Page 109 of Show Off

[] No

[] Maybe

There’s a square by each,which I barely see through tears.

“I meant to put a pen in the bag, but I forgot.”

“Because you had your hands full making gamja jorim and tater tots?”

“And Kartoffelknödel,” Lauren shouts from the sofa.

“And dauphinoise,” Gretchen calls with a mouth full of something.

Ignoring them both, I turn back to Dal. “This is sweet. But?—”

“Lana, I screwed up.” His shoulders shake as he takes a breath. “That’s what I wanted to say. No excuses, no justifications. I fucked up big-time, and I’m sorry.”

“Thank you.” Clutching the note, I hold his dark gaze. “That means a lot.”

But Dal’s not done. Dragging a hand through his hair, he keeps going. “Look, I’m a guy who makes mistakes, but I like to think I can learn from them. I betrayed your trust and embarrassed you, and none of that’s okay. I hope you know I’d never hurt you on purpose. You mean more to me than anyone else on earth, and it kills me how badly I fucked this up.”

My heart starts to thaw as my hand with the note trembles. “I’m okay.” It’s mostly true, but I’m still all achy inside. “I know you meant well.”

“That’s no excuse,” he says. “I thought I was making some big point, but I wasn’t. I was just an asshole. Also, I’ve just come from a visit to your parents.”

“My parents?” I must look alarmed because Dal jumps in quickly.

“There wasn’t any bloodshed. And I didn’t ask for your hand in marriage or anything patronizing like that.” He frowns. “I mean, if that’s important to you, I’ll do it gladly. But it seemed like a better move to speak with you first.”

“You think?” Christ, this is weird. “Did my mother slam the door in your face?”

“She invited me in for tea.” One edge of his mouth twitches. “Yeah. Shocked the hell out of me, too.”

Tea? “Was it poisoned?”

“Not that I know of.” He lifts one shoulder meekly. “I might’ve been careful to sip slowly.”

We’re getting off track here. “What did you say to my parents?”

“I apologized deeply for what I did,” he says. “I acknowledged it wasn’t my story to share, and that I’d do whatever they asked if they thought it could make a difference. If there’s any need for damage control.”

I see from his eyes he’s sincere. If my mother told him to do a parade of positive PR, he’d be at the front of a float by tomorrow. “What did my mother say?”

“She’s still really upset,” he says slowly. “Which I don’t blame her for at all. But she also said it made her realize someone should have been standing up for you all along. That she was wrong for putting you in that position.” One edge of his mouth quirks. “That maybe an assertive guy isn’t so bad if he’s asserting himself for her kid.”

“Wow, I—” I’m not quite sure what to say.

But Dal’s not done. “She actually apologized.” He sounds like he can’t quite believe it. “Tome. She said regardless of whether you can forgive me—and she made it clear you might not—that she was wrong to imply I’d abused you. That she knows I’d never hurt you.”

I know that, too. Not that way, anyhow. “You did hurt me, though.” I say it softly, not ready to let go. “Not in an abusive way, but it still stung.”

“I know, and I’m so fucking sorry.” He drags his fingers through his hair. “If I could go back and do it all again, I’d sit there on that stage and smile. I’d keep my mouth shut and let you do the talking because, Lana, you’re so goddamn good at your job. At protecting people’s feelings. It’s a gift and a talent and the thing I love best about you.”

He’s not doing so bad with this apology. “Thank you.” I still can’t believe he talked to my parents. “Was my father there?”

“Yeah.” He looks down at his hands, then back up to me. “I apologized to him as well. He gave me this look that reminded me so much of my own dad that I—what?”

“I know that look.” It’s my father’s signature expression. “Like he’s halfway between hugging you and shaking you, but you’re not quite sure which?”

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