have no idea.”