We’ve always been distant. Ever since I married her mother, Lilith, when she was a teenager, there’s been a gap between us.

Over time, I stopped trying as much, figuring maybe that’s just the way things were going to be. So when she called, sounding unusually cheerful, I was both hopeful and wary.

“Hey, Rufus,” she said brightly. “How about dinner? There’s this new place I want to check out.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond at first. We hadn’t spoken in so long. Was she reaching out to patch things up? If she was, I was all in. I’d wanted that for years.

So, with a hint of cautious optimism, I agreed. “Sure, just tell me where and when.”