Page 14 of Too Close To Call

“What’s it like, Uncle Rod? Having a family waiting for you at home?”

“It’s sublime, son. I hope someday you get to find out for yourself. You have a lot of thinking to do and some hard decisions to make. Just know that we are here for you, and no more of this silence bullshit.”

Long after my uncle is gone, I kick off my shoes and walk down to the water’s edge. It’s still early in the year and the water has a bite of coldness as it washes over my toes. I take a few steps back and sink down to sit on the sand, bend my knees, and wrap my arms around them.

Finally, it’s quiet. Other than the breaking waves against the shoreline, there is no noise. Inside my head, it’s another story. I hear Tori telling me about Dale’s heart attack and then saying Daisy is Ryan’s playing on a revolving loop in my brain.

It’s nearing dawn when I brush the sand from my jeans and head back inside with the realization that I once again made a huge mistake. I shouldn’t have left Charlotte. I should have stayed and gotten the answers I need in order to move on with my life.

I let myself dream for just a moment of having a second chance with Tori. I will never love anyone the way I love Tori. And as for Daisy, I know I’m not her father. Ryan holds that title, but I would love to be in her life.

For all of that to become reality, one major thing must happen and I’m not sure I can ever trust Tori again. There’s too much dirty water under the bridge. I will always love her, but I’d be a glutton for punishment if I allowed her to hurt me again.

CHAPTER 6

TORI

“But what if our car falls off the ferry?”

Glancing in the rearview mirror, I see absolutely no fear on my daughter’s face, just curiosity. I understand her concerns. I’m not that familiar with ferries myself. “It won’t fall off. See, there’s a bridge to drive over.”

She pauses only long enough to come up with another argument. “Then what if the ferry sinks?”

I sigh as the brake light of the car in front of me in line comes on. Evidently we’re beginning to load. I start my engine and meet Daisy’s gaze in the mirror. “I promise the ferry is safe. It’s just like when you go with your father on Lake Norman. Don’t you have fun on his boat?”

“Yes, I do. We fish and he pulls me behind the boat on a float. Daddy lets me fish without a worm because I don’t want the worm to drown or get eaten by a fish. I like it when he goes fast and makes me jump the waves. Sometimes I go airborne and land in the water with a huge splash.”

Oh, brother. That’s an image I wish I didn’t have in my brain. I will definitely have a discussion with Ryan about jumping the waves. “Well, just consider the ferry a bigger boat.”

The line starts moving and two uniformed ferry employees’ motion for me to pull up and where to park on the deck. The maneuver is accomplished with minor squeals from Daisy.

“Do we get out now?” Daisy asks from the back seat where she’s still buckled into her booster seat.

I point out the windshield. “Can you read that sign?”

Daisy ducks down and ponders over the letters. I know every parent thinks their child is smart, but Daisy surprises me on a daily basis with how fast she’s learning. She went from picture books to reading seemingly overnight.

“Stay in your ve…ve…” She struggles over sounding out the letters.

“Vehicle,” I say to help her out.

Proudly she confirms, “Stay in your vehicle.”

I grin as she stumbles over the word. “That’s right.”

Not liking that answer, she asks, “How long until we get there? Can we swim in the ocean today? I want to wear my new mermaid bathing suit and pip pops.”

I grin at her renaming of flip-flops. I should have corrected her years ago, but it’s just too darn cute. “I think it will take right at an hour to get there and we’ll see about going swimming. It’s still early in the season so the water might be too chilly. Won’t this be an adventure, Daisy?”

Daisy is distracted by the SUV pulling up beside us. I snicker at the young boy smashing his nose and mouth against the passenger side window. That should be good entertainment for a few moments. The family’s four-door sedan is piled high with beach chairs, coolers, totes, and suitcases strapped onto a rack on top of the car. It reminds me of the Grinch’s sleigh loaded with all the town’s Christmas.

Dad and I never took a vacation like that. I traveled with him to races all over the world and he made it a point to make sure I saw some of the area, usually accompanied by an assistant or tour guide, but we never took an actual vacation where we spent time together. I never even played a board game with my dad. Instead I learned how to change the oil when I was Daisy’s age. I could drop gears on a dirt bike when I was seven.

Dad and I spent time together, but differently than most families. That didn’t make it wrong, just different.

I check my phone for messages and find none. I really hadn’t expected to. The guys are taking over the garage and driving school and are more than capable. Sometimes I wonder if they just let me think I’m in charge. That brings another grin to my face.

Those guys are more than my employees—they are my family. Even at holidays, we celebrate together. I have no idea what I would have done without them when Dad died. They took over everything when I wasn’t able to.

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