Page 28 of Nothing to Lose: Lost Trilogy: Part 1
“Baby,” my father sighs in despair now, taking me by surprise. He doesn’t show much emotion in general unless he is happy to see me, which he always is. “You have no idea what I do for a living, the kind of people I deal with on a daily basis. You being tucked away in that little town you love so much is the best thing that could’ve happened.”
“Dad,” I chuckle nervously, “you’re talking like you’re doing illegal stuff. Stop trying to scare me.”
When he rolls his eyes at me, I burst into happy laughter.
“I love you so much, dad,” I lean over and kiss him on the cheek. “I miss her still, you know,” I whisper in the quiet room. “I want to do right by her. I think this would make her happy.”
What he doesn’t understand is that I don’t need his permission to go. But I do feel better when he knows where I am. He is the only one who’s always cared enough to keep track of my whereabouts.
“I am old enough to go without you knowing, dad,” I rush to say when I sense his resolve to say no once again. “I just wanted you to know what’s going on.”
“Emily,” he sighs, and the way he does it tells me that I got him. “You need to understand that this is not a good time. I’d like to be there with you when you go, and right now I am in the middle of a situation that just needs my complete attention and focus.”
“I won’t go by myself,” I jump to say. I can tell that I am getting through to him.
Dad rolls his eyes at me. “Steve? Because I’m not paying for him to stay in a swanky hotel.”
“Becca,” I grin at him. He’s never liked Steve, not sure why. But he does like my best friend.
“I’ll splurge on a nice place if you go with Rebecca,” he concedes, a little smirk lifting the corner of his mouth.
He’s been smiling a lot lately, I realize with a start. Not that he never smiled before, but for the last few months, it’s been, I don’t know, just… different.
“Hey, dad,” I eye him nervously. “The woman you were in love with before, what happened to her?”
My question startles him, and trust me when I say, it is very hard to surprise my father like this.
He watches me apprehensively for a few long seconds.
“She married someone else,” he finally tells me.
“She did?”
That little piece of information is making me inexplicably sad. If they were in love, why didn’t they get married?
“She didn’t love you then?” I whisper, almost in tears.
“She did,” dad sighs and throws the pen he was holding on the hard surface of his desk, then throws himself against the back of his chair. He runs his hands through his thick hair, and I realize how handsome he still is. “Life just got in the way,” he shrugs.
“Is she still married?” I continue with my line of questioning.
Dad’s mouth stretches in an almost evil smile, making me shiver with discomfort. “Only for a few more weeks.”
“Oh, she’s getting a divorce?”
His eyes come up to mine. He is hiding something from me, that much is clear.
“You could say that,” he smirks at me.
I’m not sure what else I can ask right now. I don’t think he’ll tell me much more than what he already has.
“Can you give me a few weeks?” he decides to change the subject, and I let him. “I need to talk to Malone about a few things. He’ll find a couple of trustworthy bodyguards for you and Rebecca for when you go to Texas.”
“Dad,” I snort out loud. “Seriously, bodyguards?”
“I’ll let you know when it’s all sorted,” he nods at me in dismissal.
I jump off his desk and give him a hug. “Thank you, dad. This is important to me.”
