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Chapter Thirty
Joel
“How much?” I ask. “Man to man, what's it gonna take to get your blessing?”
I don't give a damn about his “blessing,” but I know that bitterness and strife are no way to start out a relationship, much less a marriage. That, and I need to get out of town.
I take in his appearance. He's wearing a clean, pressed shirt and slacks. His hair is slicked back, and he has a sharp nose. He looks like he's ready for a fight. “You come in here, into my home, and insult me.”
“Money is hardly an insult. Quite the contrary.”
“What—”
“Look,” I say, trying to be reasonable. “She obviously wants to go. And from what I know about women, it's probably easier for us all if you just let her have her way. Maybe she'll come to her senses, maybe she won't. But the more you try to keep her here, the more she's going to rebel.”
“You don't know my daughter,” he tells me through gritted teeth.
“You're right, I don't.”
I can see the resentment in his eyes. I know for damn sure that his daughter doesn't want a life like mine, that she might even hate me for it. But I also know that she has to find that out for herself. I surprise myself when the words come out of my mouth. “Let her go. What the hell. She'll be back in a few days. What's the worst that can happen?”
“And what makes you think that?” he asks, his voice laced with skepticism.
“I'm not stupid. And I'm not blind, either.”
There was a long silence. I'm not really sure what he can say that will make any difference.
But then he calls my bluff. “My daughter isn't going anywhere without me. Maybe I ought to go with you two and check things out. See for myself what Gina's getting herself into. There,” he says, brushing his hands together. “That's my price.”
“Are you even well enough to make the trip?”
“I’m as well as I’ll ever be,” he says stoically. “And if my daughter decides to do something stupid and marry you, I’m damn sure gonna be there or die tryin’.”
So this is how I end up regretting not driving straight on through. This is how I end up headed south with one passenger too many.
