Secret Obsession by Olivia Linden Read Free Book Online

ahead."
    "C'mon Raven. My treat," he insisted. Just as she was assimilating another rejection, her father stepped into the office.
    "Hey Raven, let's go," he instructed.
    Thrown off balance by her father's request, she hesitated. "Where are we going?"
    "Sheesh! Lunch woman. Let's go, let's go!"
    Harry Davis was mostly a patient man, but when he had something on his mind, his patience slipped a few notches.
    "Ok! Sorry, Doug. Maybe some other time," she threw over her shoulder as she followed her dad outside.
    Once in her father's truck, the ride to their destination was silent. In a moment of panic, Raven wondered if somehow he knew her secret. That Finn had been sneaking into her room every night and vice versa. They tried to be careful, but what if they had been found out?
    No, her father would be furious if he knew what they were up to. Her finger twitched with the longing to tap on the doorframe she rested her hand on, but that would give her away. That was a nervous habit, so she remained still.
    After a short drive, they pulled into Moe's Diner. This is where they used to come for lunch together the summer before she went away to school. Sharing their favorite dish of bacon cheeseburgers with smothered fries. If they were feeling really risky, they would add a banana split to the meal. Even though they were pretty distant at that moment, Raven and her father were once close.
    She followed her dad to their usual booth, watching as he settled into his seat. He grabbed two plastic menus and slid one toward her. Raven smiled at this gesture, enjoying how he was pretending to give her a choice when they both knew what his intended plan for lunch was. Once the waitress came to their table, he placed an order for the usual, lifting an eyebrow at Raven to see if she was in agreement. She simply nodded and smiled, sliding her menu back towards him.
    For the first time, in a long while, she studied her father's features. He looked pretty much the same, except for the extra tension lines that creased his forehead. There was also happiness in his eyes. A lightness that Raven hadn't seen in him for a very long time. It made her feel conflicted. She was pleased that her dad was finally happy again, but guilty of what she was doing behind his back. Not enough to make her stop, but enough to make her think.
    "So how you doing, Ray? With the move and everything," her father started in.
    "I guess things are falling into place. Just needed some time to adjust," she answered.
    "Yeah. I know there were a few changes for you to get used to. You're so damn quiet, I never really know what's going on with you."
    Raven glanced down at her straw, twirling it between her fingers and hoped to hide the proof of her mischief in her eyes.
    "Things are a lot different, but I'll be okay," she finally responded.
    "And is this what you want?" Harry asked. "To stay here? What about school?'
    "I was thinking about attending the local community college, bring my grades back up, and then I can think about going back." She lied. She didn't want to go back anymore than she wanted to suck her burger through a straw. Especially because her thing with Finn.
    "Oh. That's great. Thanks for really taking this all in stride. I thought you were angry with me," her father continued. "Since you haven't really been talking to me, and you say even less to Dorothy and Finn. I was hoping that we could work on that."
    "Work on that?"  What did her father have in mind? As she was pondering his last statement, their order was brought to the table. Raven munched on a few fries as she waited for her father to continue.
    "Yes. Work on it. I have a request. Can you be nicer to Finn? He's had it rough since his dad passed away, and Dorothy is worried about him. Maybe, just talk to him. See what he's into. I don't know how to reach him, and maybe since you guys are close in age, he'll talk to you."
    Raven didn't know whether to laugh or panic. Was her father really sitting there