Dad stepped out of the crowd, arms open wide, and caught me in a hug.
I wrapped my arms around him, waving Lena on. “I wondered when we’d run into each other,” I said, pulling back. Dad never missed the festival if he could help it. “We were just heading over for the food competitions. I’ve got to take some photos.”
“Ah, yes. I’m waiting to hear what Locke thinks about this pickled haggis, smoked mackerel concoction everyone’s been talking about.” He glanced around as if expecting to see him over my shoulder. “Where is he?”
Frustration itched in the space between my shoulder blades.Not here!I wanted to shout.Obviously!But that wouldn’t be fair. It wasn’t as if Dad had any way of knowing what had happened with Locke. I swallowed down as much of my irritation as I could. “He spent too long at the office, and now he’s stuck in traffic.”
“Ah, too bad,” Dad said, his arm curling around my shoulders as we wandered toward the judging tent. “But sometimes the work needs to get done.”
I jerked at Dad’s words. “That’s why we schedule these things months in advance, isn’t it?” I pointed out through clenched teeth. “So people can clear their desks ahead of time. He was actually supposed to be here last night, but he postponed leavinguntil this morning. And now he’s stuck behind some overturned produce truck or whatever.”
“That’s all right, love,” Dad said. “These things happen.”
“It’s not all right, though.” I studied Dad’s expression.He’dmanaged to find the time to be here, so why was he acting like it was expected that Locke would miss it? “By the time he gets here, the festival will be over! Plus, he volunteered for the haggis judging. If he didn’t know if he’d be able to make it, I wish he wouldn’t have bothered signing up. It’s not fair to Jo to have to cover that at the last second.”
Dad rubbed my shoulder but seemed largely unfazed by my frustration. “I’m sure they’ll find someone else.”
I huffed, smoothing my sweaty hair out of my face. “That’s not the point.”
“Don’t be upset with him.” Dad hugged me closer. “You should be proud being with someone that works so hard.”
Are you kidding me?A pulse beat in my temple. It wasn’t just frustration anymore. Now I was angry.
“I know I gave him a hard time when we first met,” Dad continued, “but even if I wasn’t sure he was right foryou, I still respected him as a businessman. Locke goes after what the company needs, and he’s proven to be a savvy operator.”
What the hell did that have to do with him being late?
“All of that means he’s a good provider,” Dad finished.
At that, my anger boiled over. “There are more important things than being a good provider!” I snapped. Was this what I had to look forward to from Locke for the rest of my life? Years ofbroken promises because the company needed something? I’d lived that song and dance for the first chunk of my life, and I wasn’t interested in doing it again.
Dad looked genuinely baffled. “I can’t think of what could possibly be more important,” he said. “Love, it means he wants to take care of you. And that’s something I can support.”
No!I thought. Locke wanted to take care of his real child—Fraser Developments. I remembered Claire’s words from all those weeks ago.I thought the business was your baby. You certainly fussed over it like it was.Tears welled behind my eyes, and it took every ounce of my self-control to keep them from falling.
“Showing up for the people who are relying on you,” I said, voice rough. “That’swhat’s more important.”
Dad laughed a bit, shaking his head. “All this fuss over a silly contest. Again, love, I’m sure Jo’s got a list a mile long of volunteers that can step in.”
He wasn’t getting it. He never would.
I blinked hard, deflating as I was led through the crowd. A numbness settled over me. Even now, with me shouting it in his face, Dad didn’t see anything wrong with Locke letting me down. Just like Dad didn’t think he’d done anything wrong by not showing up for me and Mom for so many years.
And he probably never would.
It was time for me to give up on waiting for an apology—for understanding—that would never come. Because Dad was the guy who would always prioritize work first, and he would never see that as a problem.
But I’d really hoped Locke was different. When he said he wanted me, that he wanted to do this co-parenting thing, I’d actually believed he’d be there for us.
I believed I’d be a priority.
But maybe I’d been wrong about him. Maybe he wasexactlylike my dad.
23
LOCKE
“Fucking shite,” I muttered under my breath as I reached the high street. The vendors were already packing up. I’d missed the entire flaming thing all because of some bloody vegetables!
