Page 50 of Be Our Ghost
Her father refilled his glass with the last of the bottle. “Judge Begbie used to hold trials in that square. They called him ‘the hanging judge’ and named UVic’s law school after him.” He addressed Knox again. “You seem to have a keen interest in history. Did you study it when you were at university?”
“It was my minor. My degree was in creative writing.”
Through a mouthful of apple pie, Randolph leapt into the conversation, pointing his finger at Knox. “I knew it! Didn’t I guess you were an aspiring author? Too bad it never panned out.”
Charlie glared at him. She wished she could tell him the truth—that Knox had created an award-winning TV show—but it wasn’t her story to share.
Knox shrugged. “My life didn’t follow the path I intended, but I’m fine with where I ended up.”
“Really?” Randolph said. “In my opinion, dealing with drunks hardly seems like a worthwhile ambition.”
“I don’t mind bartending at the Duchess. If I wasn’t working there, I wouldn’t have met Charlie.” Knox favored her with a doting expression. She suspected he’d only done it to annoy Randolph, but she returned his smile with one of her own, hoping to make it obvious she cared about him.
She scraped the last bit of pumpkin pie off her plate. Another few minutes of small talk, and they could leave. But even if Knox had held his own at dinner, she could tell he wasn’t happy about the way her mom had played Randolph against him. For now, there was nothing she could do about it. She’d just have to wait until they were alone to apologize properly.
Twenty
By the timeKnox left the yacht club with Charlie, he was well and truly done. While he’d enjoyed talking with her father, and he’d found the Bouchards bland but inoffensive, Randolph had been more obnoxious than ever. It didn’t help that Charlie’s mother had egged him on, encouraging him to boast at length about his job.
They’d only been driving for a few minutes when Charlie spoke up. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” He knew damn well, but he wasn’t going to make it easy on her. He was still annoyed she’d let her mom steamroll over her.
“I had no idea my mom would invite the Bouchards to join us. When she asked if you were free for Thanksgiving, she said she wanted to get to know you better.”
“Funny how she never asked me anything about my life. Not one question.” The only person remotely interested in him had been Charlie’s father.
“I know. For what it’s worth, my dad wasn’t in on it. My mom’s the one who handles their social calendar. When she pulled me into the ladies’ room to tell me Randolph would be there, I threatened to walk out with you. I probably should have. Right?”
But instead, you did nothing.“That wasn’t my call to make, but I would have gone along with whatever you decided.”
“I didn’t want to make a scene. My parents hate public displays of emotion. But that’s no excuse for acting like a coward.” Her voice wobbled. “Maybe…you should drop me off at my place.”
“Is that what you want?”
“No, but I know you’re angry, and you have every right to be. So, I’m guessing you’d prefer it if I went home.”
His hands tightened around the steering wheel. He’d wanted to make her understand how much her mom’s actions had hurt him. But if he ended their evening now, he’d spend the rest of the night brooding over it.
Then again, maybe this relationship wasn’t meant to be. Their worlds couldn’t have been any more different. But when he turned to look at her, the tears streaming down her cheeks weakened his defenses. Why was he punishing her like this? It wasn’t her fault that her mom was a status-conscious snob who thought he wasn’t worthy of her daughter.
He softened his tone. “I’d rather not be alone tonight.”
“Are you sure?”
This conversation was too difficult to maintain while driving down a busy road. He put on his blinker, pulled onto a quiet side street, and parked his truck. “Answer me one thing first. Are you ashamed of me?”
“No. Never!” She wiped her eyes. “You work hard at what you do, and you’re good at it. You also did a spectacular job telling everyone about the hotel’s history. My dad was enthralled. Though youdidembellish a few of the details.”
His anger faded, replaced by an overwhelming sense of affection. “That’s storytelling, sweetheart.”
A tiny smile crossed her lips. “Well, it worked. And my mom’s devious plan backfired. Tonight reminded me that leaving Randolph was one of the best decisions I ever made. Do you know how many dinners I sat through, listening to him boast about his accomplishments? He’d drone on forever and then joke about my ‘little’ job at the hotel, like I was a kid playing house. It was so demoralizing.”
“Yeah, those cracks about the Duchess were uncalled for.”
She fished a tissue out of her purse and dabbed at her eyes. “I’m sorry you had to put up with him. I promise nothing like that will ever happen again.”
Could she honestly make that promise? He’d seen how desperate she was for her parents’ approval. Then again, she’d told them aboutCanada’s Most Hauntedcoming to the hotel, even if it meant facing her mother’s scorn.
