Chapter 2
You got a girlfriend you’re not telling us about, Roman?” Mack teases as I return to the old Chevy I’m working on and get back to work on its engine.
I don’t even bother looking at Mack because winding me up is his favorite pastime. “You’re making me a broken record, man. You know I’m not dating until Tessa goes to college.”
“Yeah, yeah. You and your ass backward rules. You used to love the ladies.” Mack laughs and shakes his head.
“I did. I still do. But my deal with Tessa is neither of us will date until she’s out of high school. Besides, she doesn’t need a stream of women coming in and out of her life like that. Not after what happened with her mom leaving her like she did.” I grip my wrench so tightly my knuckles pale and work the wrench to loosen a nut on this old engine. “If you must know,” I glare at him, “it was one of Tessa’s teachers.”
“Uh-oh. Everything okay with your girl?”
“Tessa’s fine. You wouldn”t believe the crazy idea she’s gotten into her head. Thinks she wants to be a writer. She’s got this teacher convincing her to pursue a career in writing and wants her to go to some dumbass summer writing program. And now she’s just had her teacher call me.” I curse under my breath.
I look at Mack, nearly banging my head on the hood of the car as I stand up. Rage bubbles up when I see him chuckling under his breath.”What the fuck, man? I thought you”d be on my side. You think this is funny?”
“Tessa’s what? Thirteen? Fourteen years old?”
“She”s fourteen.” I nod.
It still surprises me that I suddenly have my daughter in my life. I didn’t even know she existed until I left the Army and my ex dumped Tessa on me. It’s your turn now, is what she said, unceremoniously leaving Tessa on my doorstep. I’ve never regretted welcoming Tessa into my life but adjusting to being a dad has had many challenges. It’s been years, but now she’s a teenager, it feels even more like I have no idea what I’m doing.
“First, you better watch it with that wrench. You’re going to break something you don’t want to pay for if you’re not careful there. Second, man, maybe you should give her a chance. See if she has any talent.”
“Mack, dude. Come on. You think she”s gonna make it as a writer? I love Tessa, but damn, she gets these ideas in her head.”
“Yeah, you need to give her a chance. Let her try it, and if she flames out, be there to catch her.”
“What the fuck, Mack? I thought you”d be on my side. You go and get soft, man?”
“Roman, no, I”m not soft. You know that. What I have are three sisters. You can only say no for so long before they rebel in a dangerous way. Believe me; you don”t want to lose Tessa from your life. My parents tried so hard to make my younger sister someone she didn’t want to be that she nearly ran away and never came back. That”s a nightmare I wouldn”t wish for my worst enemy. In the end, it worked out, but it was a long time before Cecily fully trusted our parents again.”
I look at Mack and consider what he’s said. I sure as hell don’t want to lose Tessa or worse. “Well, I guess we”ll find out. I talked to the teacher last night. Tessa told her I said she couldn’t go to this fancy pants summer writing program. And then the teacher wanted to talk to me. Can you believe that? Like she thinks she”s going to change my mind!”
“You should talk to her and actually listen, Roman. She”s a teacher. It’s her job. If she says Tessa has talent, she”s probably not wrong.”
“Kids today are too soft. They weren”t in the military like we were. They expect things with not a lot of work. I don”t want to see Tessa get hurt. I want her to have a good life and not to lose herself in some romantic idea of being a writer and then have it all come crashing down because it doesn”t work, Mo.”
“Yeah, man, I get it. Like I said, give her a chance to try it out. It won”t end well if you keep saying no to everything she wants to do.”
I grumble. “Well, I guess I’ll find out. I’m meeting her at a parent-teach conference tonight. She had the nerve to tell me I had to attend. What the fuck, man?”
Mack laughs again, which does nothing to reduce my frustration. “Good luck with that, man.”
* * *
“Stop lookinglike I kicked a dog, Tessa.”
I already know tonight is going to end with my Tessa performing a humongous sulk. There is nothing that prepares you for a child’s entry to adolescence, especially when said child only recently came into your life. Tessa is a sweet girl and usually behaves well, but…she’s rebelling against me, and I honestly don’t know how to manage this. I double down on telling her the best path, but we get further into a hole.
On the other hand, she’s definitely my daughter. Her stubbornness tells me she’s my blood, aside from us having the same hazel eyes and redhair. It didn’t take a DNA test for me to know she was my child.
“There she is! Miss Andrews!” Tessa’s mood changes instantly as we walk into the large school lunchroom.
She jumps up and waves her arm, trying to catch the attention of this teacher she’s been raving about. Only thing? I don’t see who her teacher could possibly be. What I do see in the general direction Tessa is looking is an absolute bombshell of a woman. The woman has thick, wavy brown hair and is wearing a dress that is almost obscene in how it hugs the curves of her body. Everything is covered, but fuck, I want to run my hands over her skin and feel her move with my body.
Dammit, Roman. You gotta follow your own rules. No dating until Tessa is in college.
“Where is this teacher of yours?”
“This way, Dad.” Tessa grabs my hand and pulls me across the crowded lunchroom. More than a few women look at me in that assessing way single women do. It’s like I have a sign that says Single Dad hanging around my neck.
The only thing more frustrating than my daughter right now is when single moms swarm me at school events like this.
“Tessa! I’m so glad you could make it!”
I turn my attention to the voice talking to Tessa, surprise filling me as the bombshell I was just fantasizing about pulls my daughter into a bear hug. When they pull apart, I blink twice. How is a woman who looks so young old enough to be my daughter’s teacher? Then I remember our conversation earlier, and my blood pressure rises again.
“Dad, this is Miss Andrews.”
“Roman,” I say, shaking her offered hand firmly.
“It’s wonderful to meet you. Tessa is incredibly talented.”
I pause for a long moment. “Thank you. I’m glad she enjoys writing. It’s a good hobby.”
Miss Andrew and Tessa share a look, and I recognize the sulky expression in Tessa’s eyes. So help me if she causes a scene.
“Mr. Alston,” she says, ignoring that I gave her my first name. “Have you read any of your daughter’s stories?”
I shift my weight, uncomfortable. I haven’t read a book since I was in school, and I’ve never seen a reason to change that. Books are fine…for other people. “I read one,” I admit. “It wasn’t bad.”
“See? I told you – he doesn’t even care!” Tessa’s voice rises an octave.
I mentally start counting to ten.”Tessa! This is not the time or the place,” I warn her, looking at all the people around us and wondering if anyone is eavesdropping. Being undermined by my own daughter in public is not something I tolerate, and she sure as hell will hear about it later.
“Mr. Alston. You’re doing your daughter a disservice by not reading her stories and encouraging her to pursue writing. I’m not lying about your daughter’s talent.”
I admire that Miss Andrews meets my gaze and doesn’t look away. Despite the scene my daughter is starting, this woman is either ignoring it, or she’s one of those patently annoying women who are always happy.
“What do you know about good writing? Hm?” I challenge her, crossing my arms over my chest.
To her credit, she matches my stare and doesn’t blink or flinch. “My experience is wide-ranging. In addition to being a published fiction writer, I also spent several years as a technical writer.”
“A technical what?” I can’t keep the bite out of my voice. As much as I love Tessa, this feels like being sandbagged.
“Technical writer. You know, like manuals and instructions. That kind of thing. Someone has to document how things work,” Miss Andrews explains patiently.
Is she fucking with me? She meets my gaze and doesn’t back down, which I grudgingly admire. Most women look at me and shrink away. I know I can be intense, and I respect that she’s standing her ground.
I think back to the Army and all the goddamn manuals we had to read and memorize. “Yeah, we had a lot of those when I was deployed.”
“Exactly. Who do you think prepared them? People like me, though I didn’t work on military contracts. It’s a wide field, though. Some people think about technical writers as writing software documentation, but it can also be for manufacturing, corporate research, or marketing materials. Or it can be work in the government or military sectors.”
“Huh.” I pause for a moment and consider this. The possibilities start opening in my mind. If Tessa could be convinced to also study something alongside creative writing, she could have a solid career plan.
“Yes,” she says, “‘huh’ is right. I understand where you’re coming from, but I think you should learn more about the possibilities. Tessa is an excellent writer, and it should be encouraged, not deprioritized.”
I glare at Miss Andrews. Who the hell does she think she is? I’m used to people falling in line and following orders, but neither Tessa nor her teacher got the memo.
“Look,” she continues. “There’s a writing open house on Thursday night. There will be a variety of professional writers there to talk to students about the different paths they can take. It’s usually open to college seniors, but Tessa should go, and so should you. I guarantee you’ll be surprised at the career paths available to Tessa.”
“Dad, please?” Tessa pleads, bumping her shoulder against my arm and looking at me with hopeful, puppy dog eyes.
“I’ll think about it.”