Total pages in book: 156
Estimated words: 158829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 529(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 158829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 794(@200wpm)___ 635(@250wpm)___ 529(@300wpm)
He chuckles just enough to annoy me.
“Piper, you’re my daughter. I’ll always be in your corner. But is it possible the man doesn’t know what he doesn’t get? We menfolk can be walking bricks sometimes.”
Yep, here we go. The fatherly advice I wish I could ignore.
“If he doesn’t understand the one thing I want, it’s a problem. A nonstarter, really. It shouldn’t be this hard.”
“Yeah? And what’s that?”
He stares at me, waiting.
I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with my dad.
Don’t get me wrong. I love him to death, and we’ve always been close, but we’ve never talked about guys.
“I just want him to show me he cares,” I manage.
It’s so much harder telling Dad than Maisy.
He nods slowly and glances around my room, smiling at the flowers. His weathered face always wrinkles up like a pug when he does and I can’t help smiling back.
“I’m willing to bet he might,” he tells me.
“Oh, Dad. Not you too. This is just bribery, sending me luxury vacations like I’m any other travel influencer he’s trying to buy off.”
He raises a hand. “Now, now, I understand. You’re tough as nails and even harder to convince, Pippa. That’s why we love you.”
“I am?”
He nods, still smiling.
I look away as my heart jerks.
God.
We shouldn’t be having such a human moment over Brock freaking Winthrope.
I clear my throat and say, “Full disclosure, he helped save your life. So it’s fair to be biased in his favor.”
“I know, baby girl, and I damn well appreciate it. If he thinks he’s gonna hold it over your head, tell me right away. I’ll take out a reverse mortgage on the house and pay him off.”
“No. I don’t think he’d ever do that.”
I hate that a sick part of me wishes he would.
It would make keeping this wall up so much easier.
“Either way, he can’t force you into anything. It has to be your decision, Piper. Any man worth his salt needs to get that through his noggin. I’m thinking he cares, though—and cares an awful lot—so I’ll cross my fingers and hope this Winthrope guy’s got enough common sense to grow a pair and say the truth.”
“The truth?” I whisper.
We share a long look where Dad says nothing. The way my stomach twists says he doesn’t need to.
“What-ever. I mean, you’re right about one thing, he’s not a bad guy.”
No. He’s a terrible one in all the best ways.
“If it wasn’t so messed up, you might like him. He was in the Air Force,” I say.
Dad points at me and says, “You love him.”
I blink, turning away while every part of me goes red. I can’t even try to deny that.
“That was...never the point, Dad. I’ve never said it, and neither has he.” My face burns.
“So? What if he’s just waiting for you to spit it out first?”
I laugh at his dad logic, shaking my head.
“No way. I’m not going first.”
It’s his turn to laugh. “What if he’s thinking, 'shitfire, I’ve done everything I can think for this girl, even sent her a damn penguin and she still doesn’t feel it!'”
“He doesn’t think that,” I toss back.
Dad just stares at me and smiles again. “And you know that how?”
“...I mean, it’s obvious.”
“Is it? I hope he mans up, Pippa, but I think you both have some talking to do. I’m not sure hiding from him is the answer.”
“If he showed up just to talk like a normal human being without the bribes, that might be one thing—”
“He showed up empty-handed the first day, didn’t he?” Dad points out. “You wouldn’t see him then.”
“I wasn’t ready. But if he kept showing up empty-handed, maybe—” I stop.
Dad tilts his face down and stares at me.
I know how dumb this sounds.
“No telling what you would’ve done when it didn’t happen.”
“Dad! I thought you were on my side,” I hiss.
“I am. Don’t much like the idea of him trying to lure you in like a fish. But he can’t ever tell you what you want to hear if you won’t give him an ear. Maybe you should—”
A loud knock at the front door interrupts us.
I freeze and we share a look.
Oh, God, do I really have to talk to him? I’m so not ready for this.
Dad sighs, sensing my panic. “Hold tight. I’ll go let him down this time. I think Maisy’s tired of running interference.”
I narrow my eyes. “Dad?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re not going to say anything else, are you?” My heart twists.
Dad laughs. “Relax, honey, it’s not my place. I haven’t been mixed up in this sort of drama since before your ma took off, and I’m not hankering to jump back in and drive myself batty.”
Thank God.
I listen in as the front door squeaks as it opens, wondering how Mr. Congeniality will react to my father. He’s a thousand times harder than Maisy.