Her phone buzzed in my hand, and I glanced down at the screen out of habit. A preview popped up. A familiar name, a friend of Allie’s she’d told me plenty about. I didn’t mean to read the message, but Cade’s name jumped out at me, and I couldn’t help it.
Kara:Has the dust settled from telling Cade yet?
My heart stopped.
Another buzz.
Kara:O shit and are you gonna tell Daphne she has a dad now???
My breath caught. I hadn’t been trying to snoop. But there it was. Truth, bright and undeniable. Cade was Daphne’s father.
And she hadn’t told him yet. Hadn’t told any of us.
Allie came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, face pale and drawn. I handed her things to her silently and guided her outside to the car with a hand at the small of her back, the small touch grounding me.
“Thanks,” she murmured.
“Let’s get you home,” I said, my voice flat.
The drive was quiet. Too quiet. Allie didn’t seem to notice at first, still clearly not feeling great, even if she wasn’t quite as green. I suspected she’d puked, and that was why she’d taken so long in the bathroom. I hoped she didn’t have anything serious, though the fact that she felt wonky again so soon after the zoo was worrying. But there was a greater feeling taking over, stronger than the worry. My head was pounding. When we pulled into her apartment parking lot, I put the car in park and turned to her.
“We need to talk.”
She looked at me, wary. “About what?”
“About how you haven’t told Cade he’s Daphne’s father yet.”
Allie’s jaw dropped. “How did you?—?”
“I saw a text on your phone.”
“You read my texts?” Anger spiked in her tone.
“I just saw the preview. I wasn’t trying to, but I did. And now I know.”
Her jaw clenched. “That isn’t your business.”
“He’s one of my best friends, Allie.” My voice rose. “And he doesn’t know he has a daughter? Are you kidding me?”
“It’s complicated,” she snapped.
“Not that complicated. He deserves to know.”
“You don’t get to make that decision.”
I stared at her. “How long have you known?”
She looked away.
“Allie,” I pressed. “How long?”
“A while,” she said finally. Quiet. Almost ashamed.
“Before the zoo?”
She nodded. That hit me harder than I expected. “Jesus,” I muttered.
“I didn’t know what to do. It’s not just about Cade, it’s about Daphne. I’m…it’s complicated.”
