Page 16 of Slow Burn
To study her.
Annoyed, I set the dog down and spun around so fast I almost tripped over my own feet before I stomped backto the fence. Not giving two shits who heard me, I cursed a blue streak from here until Sunday.
I didn't even know why I was so damn pissed off. And that just made me even more furious. Planting one hand on the fence, I hoisted myself over in one quick motion and headed back to my workbench.
My fingers had just curled around a piece of wood when another curse fell from my lips. Sitting next to my foot was my neighbor's dog in all his ugly glory.
8
MADDIE
Deep breaths.
There were a lot of things more daunting than walking into your father's office and telling him you're not happy working for him. I knew there were. Just not for me. My heart had been making somersaults inside my chest all day. Frayed nerves barely hanging on to their last thread.
All because my dreams didn't align with what my parents thought they had to be. Lucetta and I had spoken earlier in the day. Her brother had managed to change his plans and could stay with their mother for another week. So, I had a few more days to give her my answer.
Extra time I didn't need.
I took one last steadying breath before tapping my knuckles against my dad's open office door. Head bent, thick gray brows tightly pulled together, he was scanning over a piece of paper in his hand.
I knocked again since he hadn't heard me the first time. He looked up then, the creases on his forehead forming an even deeper frown. "Maddie. Everything all right?" In my twenty-four years of being alive, I couldcount on one hand the times I'd dropped by my dad's office without reason.
The confusion on his leathery face completely understandable.
Inside my chest, my heart was drumming a nervous tattoo against my ribs. My mouth went dry while my hands felt like I'd dunked them in a bucket of ice water. "Yeah, everything's fine," I croaked out and immediately admonished myself. It shouldn't be like this. Needing to lay my truth bare to my dad shouldn't be this scary. "Do you have a minute?"
My dad sat back in his chair and studied me. "Sure, what's on your mind?" The way he was staring—like he was trying to figure out a complex puzzle—made my insides twist in a weird way.
Shouldn't parents know their children? Or at least know parts of them? But in that moment right there on the threshold of my dad's office he was looking at me as if I were a stranger.
It hurt. Man, did it hurt like it had never hurt before
Shoving the unwelcome feeling away as much as I could, I took a step forward then again and again until I could perch the tips of my fingers atop his desk. My dad looked painfully uncomfortable; his gaze never settling on me completely.
I cleared my throat. "I need to talk to you about something important, Dad."
He nodded tentatively. "I'm listening."
My mouth opened at the same time as Mr. White from the general store poked his head inside my dad's office. "You ready to lose some money, Fraser?"
I barely held my sigh when my dad's eyes shifted to the door. A smile that hadn't been aimed at me in a long, long time touched his lips and brought with it another pang of hurt, hitting me squarely in the chest. "Have I ever lost?"
I felt the sting of tears behind my eyes and immediately focused on the floor. I didn't want either of these men to see me cry.
"There's always a first time," I heard Mr. White say and then after a long pause. "Oh hi, Maddie. I didn't see ya there." Yup, that's me. Invisible. "You must be thrilled to be rid of that overpopulated, polluted city?"
"It wasn't so bad," I said quietly and then made the mistake of meeting my dad's glare. "Clearwater Bay is definitely better, though," I added quickly.
I heard him move before I felt his heavy arm drape over my shoulder. "Well, it's good to have you back. Ain't that right, Fraser?"
The sound that came from my dad's throat sounded like a cross between a snort and a groan. He pushed to his feet and after straightening the stack of papers, he set them aside. Those eyes of his landed on me. "We'll talk tomorrow?" It wasn't a question. Not really.
I forced a smile to my lips. "Sure, Dad. Have fun at poker night." Angling my head to the man next to me, I said, "It was nice to see you, Mr. White." Not waiting fora response out of either of them, I twisted around and fled to where my sister was sitting behind the counter.
I must've looked a fright because the instant she spotted me her eyes grew wide with concern. "What happened?"
Shaking my head, I took a moment to compose myself. "Nothing. Do you mind closing the store without me?"
