AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes, thank you. I hope you didn't mind me helping myself.”
“Of course not. I think I could do for a cup of coffee. How about you?” He started back into the kitchen.
“Yes, please, that would be lovely.”
Coming around the counter he came to a halt when her exposed legs came into sight once again. “I think I better get you a robe first.”
He was gone before she could agree. Seconds later he was back and handing her a big heavyweight robe. Thanking him, she proceeded to don the sizes-too-big garment. With an impish grin she began rolling the sleeves and only noticed then the monogrammed initials on the left lapel.
“DWO. What does the 'W' stand for?”
Unaware, Dexter's eyes grew forlorn as he turned swiftly aware from her view. “Wallace.”
“Wasn't that your father's name?”
“Yes.” It was abrupt and matter-of-fact. In other words, end of discussion.
But Laura wasn't so easily discouraged. “Were you very close?”
“Not really.”
She studied his back since he still had not turned around. “I’m sorry to hear that. I was very close with my father. I wouldn't have traded those years with him for anything.”
He simply grunted a response.
“You must miss him still the same. I mean, losing a parent is very difficult especially on a teenager such as you were—”
“Look, am I somehow inertly encouraging this conversation? Just drop it.” He turned sharply on her.
“I'm sorry. I didn't realize this was a touchy topic.”
“It's not touchy.” He snapped. “I simply don't get my thrills off discussing the deceased.”
“Especially yours.”
“Don't try your psychoanalysis crap on me. I'm not one of your teenagers.”
Offended, she was quick to the defense. “I didn't think you were. I thought perhaps you would like to talk about your father.”
“No thanks.”
“Denial is a common defense mechanism.”
“I'm not defending myself from anything.”
“It helps the heart cope with the loss if it believes it never happened.”
“Good Lord,” he exclaimed, turning blazing eyes on her, “I’m fully aware my father’s dead!”
She grimaced at the brusque tone of his voice. “Then you're dealing with a common practice of acknowledging the death but not accepting it. You believe as long as you don't face the reality it will never be able to hurt you.”
“You've gone too far, lady.”
“I think you've been holding the pain off for a very long time. Maybe that's why you've become so cold and hard over the years. Another means of a defense mechanism.” Laura found herself unable to stop speaking. Her thoughts were being passed from her brain to her mouth without her consent, but suddenly some things were becoming very clear. They explained a lot and she had a stupendous urge to understand more. “I think maybe you're wrong, you were very close to your father after all.”
Dexter had gone completely still. His face, an impenetrable stone. At last he pushed himself up from the counter he leaned against and turned away shaking his head. “You don't know what you're talking about.”
She sighed. She could see here was a very tough surface that needed to be crumbled. The problem was, getting it to bend to begin with.
