I sit in the diner, glancing fretfully over my shoulder every thirty seconds. My palms are sweating, my heart racing.

Coming here was probably a mistake.

At the other end of the restaurant, I see Rem and Kira sitting in a booth, both wearing baseball caps and sunglasses. Kira lifts her menu to mask her already covered face. Rem chuckles before following her lead. Seconds later, my cell vibrates.

Rem <3: Kira is really into this whole espionage thing.

Me: You both look ridiculous.

Rem <3: We're just looking out for you, pretty girl.

I let out a sigh. It's impossible to be mad at them.

After taking his phone number and then avoiding him for weeks, I finally agreed to meet with Benson. I opted for a public place. Gram taught me all about stranger danger. I know better than to trap myself with a man I barely know.

Even if that man is my biological father.

As soon as he told me his name, I knew. Gram and Grandpa have never shared much about my father—just his name and that he's a deadbeat. I've never even seen a photo.

"How can you be sure he's your dad?" Kira questioned me, concern written all over her face. "He might be a fake. What if his name isn't even Benson?"

"He's not a fake," I assured her. "You didn't see him, but he looks just like my Aunt Gemma."

Since neither Kira nor Rem trust the guy, they insisted on joining me. I'm glad they did, because they're the only people who know I'm here.

I hear a ding as the door to the diner opens. Quick footsteps sound against the checkered tile floor. I feel a presence beside me and look up, already knowing who's there.

"Hope I didn't keep you waiting long," Benson says. "Mind if I take a seat?"

I nod my head, too nervous to speak.

"Evangeline, thank you for coming. I know this is... awkward," he begins, folding his hands in front of him.

Yeah, that's an understatement.

"I'm assuming you know who I am," he goes on, "otherwise you wouldn't have agreed to this meeting."

"I know who you are," I whisper. "You're my... you're my dad."

Merely saying the words "my dad" aloud is surreal. All my life, I've never had a dad.

Well, I did. He just didn't care enough to stick around.

"I am," he murmurs, looking away from me.

I examine him. With dark hair, dark eyes, and light brown skin, he looks like a male version of my Aunt Gemma. Gram is black, and Grandpa is white, so their kids—with the exception of Uncle Bowie, who is paler than I am—are a shade of bronze. I see my grandparents in him, too.

Hell, I even see myself in him.

"You must have a lot of questions," he says. "Whatever you want to know, just—"

"I only have one question, actually," I cut him off. "Where have you been for the past seventeen years?"

He exhales a heavy sigh. "Evangeline, I—"

"Also, where were you when my mom died? If that isn't the universe giving you a second chance to step up as a parent, then I don't know what is."

"It isn't that simple."

"It never is when it comes to you, apparently," I toss back, anger bubbling in my chest. For as long as I can remember, I've wanted answers. Now that my dad is here, in the flesh, I just want him to leave.

"Evangeline, please," he begs me. "Will you just hear me out?"

"And why the hell should she?" Rem approaches our table, a scowl on his face. He rips off his sunglasses and adds, "You don't get to abandon her and then come back and call all the shots. That's not how this works."

"Maybe try apologizing while you're at it." Kira storms toward us like she's marching into battle. Under her breath, I hear her mutter, "Asshole."

To my surprise, Benson chuckles. "Your friends are awfully fiery."

"At least my friends care about me." Fighting back tears, I rise to my feet. "I'm sorry, but I can't have this conversation today. I don't know if I'll ever be able to have this conversation. Goodbye."

Rem wraps his arm around my shoulder and guides me out of the diner. The three of us walk back to his car. Already, the pinching sensation behind my eyes is gone. I feel better, like I can breathe again.

"Are you okay?" Rem asks, pulling me into his arms.

"I'm fine," I tell him. "I thought I was ready to talk to him, but I guess I'm a chicken."

"You're not a chicken," Kira says. "Speaking of which, I wish we had ordered food in there. I'm starving."

"Vange, are you hungry?" Rem inquires.

"I could eat," I reply.

"Then I know just the place." Grinning, he fastens his seatbelt, puts the car in drive, and cruises out of the parking lot.

Twenty minutes later, we're pulling up to a rundown diner. The word "Poppy's" is written on the window in large, bright red letters. It's nicer on the inside than it is on the outside, and the heavenly aroma of fried food hits my nostrils and makes my stomach growl.

"Sit anywhere you'd like! I'll be right with you," a middle-aged woman with brown hair tells us.

We claim the corner booth and look through the menu. We select our drinks and meals, and by the time our waitress comes over, we're ready to order.

"Can I get you anything else?" she asks.

"No thank you," Rem answers, stacking our menus into a neat pile and handing them back to her.

We chit-chat while we wait for our dinner to arrive. Thinking about it, this will be the first thing I've eaten all day. I was too nervous to even look at food earlier.

"Do you guys think I did the right thing?" I ask. "Telling Benson off, I mean."

"I think you did what was best for you," Kira replies.

"I still have so many questions, and I just wasted my only opportunity to ask them," I groan, disappointed in myself. I let my feelings get the better of me.

"You still have his number," Rem reminds me, "although I don't recommend calling him for a while. You need to give yourself time."

"Agreed. I have one suggestion, though," Kira says.

I turn to her, my brow raised. "And what's that?"

"Talk to Clementine's mom. Didn't she date Benson for a few months before he bailed on her and the kid?"

"That's... actually not a bad idea," I murmur. I don't know Alyx very well, but she's my sister's mom. One day, Clem is going to come to her with the same questions that I have.

Besides, Aunt Gemma once told me that Alyx is a chronic over-sharer. If I'm lucky, she'll tell me what I want to know and more.

<>*<>*<>*<>*<>

I amble toward the light green bungalow, admiring the flowers alongside the walkway. Orange daylilies contrast with purple tulips, which I know my little sister picked out—orange and purple are her two favorite colors.

I knock on the door. On the other side, I hear a frazzled "Coming!" before the door swings open, revealing an apron-wearing, flour-covered Alyx.

"Vange, come on in!" Alyx steps aside, allowing me to enter the house. "I'd give you a hug, but you probably don't want to ruin your sweater."

"Are you cooking?" I laugh.

"Clementine told me last minute that her school is having a bake sale tomorrow," she groans. "I have to make three dozen cupcakes before I go to bed tonight."

"Want me to help you?"

She lets out a sigh of relief. "Oh, my god, would you?"

Nodding, I grab a carton of eggs and a stick of butter out of the fridge. I've been baking with Gram since I was Clem's age. I could make three dozen cupcakes in my sleep.

I prepare the batter, while she preheats the oven and locates a cupcake tin. Once the heavenly-smelling vanilla mixture is ready, we scoop it into Halloween-themed papers and let them bake.

"Thank you so much. You're literally a lifesaver." Alyx wipes sweat off her brow and flops onto the couch. "God, I need a drink. I'd take a bullet for that girl, but she drives me crazy."

"Clem's a good kid," I reply. "Where is she, anyway?"

"Shamus took her to the park so I wouldn't murder her after her last minute request," she tells me with a chuckle.

"Shamus is really good with her," I comment. "He takes the step-dad role pretty seriously."

"Well, he's the only dad she's ever known," Alyx says. "She's never met her real father."

"So... what was he like? Um, her real father, I mean."

That was a smooth segue, right?

"Benson? You want to talk about him?" She closes her lips together, making a face like she's in pain.

"If you don't mind. If it's too weird, then—"

"No, it's fine," she interjects. "You helped me bust out all those cupcakes. The least I can do is answer a few questions." She bites her lip and looks to the left. "When he and I first met, it was at a New Year's Eve party. It was one of those see-each-other-across-the-room moments. Being young and naive, I thought it was love at first sight. It wasn't, of course, but for a long time, I was in love with him."

"After he left, did he keep in touch? Like, did he check in on your or Clem at all?"

"No." She shakes her head, a forlorn expression on her face. "No, I never spoke to him again."

"He really hurt you, didn't he?" I whisper, regretting my decision to come here. I just wanted answers, not to make her relive the worst moment of her life.

"For the record, I didn't want to hear from him again. Ever," she adds. "Yeah, I was hurt, but I didn't want him back."

"Why? Because you were angry with him for bailing on you?"

"What? No! He was told to leave and never come back."

Huh?

"After we found out what he did to your mom," she goes on, "he was exiled. He sold his condo and moved to New York. Your parents, like, disowned him and everything. It was pretty intense."

"Wait, are you talking about the fact that he knocked up my mom and then abandoned her? You guys ran him out of town for that?" Confused, I shake my head, unable to imagine that my family would be so unforgiving.

"No, I'm talking about how he—" Alyx falls silent, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh, god. You know what? Maybe this was not the best idea."

"No, tell me what you were going to say!" I demand, quite literally on the edge of my seat. "What did Benson do to my mom?"

Before she can answer, the front door swings open. Clem's cheerful laughter fills the room as she runs toward me.

"Vange! You're here!" My little sister hugs me tightly.

Despite the lingering tension between Alyx and me, I can't help but relax as my arms wrap around Clem's shoulders. Some people feel like sunshine, and with her bright eyes, megawatt smile, and constant positivity, she is one of those people.

"Hey, kiddo," I greet her. "I heard you're having a bake sale tomorrow."

"Yeah! Our class is trying to raise money to get Brayden a new wheelchair," she says, still grinning. "We need three-hundred dollars."

"Well, here." I reach into my purse and hand her a ten-dollar bill. "It's not much, but it's a start. I hope he gets his wheelchair."

"Thank you! I'm gonna put this in my backpack. Are you staying for dinner?" The ten-year-old turns to her mother. "Mom, can Vange stay for dinner?"

"Actually, I have to get going. Gram and Grandpa are waiting for me," I tell her, which causes her smile to temporarily dwindle. "Be good for your parents, okay? I'll see you soon."

"Okay! Bye, Vange!" she exclaims, hugging me one last time before skipping away.

As soon as Clem is out of sight, so am I. I have no desire to sit around and watch another adult lie to my face.

What did you think about the big meeting? Was Vange's outburst justified? 🤔

Don't forget to tap that star before you leave⭐️⭐️