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Will he look the same?
Will there be the same anger in his eyes and tension between us that was there the day I walked away?
All these unknowns douse me in anxiety.
Hudson knocks on the wooden door, and with each hit, my stomach rolls. “Dad?”
“Come in.” That familiar deep, gravelly voice—it’s him. Dad.
Hudson grabs the handle and pushes it open, stepping through the doorway. I hang back, unsure what’s going to happen. “Someone is here to see you,” Hudson says.
“Who’s that?” There’s the clicking of a keyboard, and it’s as though my feet have become lead.
Hudson sticks his head out the door and reaches out, taking my hand and pulling me into the office. I let go of him and grip my hands together, fidgeting with my fingers.
“Hey, Dad,” I say in a shaky voice.
Dad’s head whips up from the computer screen. “Dee?” He sounds breathless but then his demeanor changes, and he turns back to what he was doing. “What do you want?”
A chill fills the room, and any hope I had of mending things with Dad evaporates.
“COME ON, DAD. DON’T BElike that,” Hudson says, much more forcefully than I’d have thought.
“Be like what? She wants something… that’s most likely the only reason she’s here.” Dad glares at Hudson, who gives him an equal glare in return. I guess the stare-downs still happen. Nothing new here, then. These two are as stubborn as each other.
“Do you think maybe she might have just wanted to see you? Us? Herfamily?” Hudson crosses his arms over his broad chest, his shirt fitting to his muscles perfectly.
“Don’t worry about it, Hud. It’s clear I’m not welcome h-here anymore.” My voice cracks, but I swallow the tears that threaten. I won’t let him see that he’s hurt me once again.
Hudson was wrong.
He’s not happy to see me.
I knew he wouldn’t be.
It’s like a knife to the heart.
Dad sighs, rubbing his eyes. He turns in my direction, and I feel the weight of his stare. There’s hurt there. I see it as I do in my own eyes every day in the mirror. “It’s good to see you, Delilah,” he says gruffly.
“Good to see you too, Dad.” I hold his heavy gaze.
He drops his head to the papers littered across his desk. “You can stay in your old room. Once you’re settled, you can come back down here and start answering some of these nonstop calls.” With that said, he rises from behind his large oak desk and moves around it. As tall as he is, he moves swiftly in tight and uncomfortable situations. He keeps walking past Hudson and goes wide around me. I’m smacked to the past the instant I catch the scent of the Old Spice he always wears. That’s never changed. I always wondered if Mom bought it in bulk just so Dad never ran out.
Since losing Mom almost ten years ago, it hasn’t been easy for Dad, raising us and running the business. All of us have helped and supported each other—until I left. When I was a kid, Dad was always busy trying to keep the business afloat and hold onto the property. I’ve lost count of how many times Dad has had offers to buy this place, all of which he’s turned down instantly in the past when I was here, but since losing touch, I wouldn’t know about anything recent.
“Come on, Dee. Let’s get you settled.” Hudson sighs. “I’m sure the others will be happy to see you. I think they’re up at the house right now. We’ve got more than usual coming for holidays so extra hands will be great.”
“I can’t wait to help out.” But I’m not sure how much help I’ll be when Olive arrives in a couple of days. I can’t stand being away from her, but I need to prepare my family for her somehow, and after the icy reception from Dad, I’m not sure how welcoming he’ll be of Olive—especially since she’s Eli’s daughter.
Then there’s the news about Eli, but that bit of information can stay buried for a while longer.
“Sorry about Dad. He’s obviously having a bad day,” Hudson says.
I sense Hudson’s eyes on me. I give a slight nod but say nothing, the lump in my throat clogging my voice. After a moment, he turns and heads out the door. I go to follow but stop the moment I catch a glimpse of one of the last family photographs we had taken together. It was the last one before Mom passed away.
My younger self smiles back at me. It’s the smile of a girl who doesn’t have a care in the world. We all have our arms around each other. Mom and Dad stare at each other. The rest of us are laughing at Odette, who’s doing her familiar dance, spinning in a circle with her arms in the air. None of us could get her to stand still. I can still hear the laughter of that day. It was also the day we took the first steps to turn this place around and started helping those with similar disabilities to Odette.
Mom had such a passion and pushed to get Odette the help she needed with her therapies and medication. Her weeks were filled with doctor’s appointments while Dad’s were spent working on the farm. It worked for them, though. Their love story is one I’ve always wanted—to find a love like that. Dad has never looked at another woman the way he did Mom.
