Half an hour later she pulled into the empty garage and went upstairs to the main floor of the house. Nobody appeared to be home, but as she looked out the window toward Peaceful Lane, she saw Hoagie’s Jeep Wagoneer pull up in front of the house. Her father eased himself out of the passenger side. As the Jeep pulled away, he came up the walk to the front door, moving slowly as if in pain.

Brianna ran to open the door for him. He gave her a smile as she closed the door behind him. “Home so early? Didn’t you have community service today?”

“I decided to skip. I need to talk to you, Dad.”

His eyes narrowed. “This sounds serious. Is Allison home yet?”

“I guess not. Her car isn’t in the garage. Sit down. You look tired. Can I get you anything to drink?”

He settled onto the living room sofa with a cushion behind his back. “A glass of water would be nice. And could you get me a couple of ibuprofen tablets from that bottle on the nightstand? I’m afraid I overdid it a little this afternoon.”

Brianna scurried off and came back with water and pills. While he swallowed them, she moved a black leather footstool in front of his chair and sat down to face him.

“Now what is it?” he asked her. “And how bad could it be? We’re both here, aren’t we?”

“You’re always such an optimist.” She took one of his hands and held it in hers. He’d lost weight since the accident. His fingers felt thinner than she remembered—or maybe it was because she wasn’t a little girl anymore. “Here’s the first thing. I heard from the dean at Northwestern about my reapplication. I won’t be going back there.”

“I’m sorry, honey. I know you had your heart set on it. But it’s not the end of the world. There are plenty of good colleges, some of them close by. You’ll be fine.”

“I know. But here’s the other thing I have to tell you.”

“Lord, you’re not pregnant, are you?” His face had gone slightly pale.

“No, Dad! Heavens no! Nothing like that. But in its own way, it’s even worse.” She took a deep breath. “It’s about Allison.”

He listened then, his sad but gentle expression never changing as she told him how she’d wanted to talk with Garrett about her college rejection and how she’d walked into his office to find Allison in his arms.

By the time she reached the end of her story, she was in tears. “I didn’t want to tell you, Dad. I know you love her, and I know how this must hurt. But I couldn’t imagine living here, seeing you every day, and keeping such an awful secret.”