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"You sound like you really like hied hi to do about Saturday?"

"I’ to tell hi paid Bob can stuff it He’s not going to fire me But I don’t want Scott to be embarrassed, even if it is just a joke"

"Wow, you really like this guy" Lacey sounded pleased "I’hed "I just don’t knoho this Helen is though"

"Maybe she’s his ex-girlfriend"

"Maybe" I sighed "He blew me off for her and lied about it" My voice trailed off "I’ative"

"Good," Lacey said "By the way, I have some news"

"Yeah?"

"I think ave ht to coive you a grand to help pay rent for two months"

"I can’t take that You’re hed "He said he’s fed up of hearing useach other He told me to co a job"

"What about your book?"

"He told me that most writers have to work if they can’t pay the bills and that I’et out there in the real world, have so about"

"I love your dad," I said honestly, and I did He was the man I looked to when I wanted a role model of the perfect father He loved Lacey so much, and I knew it must have hurt hiirl, his world, and he would move mountains for her if he could He was the father I wished I had He was the man that showed me what I wanted for my kids When I first met Lacey, I’d been jealous that she’d had so he was my dad too, and my dreams had basically come true He’d been there for me as if he were hter And that had helped to ease so my real dad, but it hadn’t absolved all my pain

"Yeah I love hiht as she spoke I knew she was already starting to feel ho to change the subject before she started crying

"I was thinking in a couple of weeks Is that okay?"

"That’s great" I smiled into the phone "I can’t wait"

"Neither can I" She said softly, but I knew that was only a partial truth