by Maine, Miley
I pulled into the driveway and parked. There was no way I was going in without letting him know I was there. Although if I knew my dad, ten different security systems had already alerted him that my car had pulled into his driveway.
I texted him a quick message letting him know I was outside. Within seconds the door flew open.
My father was still fully dressed. “Sophia? What's wrong?”
“Nothing's wrong. Why are you still up?” I asked. It wasn’t like him to stay up past 10:00 p.m.
“Owning a business is time consuming.”
“Wasn't today your first day?”
“Yesterday,” he corrected.
“Right. The club opening. How did it go?” He looked tired, for him. He was forty-six years old, and usually could pass for forty or younger. He still worked out all the time, and ate pretty well for a guy living on his own. But today he was washed out.
Surely owning a business wasn’t more tiring than serving in the Army. But he’d loved serving his country, and he had some regrets about leaving.
I’d felt a little guilty for the last two years, because I knew he left to spend more time with me. He’d retired while I was at college, and it became clear that my mother was probably gone for good. He said he’d gotten to put in over twenty years with the Army, so he wanted to put in some time with me.
Selfishly, I’d been glad to have him back. He’d been working for a private investigator, but realized there was a need for a private security company in the area. I was glad, because I didn’t have to worry so much now that he wasn’t in the Army.
Or so I’d thought. Now I wasn’t so sure. Maybe running this business was too much for him.
“I'm guessing you haven't watched the news much,” he said.
I usually kept up with local, national, and international news, far more than most college students. And my father knew that. “It's finals week. I’m out of the loop.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Right. I forgot.”
“What happened?” I asked. My father had a meticulous memory and never forgot what I told him. There must be a reason why he didn't remember I was taking finals this week.
“Here, I'll show you.” He opened his laptop and clicked the play button on a news story.
I watched with my mouth open as the reporter recounted the details of the fight between two men at Black Cherry, and the attempted arson at the same club. I turned to my dad with my mouth open. “Wow. You guys saved the day.”
“That was mostly Noah. He caught the guy who was about to set the fire.” My dad’s voice was filled with pride.
I’d never met Noah, but my father had always spoken highly of him. Noah was from Tennessee, and his accent was even more southern than ours was. My father seemed to look at him as more of a younger brother than a fellow soldier. They’d served together for years overseas, and my father had always said Noah was the most dependable guy he knew.
When Noah was shot in the line of duty, my dad had freaked out. I’d never seen him so worried. He’d even gone to visit Noah at the VA hospital in California where he’d ended up for treatment.
So when Noah was at loose ends with no place to go, my father immediately asked him to move to Louisville and go into business with him. My dad had been kicking around the idea of starting his own security firm for years, even when he was still active in the military.
Noah had agreed, and even moved his younger sister to Louisville to be close to him.
Now they’d gotten to open their business, and the first night had apparently been total chaos. “I was going to ask if you needed any office help, but it sounds like you guys have enough on your plate,” I said.
“What happened to your restaurant job?”
There was no way I was going to describe the interaction that took place between me and the sorority gang. It was just embarrassing for all of us. “It was time to move on.”
My dad leaned back into the couch. His entire body seemed to sag. “If you’re serious, we could use the help.”
“Really? Are you just saying that to humor me?”
“Not at all. I know you’ll show up on time, and I don’t have to waste time on a background check.”
I smiled. That had been far easier than I’d thought. “You’re getting soft,” I teased. “Three years ago you’d have made me interview for the job, even if I was the only applicant.” My dad was a good guy, but he’d always been a hard-ass in a lot of ways. He demanded that I always do my best.
“Soft? Is that a challenge?” he asked.
I laughed. It felt good after the bullshit I’d gone through with the sorority clan.
“Yes. You can consider it a challenge. I’ll start tomorrow.” I looked forward to a professional job in an office, where I wouldn’t have to deal with immature sorority girls. And I’d finally get to meet my dad’s friend and business partner, Noah.
Hope you loved the excerpt of Dad’s Best Friend. You can read the full story here!
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