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She had her medical training to thank for the fact that she could keep her expression neutral. “I’m not upset. He did the right thing.” She squared her shoulders. “The two of you needed time together and I was getting in the way of that. I’d say he executed his duties as best man perfectly. He’s a good friend. You and Rosie are lucky to have him in your corner.” And what was there to be upset or sad about anyway? They’d spent a night together, so what? They were two consenting adults. They’d both made a choice. Yes, she felt completely messed up and emotional about it but that wasn’t Jordan’s fault. It was because she was generally messed up and emotional. She had a sick note to prove it.
“Right now I’m not sure I’m going to need a best man.”
She thought for a moment. “Tell me something, Dan. If you know how important it is to hold on to love, why are you letting it go? Do you think there weren’t days when your parents had to find a path through a bumpy part of their relationship? Look at my parents. On second thoughts, you probably don’t want to look at my parents because every time we turn in their direction they seem to be doing something excruciatingly embarrassing, but my point is that throwing love away simply because you need to both learn to accommodate the way you both are, is a horrible waste.”
He didn’t answer, so she tried again.
“You said you had plenty of time to get to know each other, but knowing each other isn’t only about discovering that one of you once had a pet rabbit, or failed a physics test. It’s about understanding how the other person reacts. I see it in the hospital. People who become aggressive when they’re frightened. People who are so numb with grief they can’t even speak, let alone cry. It’s not because they don’t care, but because that’s their way of handling the fact that they care almost too much. Those are the things you need to know about someone. You’ve found out something r
eally important about Rosie—she is probably not going to yell in your face when something is wrong. You’re going to have to create the environment where she can tell you what’s on her mind.” And she’d messed that part up, too. Katie knew she hadn’t given Rosie the space to talk. “That isn’t a reason to break up. It’s something to file away and use when you need that deeper understanding. That’s what knowing someone really means. And I think it’s called intimacy, although that is something I know next to nothing about.” She turned and walked out of the apartment without looking back.
Had her words had an impact?
She had no idea.
She arrived back at the tree house to find her father waiting for her.
“Hi, Katkin.”
The use of her childhood nickname almost finished her off. “Dad. Where’s Rosie?”
“She’s talking to your mother.”
“Divide and conquer. And you got me. That really is the short straw.”
“That’s not how I see it.” He looked awkward and out of his depth, which wasn’t a surprise. She couldn’t remember ever having a personal discussion with her father in her whole life. Their relationship had always been about shared activities and adventure. Never about emotions.
“I’m sorry about this morning.”
“We’re the ones who should be sorry. For not telling you the truth.” He thrust his hands into his pockets. “But to be honest, I’m not sorry. Your mother and I had—well, we’d grown apart. We couldn’t see a path forward. And then we pretended to still be in love. We spent time together. We had fun for the first time in a while.”
“It sounds like the plot of a romance novel.”
He gave a tired smile. “Perhaps that’s where I went wrong. I never read a romance novel. Maybe if I had, I might have learned a thing or two. Maybe my marriage wouldn’t have crashed.”
She felt an ache in her chest. “I truly am glad it worked out for you both.”
“That isn’t why I’m here. I didn’t come here to talk about us, although I did want to tell you that our marriage is still very much on. I came here to talk about you.”
“You don’t need to say anything. I behaved badly, I know.”
“You were upset. Worried about your sister.” He ran his hand over his jaw. “You haven’t seen much of your mother lately.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. It’s been crazy at work and I’ll try to do better.”
“Seeing your family isn’t a test you have to ace, Katkin. We love you. If you’re busy, that’s not a problem. You’re talking to the guy who spent half your childhood away digging up relics. I understand busy, and so does your mother. But if it’s something else—” He walked across to her and put his hands on her shoulders. “If there’s something else making you keep your distance. Something bothering you. I hope you’d say something. We’re proud of you, I hope you know that.”
She knew how proud they were. That was half the problem. She pulled away from him. “I’m fine, Dad.”
“I’ve never claimed to be much of an expert on body language, but I’m working on it. I know you’re not fine. What I don’t know is why what I said upset you.”
“Honestly, Dad—I can’t—do we have to talk?”
“I’m not saying the right things, am I?” His shoulders sagged. “Your mother will kill me. You girls always talk to your mother when something is wrong, and I don’t blame you, but it means I haven’t had as much practice. Should I go, Katie? I don’t want to make things worse.” He was such a kind man. Such a smart man. Her dad.
Maybe Jordan was right. Maybe it was time she leaned on people herself, instead of protecting them.
“You said you were proud of me,” she told him. “Of the fact I’m a doctor.”
