Free Pieces of it All by Tracy Krimmer Page B

of bed and showered as fast as she could. It took about ten minutes to blow dry her hair, and then she tossed it into a pony tail, smoothing out the top and sides with a few barrettes. A light coat of makeup satisfied her. She raided her closet at least four times before deciding on a pale blue ribbed tank with a white skirt with large ruffles that just grazed her knees. She glanced in the mirror, tossed on some sandals, and ran down the stairs.
    "Where are you off to?" Her mother stopped her at the bottom of the steps. "Six-forty-five is a little early, don't you think?"
    "Yes, Beth. You were gone all morning and afternoon yesterday." Her father's voice reminded her from the other room.
    She stepped into the dining room where her father, Michael, sat at the table reading the paper. He folded the pages and set it down. His dark hair, feathered on the side, trimmed perfectly around his ears, and he wore a slick black suit, a turquoise tie smoothed down his shirt.
    "I know, Dad. Didn't mom tell you I volunteered at a fair?"
    "Yes, she did. That boy brought you home yesterday. He never bothered to come in. Is this who you are off to meet this morning?"
    The truth. They were looking for the truth here, right? "Yeah. His name is Harvey. We met last month. He invited me to his house for breakfast."
    "His house?" He picked up the paper and swatted the table. "Beth, think this through. Does this seem like a good idea?" His eyes narrowed disapprovingly. "You just met him."
    "Mom and I talked about this yesterday." She pointed toward the stairs where her mom still stood. "I'm meeting him at Denny's instead, not his house."
    He sighed. "Still. I haven't met this boy. Your mother said he showed up briefly for your graduation party, but he never cared to introduce himself to me. I'm not sure I approve of this."
    Her mom piped in as she stepped into the room. "Beth and I did talk about this last night. I'm sorry, I forgot all about her going today. Michael, she planned on going to his house. I've at least talked her into meeting at Denny's instead. It's only breakfast."
    "Yeah, it's only breakfast, Dad." Wrong response.
    He flashed an evil eye at her. "I don't know if I like you seeing boys and all that jazz."
    Beth had to deal with the over protectiveness of her father more than she would like, especially since she was an only child. Lucy had an older sister as a role model, therefore allowing her the freedom to do so much. Beth's dad never left the new fatherhood phase and wanted to shield her from the world. "It's called dating, Dad. I don't do a ton of it." Even if she had guys falling at her feet, he would make dating on a regular basis near impossible. He managed to warm up to Ryan a little bit before they broke up. She didn't think he'd cozy up to another boyfriend of hers again for quite awhile.
    He stood up from the table. "Exactly. You've got no idea what guys are like." He walked over to Beth and put his arm around her. "They aren't all nice like your dad." He pulled her into a hug. Why did dads always think guys only wanted sex? Did he ? Is that how he and her mom got together? The thought almost made her throw up.
    "I know, Dad." But maybe he was right? No. Harvey seemed different. "We're going to Denny's . I'll call you if we decide to go to a motel."
    He grabbed her shoulders and faced her to him. "Hey! Don't even make jokes about that."
    Okay, possibly she took it a little too far, but she had to call him out on his ridiculousness. "Dad, I'm joking! I'll be okay. It's a breakfast date." She wasn't going to bang him in the bathroom at the restaurant.
    He moved his hands to her jawline and squeezed her cheeks together. "Fine. Have fun." .
    "Why don't you invite Harvey over for dinner?" Her mom asked.
    Too serious of a step. Meeting the parents? Dinner with a significant other's family was something reserved for a boyfriend. They had only been on a few dates, and that was if the night at The Blue Rooster counted in that number,