Page 39 of The Past

My dad chuckled.“That was the plan.What kind of work you been doing?”

I told him about the horses, the training, how Rory had put me through my paces.I talked about Kathleen, how she ran her own pub and how much I liked her sharp wit.I described the rolling green pastures, the cool, damp air, and the fact that I still hadn’t gotten used to how damn long the daylight lasted.

And then, without thinking, I said, “I helped Rory’s niece run steeplechase the other day.”

My dad must have caught something in my voice because he hummed thoughtfully.“Rory’s niece, huh?”

“Yeah,” I said, clearing my throat.“Fiona.”

“Sounds pretty,” my dad said, and I could hear the amusement across the line, so very far away.

“Very pretty,” I agreed hesitantly.

“Sounds like a special girl.”

I hesitated for half a second before I spilled everything.

“She is,” I admitted.“And I—I really like her, Dad.A lot.But it’s complicated.Her father’s pushing her to marry some guy she doesn’t want, and she feels trapped.And I don’t know what the hell to do about it.”

There was silence for a beat, and then my dad exhaled, slow and measured.

“Well,” he said, “I suppose the first thing you do is be careful.Sounds like you’ve got yourself wrapped up in something real tricky.”

I ran a hand through my hair.“Yeah, tell me about it.”

“And you haven’t been there long, so make sure your feelings are true.”

“They are,” I blurted a little too loud, but he got the point.

“Then if they are,” my dad continued, “that doesn’t mean you walk away if it’s worth it.You do what’s right by her and by yourself.You can’t fix her life for her, but you can sure as hell stand beside her while she figures it out.”

Something in my chest eased at his words.That was exactly what I wanted to do—be there for her.Make sure she knew she had a choice.

“Thanks, Dad,” I said.

“Tommy…”

“Yeah?”

“You’re young and—”

“I know, I know,” I drawled with a huff.“I shouldn’t fall for someone I just met and—”

“No, I wasn’t going to say that,” he said, rolling right over me.“I was going to tell you you’re young, but when love happens, you’ll know it.Doesn’t matter how long you know someone or if you’re from different countries.Truly… follow your heart.”

I was stunned silent.I’d never spoken about such things with my dad, not because he wasn’t the type.He was the one person I would discuss these things with.I just… I thought he’d think this was silly.“Thank you, Dad.That means a lot.”

“Anytime, son.I love you.”

“Love you too.”

We said our goodbyes, and I hung up just as Rory walked into the kitchen.

I stiffened.The look on his face told me he had overheard at least part of the conversation.

“Sorry,” he said, holding up his hands.“Didn’t mean to eavesdrop.But I caught the tail end of that.”

I rubbed my palms on my jeans.“Are you mad?”

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