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She pointed, and the hostess nodded, waving them to the dining section. Nerves jumped in her stomach, and she focused on her breathing. Taylor followed, talking quietly with the hostess.
Lucy sat with her back to the door, sliding into the booth in the back corner of the restaurant. Her dad wiped his hands on his napkin and smiled, holding both hands out.
"Princess, you made it."
She frowned and touched just the tips of his fingers, quickly pulling them back when he tried to close her hands in his.
"I did. How have you been?" she asked as the waiter arrived and turned her wine glass over.
Lucy shook her head and frowned. "No thanks. Just water, please."
Her dad guffawed, "I thought you were twenty-three now. But you're already turning it down? Good girl, better than your mom ever did, let me tell ya."
The hair on the back of her neck stood up, and her spine straightened. "Don't talk about Mama like that." Her voice was hard and cold, and for once her dad blinked and seemed to listen.
Then he smiled. It took her right back to her childhood before their lives fell apart. She softened and placed her order with the waiter. He walked away, and she reached for a breadstick.
She moaned. "God, this is delicious."
"Right? That's why I love this place. They have the best homemade pasta. Just wait."
She sipped her water nervously as silence descended between them. A brunette woman in red and black stopped at their table with a tight smile.
"Hello, Mr. Gray, what a pleasant surprise. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Her dad leaned back and smiled, but it wasn't the soft natural smile of her childhood. This one was practiced and made her skin crawl. It reminded her of a used car salesman.
He took the woman's hand and kissed the back of it, "Ah, Ms. DelVeco, I apologize for the short notice. I've just ordered my usual, though."
He released her hand and patted his slight beer gut. "Gotta fatten myself up before I head out-of-town tomorrow."
The woman nodded and clasped her hands in front of her. "I see, and when will you be returning?"
Seth waved his hand. "Oh, next week sometime, I think. Don't worry, I'll be back for my usual when I return." He winked at the brunette who blushed, nodded, and walked away.
Lucy frowned at the exchange and watched her walk away. "Is the food really that good?" she asked.
Her dad looked around the restaurant smugly. "That it is, princess. I don't suppose you'd like to spend some quality father-daughter time?"
He put a hand on his heart, but his expression was the fake one he used to make with mom when he was setting her up for some trap or other.
"As much as I love to travel to sunny places, I'm not going anywhere with you."
"But princess, I just want to make things right. It'll be my way of apologizing for the last few years, and your way of apologizing for breaking my nose in May."
She snorted, "If you think I'm apologizing for that, think again."
His jaw clenched, then he smiled with too many teeth showing. "My trip tomorrow is just a short one down to Mexico for a few days. I have a house there. Please join me?"
Lucy tilted her head and frowned. "Do I want to take off to another country with my super unreliable long-lost father whom I haven't seen in years?" She scoffed, but his eyes glinted in the light.
"I'm not long-lost. We saw each other just a few months ago, remember?" His voice was hard and tight, and it made her heart race in warning. It was the same voice he'd use before he and mom would get into a screaming match.
She nodded slowly, thinking of a way to keep him from losing it in the middle of the restaurant. "I do, yes."
She had to be careful. He was unstable and about to blow. She didn't know how he'd changed in the past few years, but she had to protect her baby. The table separating them made her feel somewhat safer, along with Taylor watching quietly from the bar.
Her phone buzzed as the waiter brought their food. She glanced at it, and her heart raced again to see a text from Mason.
