***
Tilly took a sip of iced tea. “Ahh, Rosa, you make the best iced tea,” she said to the large woman who’d been the housekeeper here since Tilly was born.
The other woman blushed. Her black hair was now interspersed with gray, and there were more lines around her eyes and mouth, but she still had that warmth in her gaze and a spring in her step that belied her age.
Rosa placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “We missed you, Tilly. You don’t come home often enough.”
“I know, I’m sorry. I’ll try to do better.”
Rosa left the living room after giving Tilly’s father a sharp glare. Tilly knew what that look meant, she was silently warning him to behave himself. Her father was giving Dylan the stare. It was the look he gave anyone he was trying to intimidate. To his credit, Dylan didn’t look offended. He just sat next to her on the sofa and sipped on his iced tea.
“She’s right, midgie,” her father told her. “This is your home. You should be here.”
“I’m happy where I am, Daddy,” she said gently.
“Really?” her father asked skeptically.
“Yes, really. I’ve made some good friends there.”
“You should be going to college. You could go places, Tilly. You’re wasted as a waitress. Or is there another reason you’re staying in a dead-end job? Don’t you agree that Tilly should be making something of her life? Or does that threaten you?” her father challenged Dylan.
“Daddy! Don’t speak to Dylan like that. What I choose to do has nothing to do with him.”
Her father raised an eyebrow. “I’m sorry. Did I misunderstand your relationship? Are the two of you just friends? What do they call it? Friends with benefits?”
“Dylan is my boyfriend,” she said as patiently as she could manage. “I brought him home to meet you, not to be interrogated.”
“I didn’t realize he couldn’t handle a few friendly questions. Can’t he speak for himself?”
Dylan cleared his throat. “I can speak for myself just fine, sir. And I can assure you that I am very serious about your daughter. I think she’s the most amazing person I have ever met.”
“Then you agree with me. She should be in college, even if she has to put your relationship to one side for a while. You’ll wait for her, won’t you, boy? If you think she’s worth it.”
Old bastard, she thought with a mix of frustration and affection.
Dylan squeezed her hand as he sat forward.
“I think that Tilly can do whatever she sets her mind to. If she wants to go to college, then we will find a way to make it work. Tilly is very smart—”
“Exactly!” Her father hit his thigh with his hand for emphasis. “Which is why she should be in college—”
“Smart enough,” Dylan continued, “to know what she wants from life. My role is to support her, to be there for her, to cherish and protect her. I would never presume to tell her what to do.”
Yeah, right. She sent him a sideways look and he winked at her.
“Hmph.” Her father sat back, looking disgruntled.
“Daddy, can we please not argue about this?” she said. “I’ll think about college again, okay? But there are a lot of things to take into consideration.”
“I’ll release your trust fund to pay for college.”
Tilly sighed. “I know. I appreciate it. Just give me some time. I really don’t want to argue about this.”
“Neither do I, midgie. So how long have the two of you been…” he trailed off, looking uncomfortable.
“We’ve known each other for two years,” she said diplomatically.
“Huh. How’d you meet?” he asked suspiciously.