My Father's Best Friend novel Chapter 47

“Are you sure about your choice, Andrea?” her mother asked.

Andrea woke up to find herself already in bed, she knocked on Lance’s door but found his room empty, knowing she will not be able to sleep anymore, she went to the house’s backyard and sat on one of the pool chairs by the poolside and focused her gaze at the nearly starless sky, still shook from the confession earlier.

She craned her neck a little to see her mother, Pamela, standing by the doors leading to the house.

“Mom, why are you still awake? Where’s Dad?” she asked, rather hesitantly.

Pamela walked towards the chair beside Andrea’s and sat down, “He went out for a drink,” she answered.

They remained silent for a while longer; the slight wind rustling the trees surrounding their backyard accompanied it. In a different situation, Andrea might have found the silence comforting but it wasn’t a different situation and she felt as if she’s being suffocated.

“Mom,” she said, her words coming out strangled.

Her mom, who was looking at the sky, turned her emotionless face, “Yes, Andrea?”

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“For what?” Pamela asked, her tone strained.

“For falling in love with Lance,” she said, and when her mom did not respond she continued, “I know it was wrong, Mom. I- “

“Yes, it is wrong, Andrea. Completely and utterly wrong,” Pamela cut her off, in the same icy tone that she heard moments ago.

“Mom,” she said, tears threatening to escape her eyes.

“Andrea, I don’t know what I did wrong for you to turn into the person you are now,” Pamela said in a tone filled with regret.

Andrea wanted to cry. Her mother just said the worst thing to her, “You did nothing wrong, Mom. Just because I fell in love with Lance doesn’t mean I’m something terrible,” she defended herself.

“Tell me, Andrea, was Lance the only man you dated that is a handful of years older than you are?” she asked, and Andrea’s eyes widened. Did she know?

“Mom, it’s not- “

“Answer me,” she reprimanded.

Andrea shook her head.

“Andrea, I know who you dated. I knew you dated men that are much older than you,” Pamela said.

Andrea looked at her mom, her eyesight a little blurred because of the tears, “Mom, I can explain that”

Pamela shook her head, “I thought that was just a phase, but I thought wrong. You even went ahead and started dating the man that has been around since you were just a fetus! What is wrong with you, Andrea?” Pamela said, raising her voice, her tone sounding disappointed.

“Nothing’s wrong with me, Mom,” she shook her head, her voice breaking.

“I can never accept your relationship, Andrea. You may hate me for it, but I can never accept it,” Pamela said, stood up and walked away.

Andrea did not turn to look at her mother’s retreating figure, she remained sobbing on the pool chair.

The party ended almost as suddenly as it started. It was boring and for the most part, adult oriented. But Lance did not care about that, what he cared about is the tension between Andrea and Pamela.

Simon had warmed up to the idea pretty quickly but Pamela, she still seemed in shock and rather quiet. Simon said he tried to talk to Pamela, but she didn’t bother responding, she just leave whenever she feels like she’s cornered and she kept on avoiding Andrea and him.

As for Andrea, she kept on smiling like everything is fine and dandy, but she could not fool him with her smile, it was not the same contagious one she always had on when she’s happy. It’s something different. Something fake.

He and Simon walked into a very tension-filled quiet house that early morning and as he stopped by Andrea’s door, he could hear her muffled sobbing, but he did not dare enter. He told her about Simon being okay with their relationship and she just numbly nodded and gave him the first of the fake smiles, not the one that he expected as response.

Andrea locked herself up on Victoria’s room during the whole duration of the party and when it was time to leave that was when she left Victoria’s room.

“Is she all right?” asked Victoria to Lance as they followed Andrea walking beside her father. Pamela walking ahead all of them.

“I don’t actually know,” Lance said, because that was the truth.

Victoria pouted, “Weird, she told me she has something to tell me the last time we talked but she just locked herself up in my room and whenever I came by, she would just smile at me and say she just doesn’t feel good. Is she pregnant?” Victoria asked.

Lance furrowed at her question, “No,” he shook his head. They’ve never done it and as far as he knows Andrea’s a virgin.

Victoria nodded, taking the answer into consideration, “Okay,” she said and was about to say something when her fiancé called for her. They bid their goodbyes and went separate directions.

“I’m going back tomorrow,” Andrea announced as all of us got inside the car.

“Already? But you said you wouldn’t be back to work until Monday?” Simon asked.

“I need to be alone,” was all she answered.

“I’ve got some place to be,”

“Thursday?”

“Nope,”

“Oh, come on, Friday, then?”

Andrea bit her lip, “You’re really not going to stop, are you?” she asked.

“Nope, I will not,” he said with a smirk.

Andrea sighed, “I don’t know, sir.”

“Andrea don’t be like that. We could be good friends, you know, if you’ll just lay off the professionalism for just a night,” Holden insisted.

“I’ve actually got personal problems that I need to take care of, sir.” she confessed.

Holden’s playful demeanor turned serious.

“Just what kind?” he asked.

“I don’t think personal affairs a good topic with your employer,” she smiled, apologetically.

“You know, you can tell me something. I mean, I’m not just Mr. McKinley. I’m also Holden, the guy who helped you out two weeks ago,” he said.

She nodded, it was only two weeks ago when she first met him, and it already felt like a lifetime ago to her. Back when she was just Andrea confusing herself with feelings for Lance. But she’s different from that Andrea two weeks ago, the present her is someone who’s in a relationship with Lance, her father’s best friend.

“I’m in a relationship with Lance,” she blurted out before she could help herself.

Holden’s eyes widened, “Lance? As in Lance Gallagher?” he asked, disbelief in his voice.

She nodded, “Yes,”

“How the hell did that happen?” he asked.