“Indy, are you home?” Phillip called as he came through the back door where he was greeting by the family beagle, Porthos. He glanced at his watch, it was five, his daughter should be home since she would have gotten out of school before he did. Normally he would be home before now but it was the first week and he’d gotten stuck with doing some advising which he hated but it was part of the job. Leaning down to pat the dog, he heard footsteps and looked up to see his daughter come into the kitchen.
It was good to be back at school, okay waking up at 5:30 in the morning wasn’t the highlight but it was nice to get back into classes and back into the routine of everything. She heard her father call and family dog disappeared from the bottom of her bed where she’d been doing some homework. Wrapping up one last page of reading she put a bookmark in and headed down to the kitchen.
“So, you finally decided not to let work eat you?” She teased crossing her arms.
Phillip laughed. “I snuck out the back door when they weren’t looking,” he replied. “At least I’ve done my time as an advisor for now. I won’t have to do any more until we get ready for spring semester and it will just be my students. I have no idea how to advise someone who is majoring in agriculture. Take lots of classes about plants?”
He put his laptop bag on the small desk in the corner of the kitchen and looked at his daughter. He couldn’t believe that she was seventeen already. Time certainly did fly. “How was school today?”
“So, that’s how it’s done when you’re a grown-up, sneak out the back doors.” She teased as she leaned against the wall and crossed her right leg over her left. “I don’t know, you could tell them to move somewhere that has more, you know, land to plant?” She suggested with a shrug.
Shrugging for a second time she paused before speaking. “It was good, weird being the last year, but it was good. The classes weren't bad today and it wasn’t good to see everyone again.”
“The student in question was specifically wanting to know if we had any classes on growing cannibas. I told him that he might want to consider growing something else since he doesn’t live in Colorado.” Phillip laughed and looked at his daughter standing in the doorway. She looked so much like her mother and even though he loved Sam, there would always be a part of him that missed Indy’s mother. “I’m glad you had a good day. Allow me a moment to be cheesy and say that it seems like yesterday that you were starting kindergarten.”
“He could move here?” She suggested but didn’t really take it seriously.
“Dad!” She said rolling her eyes and uncrossing her arms to stand up straight again as she pushed off the wall. “You’re being really cheesy.” She insisted but smiled all the same. “So, have you thought about what you’re going to do when I go to college?”
“I will be very lonely,” he said, crossing the room and kissing her forehead. “But I want you to be happy so I’m not going to remind you that you get free tuition here at Breckentale since I’m on the faculty.”
“You know Nic is still going to be here right?” She said laughing. “And we’ll see, I still have to send in all my college applications,” Indy said with a smile. “And I might want to see something outside of Breckentale as good as the place is, a girl needs to spread her wings.”
“I know she’s still going to be here and I do get it,” he walked over and pulled her into a hug. “Everybody needs to spread their wings and I want you to do whatever makes you happy. There’s a lot of world out there, you should see as much as you can.”
Hugging her father back she kinda laughed eventually pulling back. “You do know we still have like a year before any of that actually happens right? You still have to put up with a teenage daughter in high school.”
“I’m used to it by now,” he said. “I think I can handle another year.” Phillip stepped back and glanced at the clock. “Looks like ordering in would be our best option since I got home late. What do you feel like? I wouldn’t mind Chinese unless you want something different.” While they waited for the food, he could talk to her about something that had been on his mind. There hadn’t been a good moment the last few weeks what with getting ready to return to school so this seemed like a good opportunity.
“Pizza,” Indy answered after rolling her eyes a little bit. “I think pizza would be good, the Chinese isn’t that great up here anyways.” She could be a somewhat picky eater and sometimes while she loved Breckentale it didn’t always have the best of everything.
“Pizza it is then,” he said as he opened the drawer where they kept the menus. Their favorite was on top so he called them and was told their food would arrive in about forty five minutes. Which gave him time to bring up something that he’d been wanting to talk to her about. “Want a soda?” Phillip asked as he got one out of the refrigerator. “I wanted to talk to you for a little bit.”
Indy nodded at his question but narrowed her eyes when she took the soda he handed to her. “I’m not in trouble or anything? Am I?”
Phillip laughed and sat down. “No you’re not in trouble. You’ve only been back at school for a week, you haven’t had time to get into trouble there yet but if there’s something you need to confess, feel free.” he grinned at her and took a sip of his soda. Taking a deep breath, he put the can on the table and looked at her. “I’ve been thinking about this for a while but it’s not something I would ever consider without talking to you about it first. You know how Nic and I feel about each other and we’ve been together a while. What would you say if I told you that I’m thinking about proposing to her? How would you feel and please be honest.”
“Like I’d make it that easy for you,” Indy teased. She looked at her father curiously as she waited for him to tell her what was on his mind.
“Dad, we all live together, I think it’s about time you get off your ass and actually ask her to marry you,” Indy said shaking her head. “Honestly I’m surprised you haven’t brought it up before.”
He shouldn’t have been surprised. Indy was nothing if not perceptive and it wasn’t as if he and Sam had just started dating. “Really?” he said with a grin. “Well, I’ve been kind of chicken I guess. I never thought about remarrying after your mother died, I was focused on you. I wanted you to have a good life and be the best dad I could be. But Nic gets that too, being a single parent and we have a lot in common with our work and it just seemed like the right time. Now all I have to worry about is whether or not she’ll say yes.”
“Dad, I love you, but you’re being sentimental, and it’s Nic, it’s not like you just met or you are proposing after the first date, I’m pretty sure she’ll say yes, and if she doesn’t I have the right to kick her ass!” She said with a nod as if she really meant it.
“I’m not exactly the impulsive kind, that’s true,” he said. “And you’re right, I’m really not afraid she’ll say no but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous.” He’d already been looking at rings online and had a pretty idea of what she might like. “I want to surprise her, it’s just a matter of figuring out how to do it.”
“So, are you thinking something special or just out of the blue in the middle of something normal?” Indy asked as she took a sip. “Because both have their place. Do you have a ring yet?”
“I’ve been looking at rings and I know what she likes, she wouldn’t want something really flashy because of her work. I want to do something special but private. I’m not a fan of the big planned out proposals in public.” Phillip also knew that he’d never be able to do it, he’d get nervous and forget his own name but if it were just the two of them, that would be different.
“So, go for a hike and do it on the top of a mountain? It’s not like we don’t have enough mountains here and you both do have a weird obsession with looking at the stars.” She was teasing mostly about it being weird, but she couldn’t help it.
It was the perfect plan and he couldn’t help the smile that burst onto his face. “That’s fantastic! We could plan a little camping trip, go somewhere special, I know just the place. You are a genius.” “That’s what they tell me!” She teased with a laugh. “But yeah, go get the ring, plan a couple days out in the woods before it gets cold and have fun!”