“No kidding. That’s amazing.” He shook his head back and forth slowly. As I watched him talk, I started realizing I got more than just my reddish-brown hair from my mom. My dad had a large nose that leaned slightly to his left at the bridge and a square face, two things I was grateful I didn’t win in the DNA lottery.
“I actually brought pictures of them.” Reaching into my purse, it took me a minute, but I dug out half a dozen photos of the girls and set them on the table. “Their names are—” When I looked up from my purse, my dad had his phone up in front of him, and he was typing something.
“Oh, sorry.” He fumbled to put his phone away when he realized I’d stopped talking. “What are their names?”
“Lucy and Piper.” A small sigh left my body as I told him their names. “I have more pictures of them on my phone if you want to see them, tons of them.” I laughed.
He picked the photos up and looked at them very briefly before dropping them back on the table. “They’re cute. That’s okay, you can show them to me another time.”
“Okay.” I was annoyed as I gathered up the pictures and put them back in my purse.
“Listen, I know it took three letters to get you here, but I’m glad you finally came. I want to talk to you about something.” He lifted the red mug to his mouth and took a sip of his coffee. “I never read the newspaper anymore. Like most people, I get my news on the computer, but that one morning in June, for whatever reason, I happened to pick it up and there it was, right on the cover. My baby girl engaged to Minnesota’s golden boy. It was perfect timing. A sign, if you will. Like someone was telling me it was finally time to get in touch with you.”
I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms over my chest, silently trying to figure out where he was going with this speech.
“Anyway, earlier that morning I had just been turned down for a business grant, and I think it might actually be a great investment opportunity for you.”
My heart sank and my mouth dropped open.
“Well,” he continued when he saw my reaction, “for you and Brody. You see, I’m trying to start a small consulting business, but I need the start-up money, so here’s what I was thinking—if Brody could give me fifty grand up front, we can work out a percentage that he would get back annually. I was thinking maybe three percent? It’s negotiable. With my money expertise and his cash to get it off the ground, I figure the business should really take off and I can have him paid back in no time. He can be the silent partner in my little adventure. What do you think?”
Quietly, I closed my mouth and inhaled deeply through my nose, just staring at him. As his words sank in, the few fond memories of him I’d protected like gold since childhood faded away. All I would ever remember was that after fifteen years, my father finally contacted me because he wanted money—from my fiancé.
I was nothing but a rung on his slimy ladder. One he was going to use to get wherever he wanted.
“KJ?”
The instant he used the nickname he called me as a kid, I lost it.
“This is why you called me here? For money?” I hissed across the table, leaning forward.
“Well, I-I-I wanted to know what was going on with you too,” he stammered. “I just think we should strike now while the iron is hot and run with this.”
“Oh my God, you’re unbelievable!” I jumped up, nearly bumping right into the waitress that was carrying my hot chocolate.
“Listen, the boy can’t play hockey forever, Kacie. Get real.” He smirked smugly, completely missing why I was upset. “He’s going to need something to do after that. Why not invest wisely?”
“He is investing wisely. In me and my daughters. Life isn’t just about money, Don. It’s about family, and love, and living.”
“That’s naive. Sit down and let’s get us both to a point where we can benefit from this.”
His disgusting words dripped off of me and I suddenly wanted a shower.
“You sit there. I’m going home—to my real dad.” I spun around and grabbed my coat, hurrying out the door before I could even put it on.
I felt like such an idiot as I rushed to my Jeep.
How could I have been so dumb?
Why on earth did I think a man who’d walked out in his family the way he did could have a sudden change of heart and want a relationship again?
Then it hit me—because Zach did. Zach walked out just like my father did, but as it turned out, he had grown up and changed. He’d proven it every chance he got over the last year. Part of me was hoping for that same miracle in my dad but instead, history had repeated itself. The only difference was this time I was old enough to understand what was really going on, and because of that, I was the one who walked out.
By the time I got home, tears were streaming down my face. I was so grateful the girls would still be at school for a couple more hours. Once in the kitchen, I realized no one appeared to be home. Then I remembered my mom had taken up a spin class on Tuesday mornings.
The house was quiet.
Too quiet, leaving me with nothing but my mind, which had chosen to replay the last couple hours over and over again.
Don’t be naive. Sit down. Get real.
Every time I thought about the words he said to me, my chest got tighter and tighter. I walked over to the couch in the family room and sat down slowly, determined not to let one more tear fall because of my dad. I just felt so… stupid.
“Honey, you okay?” Fred’s gruff voice from the kitchen caught me by surprise. I’d been so lost in my own head, I didn’t even hear him come in. “What is it?” His eyebrows drew together as soon as he saw my face and he rushed over. Sitting down next to me, he pulled me in close. That one hug from Fred was all I needed to completely come undone. Rocking me back and forth gently, he didn’t ask another question. He simply let me cry it all out.
After a short eternity, I pulled back and sniffed.
Holding his index finger up in the air, he hopped off the couch. “Hang on.” He rushed over to the bookshelf on the other side of the room and grabbed the box of Kleenex.
I took a tissue from him and blew my nose loud enough to scare the fish in the lake. “Sorry if I snotted on your shirt.”
Fred looked down at his shirt and shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. I like you, and your snot.”
“I went to see my dad,” I blurted out.
“Oh.” A dazed look spread across his face as he nodded slowly. “How did that go?”
“It was awful.” I started rambling, “He didn’t ask one question about me. He didn’t seem at all interested in anything I’ve been doing with my life. I tried to show him a couple pictures of Lucy and Piper, and he barely even looked at them. Turns out he only asked me there so I would ask Brody to invest in some company he’s trying to start.”
“Seriously? That’s horrible.” Fred sounded even more outraged than me. “How could he not look at those little girls and instantly fall in love with their sweet faces? How could he not be proud of you and all you’ve accomplished, almost completely on your own? Boy, that really pisses me off.”
I looked up at Fred rubbing his clenched jaw with his worn hands. His eyes were angry. Angry and protective that someone hadn’t given me and my daughters the attention he felt we deserved. Angry and protective the way a real dad would be.