Page 5 of The Goalie

“A little bit. It’s all blurry in the mirror. How do I look?”

“You look like you got into a fight with Connor McGregor.”

She laughs. “You should see his face.”

“You know that scene in Hitch?” I say, trying not to crack up.

“No way,” she says, laughing too. “That bad?”

“Probably worse.”

She shakes her head and laughs. “Take a picture.”

I grab my phone and she gives me a big happy smile, which looks so hilarious with her big puffy eyes that I start crying laughing. I feel bad for her, but if she’s going to be okay, it’s pretty hilarious. Plus, my mom is the type of woman who laughs at everything. Nothing gets her discouraged.

“Don’t you have that fundraiser with dad tonight?” I ask, wiping the tears from my eyes.

“I did,” she says. “I’m not going now. I look ridiculous and I can’t see. I’ll probably walk right off the yacht in front of everyone.”

“Yeah, but maybe a hot Italian billionaire will pull you out.”

“Pull me out looking like a dead fish?”

“A dead fish with puffy eyes.”

She grins. “And great tits.”

I grab a pillow and throw it at her.

She got breast implants last year and loves them.

The front door opens and my mom winces.

“Hello!” Dad bellows through the house.

“Does he know about this?” I ask.

Mom shakes her head. “He was at work and I didn’t have the heart to tell him.”

“I think he’s going to find out when he walks in and sees you looking like a Star Wars character.”

She laughs. “What kind of Star Wars character? Leia in the hot bikini or strange alien creature?”

“Definitely hot Leia,” I say.

I hear my dad throw his keys on the counter downstairs. “Lynn?” he calls out. “Are you home?”

“I’m up here,” Mom hollers back. She winces as she looks at me. “Can you go prepare him?”

I take a deep breath as I look her over one last time. “I’ll do my best.”

My heart is racing as I run out of the room and down the hall. Dad is walking up the stairs. He lights up when he sees me.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he says as I meet him halfway on the staircase. He wraps his big arms around me and gives me a bear hug. He’s the best dad in the world.

I know he’s always had a soft spot for me. I’m his only child and even though I’m twenty-two, he still sees me as his baby girl.

I don’t mind. It’s kind of nice and comforting. I play into it a bit sometimes. Especially when I have a big favor to ask.