Page 20 of The Wedding Driver
Even as he stared at the dark night, his mind saw a blazing fire with tall, burning fingers reaching for the sky, carrying his precious daughter to heaven.
That is if you believed in that kind of thing.
“Foster? What are you doing here?” Lake asked.
“Oh. Hey.” Foster waved at the empty chair next to him. “Care to join me for a drink?”
“I’m here with my sister, Brandi. She’s up from New York City to discuss some publishing things. She leaves tomorrow.”
Foster chuckled. “Looks like she’s flirting with one of the owners of this fine establishment.”
Lake glanced over his shoulder. “Shit,” he mumbled. “That explains a lot.”
“What does?”
“I couldn’t figure out why we couldn’t just walk down to the Mason Jug for a drink and discuss business. Or even do it at the house. But she had to come here. She’s been obsessed with this place since we came here the last time she was visiting.”
“That’s the first time I met the owners,” Foster said. “I thought they were going to rely more on their management team to run this place.”
“I think one of the brothers is going to run the show.” Lake eased into the chair and crossed his legs. “I suppose I should find out more if my sister is going to be coming up here regularly and using business as the excuse.”
Foster laughed.
“So, why are you here, alone?” Lake arched a brow.
“Went on a hunt for Victoria.” In the last year, Foster had gotten relatively close to Lake and Gael. He considered them friends. Good friends. He’d shared with them some of his history. At least the parts that most people knew. The fire had been public record. Everyone who had lived in the area knew he lost his daughter. Those facts he couldn’t deny. He went a few steps deeper as he did his best to develop stronger bonds with humans. But now, he had to skate on thin ice. Anything he said could find its way back to Tonya. He didn’t want her to feel as though he was speaking behind her back or discussing their personal business with everyone else.
“How is she?” Lake asked.
“Haven’t seen her in a while, and I’ve been told she might be hurt.”
“You know where to find me if you ever need help.”
“Thanks,” Foster said.
“How was your date?”
Foster lifted his drink and took two big gulps. It went down smooth as butter, but his heart, his soul, and his brain were not all on the same page.
“I’m sure Tonya will say something to Tiki so I guess it’s safe to say it sucked, but it was all my fault.” He tilted his head. “Well, not entirely, but I let someone from my past ruin it, and now I don’t think I can repair the damage.”
Lake laughed.
“I’m not sure why that’s funny.”
“Because you’re so dramatic and full of shit. Of course, things can be fixed. It can’t be that bad.”
Foster pinched the bridge of his nose. His dirty little secret was going to get out. Hell, it was out in so many circles.
His mother knew.
Victoria knew.
Her parents knew.
But he wasn’t sure if anyone else did. He’d been lucky it had been kept out of the media and no one ever brought it up.
Except Kathy was his constant reminder.
