“No…my biological dad. Who you will have the pleasure of meeting in about ten seconds.” Her voice was heavy with resignation.

The prospect of meeting Sutton’s drug-addict father should have sent me scurrying, not only because it could be awkward but because it could remind me too much of my own father. But a protective instinct reared up within and I knew I would stay to make sure that Sutton was okay.

A knock on the door sounded timidly and Sutton said, “Come on in, Cosmo.”

I turned to look at her and mouthed the word “Cosmo?”

She shrugged her shoulders at me as if to say, Hey, I didn’t name the man, then put a smile on her face that looked a little plastic as she turned to face her birth father.

The man who entered bore no resemblance to Sutton. She got her auburn hair and hazel eyes from her mother, and Cosmo had dishwater blond hair and soft brown irises. He was average height but was tremendously skinny, his Adam’s apple protruding out almost grotesquely and his cheeks gauntly hollow. He was wearing jeans that were smudged with dirt on the knees and a faded brown flannel shirt that looked about two sizes too big for him. While his clothes looked dirty and threadbare, the rest of him looked clean enough, although he clearly hadn’t shaved in several days.

“There’s my baby girl,” he said as he opened his arms up to Sutton.

She didn’t move from behind her desk but allowed her eyes to rake up and down her father. I didn’t miss the tightening of her lips and the ice that formed in her gaze.

“What do you want, Cosmo?” she said, completely ignoring his request for a hug. Her voice wasn’t exactly mean, but it definitely sounded aloof. The smile on his face faltered and his arms dropped to his side.

“I was in the area…thought I’d stop by and see how you were doing.”

“I’m doing well, thank you. But as you can see, I’m with someone now,” she said as she gestured toward me, “and I don’t have time for a visit.”

Cosmo turned to look at me and his eyes went round in surprise. “Holy shit—you’re Alex Crossman.”

I stepped forward with a smile and held my hand out to him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

He took my hand with both of his and pumped an enthusiastic shake. “I’m Cosmo…Cosmo Price. Sutton’s dad. Are you and Sutton seeing each other?”

I said “yes” at the exact time Sutton said “no.” Her dad’s head turned back and forth between the two of us, not sure who to believe. I looked at Sutton and arched an eyebrow at her.

She closed her eyes briefly, letting out a pent-up breath. “I mean, yes, we are seeing each other. We’re also working on a drug outreach program.”

“That’s fantastic,” Cosmo said, his smile beaming as he looked back and forth between us.

Sutton stepped out from behind her desk and opened the door. “Well, thanks, but like I said, I’m busy. Alex and I have to go over the program materials.”

“But…I thought we could talk—” her dad said but Sutton cut him off.

“You know you can’t just drop by at my work. I’ve told you before, you need to arrange a time,” she reprimanded, and I thought that sounded a little harsh.

“But I need some money,” he blurted out and I could see Sutton’s body stiffen with tension.

“Yes, I know that’s why you’re here. You’re using again.”

“I just need a few bucks to get something to eat…maybe get a motel room to stay tonight.”

“You need money for your next fix,” she said, her voice staying calm but filled with ice. “You can get food and shelter down the street at the Savior Mission.”

“I’m not using,” he said urgently, but Sutton held her hand up and he snapped his mouth shut.

“Your eyes are dilated, your shoelace is missing and you’re scratching at the insides of your arms. You’re using,” she said emphatically. “And I’m not funding your habit.”

Cosmo turned pleading eyes to me, and I then saw what Sutton saw. His pupils were large and black, overtaking most of his irises. “Alex…buddy…I’m sure you could spare a few bucks for—”

“Okay,” Sutton cut in and took her father by the elbow. “You need to go…right now, Cosmo. And don’t ever show up here again while you’re high. I work in a drug crisis center, for Pete’s sake!”

She gave him a quick push out the door and I saw a brief glance he threw my way, and then the door was shut and Cosmo was gone.

Turning around, Sutton leaned back against the door, her palms braced flat against it. She gave me a wry smile and said, “And that was Cosmo Price.”

“Holy f**k,” I told her sincerely, my heart squeezing painfully over her misery.

“Exactly,” she agreed and pushed away from the door to head back around her desk. “Now, let me show you those materials—”

My arm snaked out and I circled my fingers around her elbow, halting her progress. She turned to look at me in question.

“I’m sorry” is all I could think to say.

Her smile radiated warm and tender as she placed her hand over mine and stroked my skin. “It’s okay.”

“No…there’s nothing about that that is ‘okay.’ But you handled that phenomenally. I’m in awe, frankly.”

“It’s hard to give tough love, but I have to do that not only for him, but for the sake of my own sanity,” she said as she pulled away from me, and I thought in that moment that Sutton had to be one of the most incredibly well-balanced people I had ever known.