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CHAPTER 11
Taking Emmy to the airport was one of Hugh’s least favourite things. When she’d been younger, the travelling had included either him or Nancy, but in the last couple of years she’d started making the trip on her own. It had been an area of contention between him and Nancy for a long time: whether one of them really needed to be with her or if she could travel as an unaccompanied minor.
Regardless of how much Nancy had argued that Emmy would be fine – and pointed out that the airline staff would look after her – Hugh always hated the idea of it.
He’d only relented when Emmy had got in on the discussion. With Emmy insisting she was fine to go alone, he’d run out of arguments. Which meant he was now standing by the security gates with his stomach twisted in an agonising knot.
“Are you sure you’re okay alone?” he asked, not for the first time.
“Yeah.” Emmy pulled the straps of her backpack tighter. “It’s only an hour and a half on the plane.”
“I know that, but there’s a lot of waiting time, and airports can be confusing.”
“I’ve done this so many times,” she said, glancing around and looking suddenly uncertain.
“I know you have. And I know you’re capable of getting a flight alone, but if you don’t want to …”
“What?” She jutted her chin out obnoxiously. “You’ll buy a ticket to come with me?”
“Yes. I could do that.” He’d have to reschedule a call with a client in the afternoon, but that wasn’t a big deal.
“Dad!” Emmy rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around his waist to hug him. “I’ll be okay. Stop worrying.”
He squeezed her tightly and planted a kiss on the top of her head. “I’ll hang around the airport until the plane takes off. If you need me, just call.”
“You can go home.” She kissed his cheek. “I’ll be fine.”
“Call me as soon as you land, won’t you?”
“Yeah.” She took a step away.
“Have you got everything? Passport, ticket, phone, money …” He pulled his wallet out. “Did I give you money?”
“Yes.” She laughed, but hugged him again before turning on her heel and walking confidently away. Once she’d joined the queue for security, she turned and waved while tilting her head and going cross-eyed to make him laugh. He lingered, the two of them pulling faces at each other until she rounded the corner, out of sight.
In the nearest cafe, he bought a coffee and a sandwich and found a quiet spot in the corner. Once he’d polished off his sandwich, he pulled his laptop out to reply to a few emails. His phone rang before he’d got much done.
Thinking it might be Emmy, he pounced on it, then paused when he saw it was Nancy.
Generally, they’d had an easy-going relationship over the past decade. Once he’d got over her leaving, he tried to keep things amicable for Emmy’s sake. On the whole, that had been easy enough. He may even have gone so far as saying they were friends. But recently he found that many of their conversations involved him biting his tongue and often ended with him in a bad mood.
He swiped at the phone and moved it to his ear. “Hi.”
“Are you at the airport?” Nancy asked.
“Yes. Emmy went through security half an hour ago.”
“And you’re hanging around until the plane leaves the tarmac?” she asked, the amusement in her tone immediately annoying him.
He closed the lid of his laptop. “I’m doing some work in the cafe before I drive back.”
“You’ll have to let her grow up one day, you know?”
“I just sent her off into an airport alone,” he said through gritted teeth. “I don’t see how you can complain that I baby her.”
“I wasn’t complaining,” she said wearily. “I just think it would be better for your stress levels if you trust her when she says she can do something instead of constantly worrying. She’s a young woman and—”
“She’s twelve,” Hugh growled. “She’s a child.”
