Page 92 of Second Chance Wedding
“Then why do it? Why not call me and tell me what was going on?”
Something flashed across her father’s face, an expression she couldn’t make out.
“Is it possible Cole reacted the way he did because he considers himself close enough to you and Ben that he feels like heisBen’s family? Perhaps he sees himself as part of your future?”
“What do you mean?” she asked in a small voice.
Her father inhaled and took a step back. “Do you remember when you were little and you wanted to learn to surf, so your mother signed you up for swim lessons?”
“What does that have to do with Ben?”
Her father lifted his hand in the classic slow-down motion. “You wanted to surf, but you couldn’t swim. And since your mother knew there would come a day when you’d go into the water with or without permission, she wanted you to be prepared. She didn’t call me and ask me about it first. She just did it—knowing there would come a day when you’d run headfirst into that surf, and those lessons might be the only thing to save you.”
Her shoulders sagged. “You’re saying Cole made the decision to try to protect Ben from future pain.”
“Am I?”
Her father winked at her, and the familiar gesture once again transported her back to those years before everything had changed. “Do you think I overreacted?”
“Only you can judge that,” he said. “But I don’t believe Cole made the decision with malicious intent. Only to spare you the pain of seeing someone you’ve avoided all these years while helping Ben at the same time.”
“You’re a lot easier to deal with when you’re being totally irrational,” she muttered.
The judge’s booming laugh filled the boutique, and he tugged her back into his arms for another hug. “Like father, like daughter, I suppose. I love you, Analise.”
“I love you, too, Daddy,” she said, her words muffled against his suit jacketed arm. “You know we’re going to fight again though, right? I don’t want you going behind my back to pay the damages or anything. I mean it.”
She knew she’d guessed right when her father tensed slightly and then relaxed as he released a chuckle.
“I hope you’ll change your mind and allow me to help, but I won’t go behind your back to pay the damages, either.”
“Good. You know, Mama might be right in that we’re a little too much alike.” Because truthfully she’d probably do the same thing if she had the money. She’d want to help.
She felt her father press a kiss to the top of her head.
“She might be right about a lot of things. But don’t ever tell her I said that.”
* * *
The next few days passed in a blur for Ana. She worked, picked up Ben after work without leaving the safety of her vehicle so she could avoid Cole and tried to deep dive into the gamut of emotions bombarding her from every direction.
Her conversation with Ben had made it clear he’d done something he needed for his emotional wellbeing, and she couldn’t fault him for that, but that still didn’t change the fact that she felt Cole had overstepped and interfered in something he shouldn’t have. Crossed a boundary he had no right to cross.
Her father’s statements hadn’t helped with her confusion, though. Her upset with Cole simmered despite the time apart, and no amount of self-reflection seemed to dim the intensity as she zipped from being angry to confused to torn. Ben’s defense of Cole didn’t help the raging torment either.
“Mom, are you ready?”
Ben and friends entered the boutique with grins and interest on their handsome young faces. The fourth member of the group, a girl, followed.
That had been a new development as well. Apparently a discussion with kids in his art class about a popular video game had led to sitting with those kids at lunch instead of with Mason and the others involved in the drama of the party held the night of the opening gala.
Ben had told Ana and his counselor that he didn’t want to be friends with people he couldn’t trust and when Mason had come back around acting as though nothing had happened and he’d done nothing wrong, Ben had made his feelings clear. Mason had promised to make it up to Ben, but only time would tell.
Ana was glad to see Ben moving on and the teens with him now seemed like a good match. Ana eyed the girl as she blushed every time Ben glanced her way.
The sight left Ana faltering, but only because she remembered feeling,behaving, the same way when she’d first met Cole that day on the boardwalk. “Ready when you are.”
This evening was the big Blackwell Enterprises holiday party. Ben had invited his new friends and had even gone as far as to invite her to come as one of his pluses as well.
