- Daddys Dirty Phone -09...: -dadcrush- Lucie Kline

The rest of the day was a blur. Lucie couldn't focus on anything. Her mind kept wandering back to those texts. Was her dad seeing someone? And why did she feel like she was on the cusp of discovering something much bigger?

Richard stood up and wrapped his arms around her. "I was scared, sweetie. I didn't know how you'd react. But I promise, this doesn't change anything. I love you no matter what."

Lucie listened, processing. A part of her was surprised; another part wasn't. Her mom had been gone for a while, and her dad deserved to be happy.

As she poured herself a bowl of cereal, her eyes wandered to her dad's phone on the kitchen counter. It was an older model, but Lucie remembered him being quite proud of it. Maybe it was the sentimental value, or perhaps it was because it was his "dirty phone," as he jokingly referred to it. The term didn't mean what it sounded like; at least, not to Lucie's knowledge. For her dad, "dirty" meant it was off-limits to her and her siblings. A relic from his workdays, supposedly.

That evening, Lucie decided to confront her dad. Not aggressively, but with genuine concern. She found him in his study, looking somewhat sheepish.