He answered on the first ring. “Allie!”
I put the most charm that I could in my voice. “Hi, Dad! There was a change in plans, and I had to take a taxi from the airport. I need you to come out and pay him.”
“Oh. But I thought that nice boy Jon was supposed to drive you home from the airport.”
I sighed. Jon had been my first boyfriend when I moved to New York. He was a nice guy for sure. Too nice. My dad had met him when he came up to visit me at college, but by then I already felt no sexual attraction for him anymore. I had dumped him the day after my dad left.
He had no idea about any of the other guys I had been with.
“Things with Jon didn't work out. Can you come quick? I'm freezing out here,” I said, shivering in the snowy air.
“Oh, okay. Let me just put some pants on.” Maybe some things about home never did change. On days when my dad didn't go to the office, he often just worked in his underwear and robe. It was a wonder he had managed to land a wife at all.
I waited outside for him. When he finally arrived, he was still wearing the robe I remembered from high school, just with a pair of sweatpants and a ratty pair of tennis shoes. He looked absolutely ridiculous. Even the taxi driver had a quick laugh about it. Dad paid off the guy, and he released my bag from captivity. We trudged back through the snow and got inside the house.
As soon as I was in the door, he wrapped me up in a big hug. “So good to see you, kiddo! How are things?”
“Fine,” I said, sounding exhausted. I had already had a super long day and I didn't really feel like talking to him or anyone about it.
“Sorry to hear about Jon, he seemed like a nice fella. Do I need to go break his leg or point a shotgun at him or anything?”
I laughed. “No, Dad.” Though if he had asked last night, I would have sent him out after Danny.
“Nancy is in the living room watching TV. Can I get you anything to drink? Hot cocoa?”
“Actually, Dad, I'd rather just go upstairs and unpack. It's been a long day.”
He looked at me with understanding, probably more understanding than I deserved considering the money I had just spent. “Of course, sweetie. We'll be down here if you need anything. Your room is all made up and ready for you.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I grabbed my bag and started to head for the stairs. “Oh, and one more thing. I had to use my emergency credit card for a flight out here. Hope you're not mad.”
For a moment, his eyes darkened and I thought he might be angry. Then he softened and said, “Of course. We can talk about what happened later. For now, just relax and unwind.”
I smiled, then skipped back over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks a ton.” I knew he couldn't really stay mad at me for this. After all, I had made it home for Christmas, hadn't I?
That was more than he could say about James. This would supposedly be his first Christmas home in forever, though I wasn't even sure he'd actually make it this year. They seemed to understand, since he had been busy in college and then, once he dropped out, busy making a billion dollars. Still, I could see that it had affected Nancy.
“Dinner's in an hour,” Dad yelled up after me as I made my way up the stairs.
“Okay, Dad,” I called back. I wondered if I'd even be able to stay up that long.
“Hey,” he called. I turned back. “James said he's going to be here. I really need you to try and be nice to him. He deserves our congratulations and we want to make him feel like part of the family again.”
I knew that my dad thought of James as the son he never had, and that did irk me a little bit. Still, he did deserve recognition for his achievements.
I nodded, making an noncommittal promise and hurried upstairs.
***
My room was exactly the way I had left it. Well, maybe a little bit neater than when I left.
I immediately threw my suitcase on the bed and started to unpack. The clothes I brought were nothing like the wardrobe that I had left home with. Before school, I had been something of a tomboy. New York had changed me for the better. I wasn't sure that my roommate, Nicole, was the best influence on me, but she had definitely pushed me in the right direction when it came to fashion.
I had thought about bringing home some of the clothes that I had used to wear, thinking that otherwise people wouldn't recognize me. “Sweetheart, you don't want people to recognize you,” Nicole had said when she caught me putting old clothes in my suitcase. “You never dress down to fit in with slobs. That's Fashion 101.”
She was a fashion marketing major, and since 100-level classes were the only ones we could take as first semester freshmen, she may have actually had a class called Fashion 101. And, as I took out the little black dress that she had specifically picked out for me, I knew that she would be pretty good at fashion marketing.
Of course, it looked better on her. All the boys turned their heads when we went to a party together. She had tried it on before handing it over to me, and I loved the way that it hugged her curves. I hoped that it looked as good on me. The four-inch black heels wouldn't hurt either, I thought as I pulled them out of the bag.