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He let out a laugh. ‘No one’s going to forget it any time soon.’
‘True.’ The heat from his arm began seeping through the sleeve of his jacket and she took a moment to savour the feeling.
She had a sudden urge to run her hands through his wavy hair and drag his mouth down to meet hers. She didn’t, of course. Too many prying eyes. It was tempting, though.
Instead, she focused her gaze on his. ‘Are you going to tell me what happened with my brother?’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘I wasn’t aware anything had happened with your brother. What is it you think happened?’
She held his gaze. ‘I’ve no idea, he won’t tell me.’
He gave a little shrug. ‘Maybe there’s nothing to tell.’
‘Or maybe you’re protecting him?’
‘Why would I do that?’ His hand rested over hers, big and warm and heavy. ‘I have no loyalty towards your brother, I don’t even know him.’
The sensation of his touch made her shiver. ‘Whatever it was, it seems to have knocked some sense into him. He’s talking about joining AA and enrolling in college to complete his accountancy training. I just hope it lasts.’
‘If I did do anything… hypothetically speaking,’ he said, the intensity in his eyes intoxicating. ‘Then it wouldn’t be about protecting him, it would be driven by a desire to protect you. You’re my only concern. You’re all that matters to me.’ His thumb began to circle her wrist, making her breath hitch. ‘I know you’re uncertain about us, and you have trust issues, but I’m crazy about you.’
He was?
She leant closer. ‘Matt, I—’
But she never got the chance to tell him she felt the same way, because her blessed father appeared. ‘You need to talk some sense into your mother,’ he barked, making her jump. ‘She’s being unreasonable! She wants me to hand over the house. As if I’m going to do that.’
Biting back her irritation at her father’s terrible timing, she turned to him. ‘Dad, how many times do I have to say this? I’m not getting involved in your divorce settlement.’
‘But she’s not thinking straight.’
‘On the contrary, she’s thinking straight for the first time in months.’ She slid off the bar stool, dislodging Matt’s hand. ‘I’m sorry. Duty calls. We’ll chat later, okay?’ He looked disappointed. She wanted so much to stay and talk to him – they’d been on the verge of something – but once again family dramas had scuppered any glimpse of a happy ending. The story of her life.
Forcefully taking her father’s arm, she led him away from Matt. This wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have in a bar. When they were in the quiet of the reception area, she turned to her father. ‘Where’s Tiffany?’
‘In the barn, dancing.’
‘Right. So you’re still together?’ She folded her arms, so he’d know she was serious.
‘I guess.’
She glared at him. ‘What’s that supposed to mean? Either you are, or you’re not. Which is it?’
‘It’s complicated.’
‘Explain it to me.’
He broke eye contact. ‘I had hoped to get back with your mother.’
‘Why? Because you genuinely love her? Or because you think financially it might be better to avoid a messy divorce?’ Her father might be a hopeless romantic, but he liked money too much to ever behave totally irrationally. She wasn’t naive, and neither was he.
After a drawn-out pause he said, ‘I love her. We’ve been married for thirty-nine years. I don’t want to throw that away.’
‘But do you adore her?’
He frowned. ‘I beg your pardon?’
‘It’s a simple enough question, Dad. Do you adore Mum?’
