Free Falling For Zoe (The Camerons of Tide's Way #1) by Skye Taylor

like she’s growing up, and you don’t get it.”
    “I don’t get it?” Astonishment at this accusation hit him like a slap in the face. “Did you see what she was wearing the other day? Sweet Jesus! If I hadn’t noticed before, there was no way I could have missed the fact that she’s growing up in that rig. I wanted to wrap her in a blanket and hustle her back into the house before anyone saw her.”
    “That’s the point I’m trying to make. Ava wants the world to notice she’s becoming a woman, and you want to pretend she’s not.”
    “But you can’t mean I should let her dress like that?” Jake gasped for breath at the outrageous suggestion.
    Zoe reached across the island and placed a hand atop of his. A zing of current ripped through him. His instinct was to yank his hand away, but the soft warmth of hers felt too good. He resisted the equal temptation to turn his hand over and close his fingers around hers. Friends don’t hold hands, chump!
    “No, I didn’t mean that.” Zoe’s voice was as gentle as her hand. “You were right to send her back to change. But you need to make it abundantly clear that you not only notice that she’s growing up, but that you’re proud of the woman she’s becoming. Treat her more like an equal when you can. She’s taken on a lot of adult responsibility around your house, and in a lot of ways, she is more adult than child. Let her be a partner some of the time instead of Daddy’s little girl. And especially notice the things she does all by herself that don’t need direction from you. Like being a good student and being conscientious about her homework. Thank her for taking the initiative when she does something you didn’t ask her to do. Would that be so difficult?”
    Jake shook his head. It felt like a lecture, but he’d asked for her advice. “I guess not.” Reluctantly, he pulled his hand away from Zoe’s and stood up. “I am proud of her, you know. She’s a really great kid.”
    “Young woman,” Zoe corrected.
    “A young woman,” Jake repeated dutifully. Ava was his baby. Like Marsha had been someone’s baby once. And look what had happened to her. Zoe might be right about treating Ava differently now she was nearly grown up, but damn it! Ava would always be his baby in his heart. He didn’t want her getting knocked up by some randy teenager with more hormones than good sense. And he should know better than most fathers just how easily that could happen.
    “I think you might be surprised by her views on sex, too.”
    Mother of God! Could this woman read his mind? The telltale heat of embarrassment surging into Jake’s cheeks made him feel vulnerable, but he swallowed his pride and asked, “What are her views on sex? Obviously she’s shared more with you than with me.”
    Zoe studied Jake without speaking for a long, unnerving minute. “Don’t take it personally, Jake. I doubt there are very many teenage girls who feel comfortable talking about sex with their fathers. Probably not a lot of them who are entirely comfortable talking about it with their mothers either, for that matter. And she probably wouldn’t have said anything to me except that we ran into a friend of hers at the mall, and her friend was eager to tell her some scandalous bit of gossip about Travis.
    “But she does listen to you, Jake. I know because she asked me to confirm something you told her about boys and sex. Which is how I come to know that she said no to Travis when he pushed for more than a few tonsil-tickling kisses.”
    Jake’s fingers curled into fists at the thought of Travis hitting on his baby. His Ava. Jake closed his eyes and counted to ten. Slowly.
    “Ava has a good head on her shoulders. You’ve done a good job with her. Now you need to have a little faith in her . Trust her to make some decisions on her own. And let her know you’re there for her anytime she needs backup.”
    When Jake opened his eyes again, Zoe had come around the island and stood