Joy Ride by Desiree Holt (reading a book TXT) 📕

“So dependable,” she echoed. So boring.

“What’s wrong with dependable?” Her father demanded. “A lot of women would give anything to have a dependable man.”

“But the choice of a man is mine, not yours,” she said, biting back her frustration.

Yet how could she be so exasperated with them when the blame for this situation was equally on her shoulders? Until a few weeks ago, she’d gone placidly along in the life they’d raised her to lead, never dreaming she was missing anything. Until Jacie breezed through town and opened doors she hadn’t even known existed.

Now her parents were having trouble understanding this new version of her and with good reason. The adventurous person who’d been hiding inside her very precise, very controlled self had burst forth without warning, and she continued the struggle and understand it. To figure out after all these years who she really was.

“Oh, honey, you’re absolutely right.” Angela reached out a hand to her daughter’s arm. “We’re just concerned is all. You seem so…different lately. Drifting away from us. We just thought it would be nice to spend your birthday together.”

“Why don’t you tell us what you’ve got planned?” her father asked. “Maybe we can join you.”

Emma swallowed a hysterical laugh. “I don’t think you’d be very comfortable. I’m going to a concert.”

“We’ve been to concerts before,” her mother said. “What wouldn’t we enjoy?”

“This is a rock concert. You don’t even like the music. And that’s okay,” she added hastily as she saw her mother’s lips thin. “We each have different tastes. I just want you to acknowledge there’s nothing wrong with it.”

“I suppose it’s dumb to ask if Andrew’s going with you,” her father said drily.

“Andrew? Why would it even occur to you? How many times do I have to tell you Andrew and I are no longer together?” Emma’s eyes widened. “Let me guess. He’s been bugging you again, hasn’t he? I’m sure he’s bending your ear, despite the fact I asked him to back off.” She pounded her fist on the table. “Damn him. He needs to get a life. A new life.”

“Emma.” Her father sighed. “He really would like the two of you to get back together again. All he’s done is ask for our help.”

“Not happening.” She looked from one parent to the other. “It’s over. I told him and I’m telling you again. He needs to move on. And what kind of man keeps bugging a woman’s parents like this? It’s not as if we’re teenagers. No, you’ll just have to understand that it’s over with Andrew and me, and so will he. There’s no fixing. No going back. It’s done. Period. The end.”

Angela smiled at her. “I guess it’s just so hard for us to realize you’re an adult. Almost thirty. And to accept that you’ve had some kind of epiphany or metamorphosis or whatever and are making big changes in your life.”

No kidding. Hard for me, too.

“Mom. I’m definitely old enough. You can trust me to make good decisions.”

Oh, yeah, right.

“All right.” Angela rose and began to clear the plates. “Then let’s just have dessert.”

“How about if we have dinner the night before?” she suggested. “But without Andrew.” She looked from one to the other, mentally crossing her fingers. She didn’t want to shut them out completely. “Will that work?”

Her parents exchanged a look but in a moment they both nodded.

“And I’ll do my best to tell Andrew he needs to start looking elsewhere,” her father added.

“Thank you,” Emma breathed. “I’d appreciate it.”

***

“You definitely need a new outfit,” Annie said.

Emma wrinkled her forehead. “Another one?”

“Absolutely.”

It was Thursday night and they were at Annie’s having their own happy hour with margaritas from Annie’s blender. She just hadn’t been in the mood for Hot Salsa and besides, at Annie’s she was much more comfortable. It occurred to Emma that she was soaking up a lot more alcohol lately than she was used to. But right now she needed liquid courage. Her brunch with her parents had been far less confrontational than she’d expected. But Andrew had been waiting in front of her house when she came home and that confrontation hadn’t gone nearly as well. Only when she’d threatened to report him as a stalker did he get the message and leave. Hopefully for the last time.

Why hadn’t she ever seen this stubborn streak in him before? Or was it the need for control? Either way, she was done with him. After Marc’s invitation to the concert and the resurgence of all her fears, she’d stayed away from the club this week and had done a lot of soul searching. Trying to find the answers to who she was before and who she was now. When she saw Marc again, she wanted to be a lot less conflicted. When she was with him she tended to lose sight of everything else.

“Hey. Earth to Emma.”

Her head snapped up. “Did you say something?”

“Apparently nothing you heard. Where was your brain? Not at here, that’s for sure.”

Emma sighed and sipped some of her drink through the straw. “Sorry. Just…thinking.”

“About Mr. Hottie?” Annie laughed. “I pulled up the picture of the band again. My, my, my. He is one sweet, luscious man.”

Heat crawled up her cheeks. “Actually I was mentally cursing Andrew again. And myself for acting like I was a docile child for so many years.”

“Listen, girlfriend.” Annie touched her arm. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with parents wanting their kids to have a nice, safe life. And for a lot of people that’s definitely more than enough. But everyone’s tastes are different, Emma. It just took you a lot of years to find out what yours really are.”

“I know, I know. I’m just so conflicted.”

“Okay. Do you really, really like this guy?”

“More than like, I think.” She licked some of the salt from the rim of her glass. “Can you fall in love with someone so quickly, Annie?”

Her friend shrugged. “Sometimes all it takes is twenty-four hours. But Emma.