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“And Jenny is really into crystals. And she’s a good woman. And she seems to like me.”
“Of course she does. Why wouldn’t she?” I squeeze his fingers. “You’re a catch. She seemed nice, from what I could see of her.” I widen my eyes and it’s his turn to laugh. And somehow that awkwardness between us melts away.
The waiter brings over our drinks – a beer for dad and an espresso martini for me, and we clink them together the way we used to when I was a kid.
“And you like her, right?” I ask him.
He nods. “She makes me laugh. And we keep each other company.”
“Maybe I can meet her again under better circumstances,” I suggest gently. I don’t want to push it, especially if he’s not in that space, but I want him to know I’m okay with what he does.
He nods happily. “I’d like that. And so would she. She was so embarrassed.”
“Let’s arrange something soon,” I tell him, taking a sip of my cocktail. I’m only going to drink one tonight. They make them strong here, and I have an early morning to make my way to Misty Lakes tomorrow. Luckily the waiter brings our appetizers over fairly quickly. We’ve opted for a plate to share like we always do. Potato skins and chicken wings plus some cut up vegetables to dip into the blue cheese sauce.
It’s so bad for you but it tastes so good.
“So are you going to tell me why Liam Salinger was with you?” he asks.
I shift in my seat. “We were just spending some time together,” I tell him. “It’s a new thing. We’re just…” I reach for the right words to describe what’s going on between us but they don’t exist.
I don’t want to tell my dad about Liam’s sudden change of heart, or the fact that he is so into me I don’t know what to do about it. My face flushes as I remember the way he took me again and again in my bed the other night.
I take a deep breath. “We’re just seeing where things go.”
“I like him,” Dad says. “He seems like a good man.”
I nod. “He is.”
“And he cares for you, yes?”
I look up at him. “I think so,” I whisper.
“So why do you look so sad?” he asks me.
“I’m not sad. I’m contemplative. As I said, it’s early. Anything could happen.”
His brows knit. “That’s not good, being defeatist about it. This is supposed to be the fun part. You’re supposed to be enjoying it.”
“I am.” I relax my features because I’m aware of how tense they are. “It’s just he has a bit of a reputation. For not settling down.”
“Ah.” Dad nods as though he understands. Thank God he doesn’t know the specifics. “So you don’t trust him to settle down with you either?”
“I don’t know,” I say honestly. I can’t remember the last time Dad and I were so open with each other. Maybe right after Mom died and we tried to help each other in our despair. But I like this. It feels like we’re equals.
“Him not settling down until he meets the right woman isn’t unusual,” he continues. I lean in because he might actually have some insight into Liam’s thoughts. “I saw it happen to a lot of my friends when I was younger. They’d insist they’d never want to have a long term relationship, let alone get married, but as soon as they met the one woman who knocked them off their feet they changed their tune immediately.”
“You think I’ve knocked him off his feet?”
He smiles. “You’d knock any man off his feet. But yes, I think that man would do anything for you. He kept looking at you during the Christening when he knew you couldn’t see him.”
I don’t bother correcting him that at the Christening we still hated each other.
“And then when you came to my house on Sunday.” He shifts because there’ll always be a slight embarrassment to that situation. “His eyes kept drifting to your face. He wants to take care of you. I could tell. And as a father I’m okay with that.” A smile pulls at his lips. “It was the same for me. The moment I saw your mother I knew that I was a goner. I’d fight wars for her, sail seas for her. I knew she was the one, though she took a little longer to be persuaded. She was like you in that way,” he says approvingly. “And I gotta tell you, it made me want her more.”
“Do you feel that way about Jenny?” I ask him.
He pauses for a moment, considering my question. “No,” he eventually says. “And she doesn’t have the same fireworks with me that she had with her late husband. He died a few months before your mom did. But we’re friends and we make each other laugh and at my age I’m damn grateful for that.”
