Page 54 of Sweet Summertide

“All those years of ballroom classes weren’t for nothing.” He winked and took her off the dance floor to where he was pretty sure he sniffed the thick, sugary scent of a fried dough treat. He searched the various stalls and found the one he was looking for but remembered he had sidetracked her to have that dance. “Before I change your plans again, what was that surprise?”

She jumped up and down. “I almost forgot. Come on. I don’t know how I could forget this. I want to introduce you to my dad.”

“Wait, wait. Your dad is here?” He looked down at his outfit. “Do I look okay?” Why was his heart racing and why were his hands clammy with moisture? He had met a million people in his life. Shaking hands with strangers was a skill he had mastered since childhood. But this wasn’t any stranger, this was her father. The only thing he knew about the man was how much he loved his daughter, but he supposed anyone who could love that much wasn’t so scary.

“You look great. You look like a man who is confident with who you are and knows what you want in life,” she said and straightened his shirt collar.

“And how do you know what I want, Blake Holly Hollis?” he said.

“Because we want the same things. To make our own choices, and our own mistakes?—”

“Wrong.” Theodor leaned into her cheek. “I only want you.” His lips pressed agonizingly slowly against the apple of her cheek. This wasn’t a new revelation; he had wanted her since the day she stared at him on the train. Only now, he had a real chance at happiness with her.

“I knew that too,” she said and pecked him on the lips before turning in her heels and walking away.

“Tease!” he yelled above the blaring music.

“Flirt!” she yelled back. They had each other figured out alright. “You coming, or what?”

Did he have a choice? He had a father to meet.

Up ahead, she stopped in front of the man Theodor had seen visiting the creamery over the past week. He was tall with an athletic build, albeit with the slightly slumped shoulders of an older gentleman. He wore a cream linen suit with brown leatherloafers like he was on the Amalfi coast, not some small upstate, New England town. But the man looked good.

Holly arched up on her toes and kissed her dad’s cheek. She was saying something with a broad smile and some hand clapping. She bounced the way she always did when she was really happy, and Theodor’s heart swelled knowing that her light spirit was because of him. He hadn’t officially asked her for anything, but with what they had been through, there was no mistaking that they were each other’s.

She waved to him to hurry up and her father turned around to look at what she was looking at. Without hesitation, he extended a hand and Theodor did the same. A firm handshake and a soft facial expression was the surest way to greet someone.

“Mister Hollis. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.” Theodor knew to keep things formal until given permission to address him otherwise. Pride swelled that this was really happening.

“Theodor Black. It’s nice to meet you, and you can call me Glyn.” He had a firm grasp and placed his other hand on top of their joined ones. “I have to admit, Holly did not exaggerate when she told me how good looking you are.”

“Daddy, stop it,” she said and rolled her eyes.

In an effort to tease her a little more, Theodor took the theme further. “Is that right? And how good is good, Holly? Are we talking Greek God status or like David Hasselhoff circa nineteen-ninety-five?”

“What?” she asked, and her high arched brows indicated she had no idea what he was talking about. “Who’s David Hassle-whatever?”

“Never mind,” he said and chuckled along with Glyn.

“You two can’t gang up on me already.” Holly pouted. “I forbid it.”

“Would you rather we be enemies, or worse, indifferent?” Glyn said. “I can tell this guy makes you happy. And if you’re happy, sweetie, then I’m happy.”

She kissed Glyn’s cheek again. “Thanks, Daddy.”

“Plus,” Glyn continued. “Anyone is better than that wannabe, Rinaldi. I never liked that guy.”

Theodor nodded. He knew only what Holly had told him about her ex, but he did not sound like a stand-up guy. He was a man-boy with too much of his father’s money and no sense.

“I still can’t believe what mother did at the review. I just don’t know what has gotten into her and wanting to stir things up that I had already put to bed. It’s not like she doesn’t know about the cheating. And she would still want me to be with someone like that?” Holly’s voice had gotten higher-pitched with each sentence. “She doesn’t even care about me.”

Theodor took her face in his hands and locked eyes with her. “Breathe,” he whispered and demonstrated three deep inhales. “We have big things to celebrate. Stop worrying about what everyone else thinks.” He released her and stood back, holding her hand in the space between them.

“I just wish she could … I don’t know?” she shrugged.

Glyn clapped his hands together once in front of his own stomach. “She does care about you. She just doesn’t understand why you don’t want to be more like her. She’s a wonderful, independent woman who has built her business from scratch while raising a beautiful daughter.”

“But that’s just it, I am like her. She doesn’t want to admit it. The thing is, I just want something different, is all.”

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