What about Jace? What had he meant when he said it wasn’t over? Again, she worried that, if this turned out to be nothing more than a competition between them, she’d be devastated.
She tossed and turned most of the night, and when she heard noises coming from the kitchen, she got out of bed and went upstairs. She didn’t care who else was awake. She needed someone to talk to—as long as it wasn’t Jace or Tucker.
“Morning, Daddy,” she said, happy he was the one she found puttering around the kitchen.
“Where’d you go last night?”
“Tucker took me out for dinner.”
“Mighty unsociable of you, wasn’t it?”
“I doubt anyone noticed I was gone.”
“I noticed.”
“I’m sure no one else did.”
“Oh please, Blythe. Don’t play poor-me. You’re above that kind of crap. Since when do you care what anyone else thinks?”
“It was Mom and Renie. My best friend and my mother. I’m not supposed to care what they think? Come on, Dad.”
“Take it in the context it was meant. Renie is a doormat. She always has been. It’s time she stood up for herself, and as it relates to you…hand it right back to her. There isn’t anything that says one of you needs to be the walker and the other, walked-on. You’re equals.”
“It’s weird.”
“Billy and Renie?”
“And a baby. You don’t think that’s weird? And Liv is pregnant. Weirdness surrounds us.”
“I heard that,” said Liv, joining them in the kitchen. She sat down on the bar stool next to Blythe.
“Coffee, or are you abstaining?” Mark asked.
“Give me coffee or die,” she answered.
“Okay. Not abstaining.”
“Did you have fun last night? Where did Tucker take you?”
“We went to a restaurant near the ski area.”
“Nice.” Liv wrapped her hands around the cup of coffee her dad set in front of her.
“It was very romantic.”
“You were wooed,” Liv smiled.
“There’s more where that came from, sugar,” said Jace, walking into the kitchen, too. He stopped to pour himself a cup of coffee. “My turn today.”
“Your turn for what?” asked Mark.
“Wooin’ your daughter. Tucker stole her away last night. I won’t let him get away with it again today.” Jace walked over and sat on the other side of Blythe.
“I’m not a thing for you to compete over. I’m a person. I’m not interested in participating in whatever game the two of you are playing.”
“No game, darlin’. I told you yesterday I wanted to get to know you. Didn’t I?”
“I don’t remember.”