I agree to meet my dad in twenty minutes, so I rush to change into denim shorts and a T-shirt and pull my hair up.

When I get to Little Kitchen, my dad is already there waiting for me. He doesn’t stand up to hug me like most dads. Instead, he points to the lemon water he ordered for me and gestures for me to sit.

“So how have you been?”

“Good. You?”

“Good. Classes going well?”

“Yep, they’re fine.” The server comes to take our order and even though I’m not all that hungry, I order a salad anyway to avoid suspicion.

“And how’s that internship going? It’s not getting in the way of practice, is it?” It’s crazy to me that he doesn’t see the merit in my internship. He doesn’t want me to follow in his footsteps and become a businesswoman. He wants me to follow the path he couldn’t finish, the star athlete path.

“No, the internship is great. I’m learning a lot.”

“Mm-hmm.”

We continue our awkward and stunted conversation until the food comes and then we fall silent. I don’t mind the quiet; it’s better than trying to force a bond where there isn’t one. I would love to be able to cut the shit with my dad, but we just don’t have that relationship. We never did, even when my mom was still around.

“So,” he starts, “I spoke to Myra the other day.” I barely sustain my eye roll. Myra is my dad’s assistant and I don’t like her. She’s extremely nosey and likes to look down on people who don’t adhere to the way she believes Christians should act.

“And how is Ms. Myra?”

“She’s concerned. You see, she says that she saw you at the clinic and she was under the impression that you’re with child. I told her that couldn’t possibly be the case because my daughter wouldn’t be stupid enough to let some boy knock her up at this age.”

Oh, fuck. How the fuck did I miss nosey-ass Myra at the clinic? Was she sitting right beside us? Because how else would she know I was pregnant just for being at the clinic unless she overheard Kai and me talking? And why the fuck would she be at a free clinic in Houston when her bitch-ass lives and works in Austin?

“Did you have Myra following me?”

He rolls his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. Not that I owe you any explanations but it was pure coincidence. She was off work for a few days and went to visit her niece who happens to work at the clinic. Thank God she stopped by to take her niece to lunch or else I feel like I would still be in the dark. Isn’t that right?”