Page 26 of The Fake Girlfriend's Billionaire Match
Scoffing, her mom said, “They said you need to take a vacation.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’ve got too much work, but…” He cut a glance at Winnie. “If I had my daughter, maybe my workload would be a little lighter because I’d have someone I trust to lean on.”
Winnie inhaled and let it out slowly. “Dad, I hate law. Yes, I have a degree. Yes, I have the ability. No.” Aside from that, she hadn’t fit in with her classmates when she was in college. She wasn’t a pantsuit kind of girl.
“You could do something other than divorce. I’ve been looking into intellectual digital property rights. You could do that.”
“Dad, I prepared Thanksgiving dinner for Bear’s family. I wish you could have been there. I wish you could have heard them. I wish you could…I wish you could see me.”
His face fell. “I do see you, sweetheart. I do.”
“No, you really don’t, but I want you to know that I’m sorry for all the horrible things I said to you the last time we spoke. I know you love me. You want the best for me.”
He sat up a little and looked down at the bed. “I just don’t want to see you fail. Restaurants are so hard. There’s food cost, staff, people you’ll have to depend on.” He lifted his head. “Every day, people come into my office with sad stories of someone letting them down. Every single day. I didn’t want you hurt like that.”
Winnie had never seen it that way. That he was wanting to protect her from heartbreak. “Dad, Tammy ran off with the money.”
“She what?”
Her mom sighed. “Tammy emptied the bank account and ran off with her boyfriend.”
“Oh, honey, I’m sorry.” That wasn’t the response Winnie expected at all.
“You don’t think I deserved it?” she asked. All this time, she’d thought for sure he’d laugh at her and hold it over her as proof he was right.
Shaking his head, he said, “No. Never. The reason I didn’t want you opening a restaurant in San Antonio is because the industry is volatile. Between food costs and paying staff, it’s so easy for it to go under. Yes, I want you to be a lawyer, but only because it’s safe. Everyone needs a lawyer.”
Winnie snickered and then barked a laugh, and before she knew it, she was laughing harder than she had in a long while. Bear was right. Her dad loved her and didn’t want her to get hurt. “So, all this time, you just wanted me to have job stability?”
“Well, yeah. It’s just practical to pick a profession that is always in demand. When I looked up the area in San Antonio, it seemed to me there was a restaurant opening weekly with at least two closing.”
With a loud groan, her mom sat in the nearby chair. “I told the both of you to just sit down and talk, but no one wants to listen to the mom.” She crossed her legs. “Now that you two are actually speaking again, I have a question. Do you really want to open a restaurant in San Antonio, or were you just being obstinate because your father was trying to tell you what to do?”
Winnie’s pulse jumped. She had to return to San Antonio. Quitting wasn’t an option. “Of course I do.” Yes, she’d enjoyed her time with Bear, but he’d been clear that he didn’t want a girlfriend. Even if he did, would she have regrets later? She loved how he’d held her on the plane, admired him for standing up to her mom, and appreciated the support he’d given her from the moment she’d told him about her dad.
It was a good thing she’d kept her feelings to herself when she and Bear were talking. If she hadn’t, she would have hurt him. Now that she was talking about it with her dad, the very idea that she’d fold made her want to throw up. “Yes, I want to open it. I’m really close, too.”
“Okay.” Her mom regarded her a moment. “I just wanted to make sure. Remember? I lived with him before I lived with you. He wrote the definition for stubborn.”
“No, I did not, Henrietta.” Her dad raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, you did.”
He sat up a little further. “No, I didn’t.”
“Dad.” Winnie used the tone he’d normally use with her when she wouldn’t stop.
Flopping back, he said, “Fine. But I’m not stubborn.”
With a snort, her mom rolled her lips in and then laughed. “I think there’s mule in your bloodline.”
Winnie tried to hold back a laugh and couldn’t. She’d missed her dad and hated that it took a hospital visit to reconcile. They were talking, though. Something good had come from something that could have gone a very different way. For that, she was grateful.
As soon as her dad was cleared to leave the hospital, she’d return to Caprock Canyon with Bear, spend the holiday with him, and then go home to start her dream. Now that she’d made up with her dad, the dream was even that much more important to her.
Chapter 19
After two days in the hospital, Winnie’s dad was released with an appointment scheduled for a cardiologist. Apparently, this was the best doctor in Houston, so it had taken an additional week to get in to see him. Most likely, the doctor would want to run tests and Winnie wouldn’t want to leave until she knew the results, which would take a few more days. Bear had already been gone from the ranch for a week and a half, but he hadn’t broached the subject of returning to the ranch with Winnie yet. Adding another level to her stress wasn’t right. Her dad was more important. Being a support for her meant more to him, and his ranch was in good hands.
