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“Did you and Duncan ever talk about an arranged marriage between me and Trent?”
My dad laughed. “Arranged marriage is a little formal. We talked about how great it would be if our kids hit it off. We didn’t arrange your marriage, honey.”
“Trent seems to think there’s something that should happen between us,” I said quietly.
My dad frowned. “Well, you have a boyfriend, and a good one at that. I’m sure he’s just taking that hard. I admit that I promised to test the waters for him and ask…which I did. But you and Asher are a great couple, anyone can see it. I told Duncan that Trent had missed the boat with you, and he took it gracefully.”
“Did he?” I wondered. I squeezed my hands together. Should I just tell my dad right now how weird Trent was being, chasing after me and attacking Selena? But Selena’s story wasn’t mine to tell and besides, I didn’t have all the information. I needed to speak to her properly. Then I could decide what to do.
“If there’s something wrong, sweetheart, I hope you know you can always come to me. You can tell me anything.” My dad’s voice was so warm, I could have basked in it all day.
My phone rang. Alan. I was late. I got up and Dad followed suit.
“I have to go now. I’m late for something.”
“I’ll be home in a few days. These long-haul trips are getting harder and harder as I get older,” he said, alarming me.
“Then you should slow down. Stay home more,” I pleaded with him.
He followed me to the door. “I’m working on it. I promise.”
Sure. It was a phrase I’d heard a hundred times.
It never turned out to be true.
“Are you working on it, or is that just something you say? Do those words have any real meaning to them?” I heard myself ask.
My dad jerked like I’d slapped him. I might as well have. I never spoke back to my dad. I never called out the broken promises. Today my emotions were spilling over too much to keep inside.
“Winter, darling. You know I want to be here more,” he started.
“So be here more. If you get sick or drop dead on some long-haul flight to close another last minute deal, then the answer will be clear,” I snapped.
“What answer?”
“To the question I never wanted to ask. What did you really love more? The work, or me.”
We stared at each other for a long time. Years of resentments, hopes and disappointments filled the space between us.
“Darling, stay, let’s talk inside,” my dad started.
“No. I have to go.” I couldn’t say anything else today. I’d hurt his feelings, which was the last thing I ever wanted.
I met Alan at his office. When I sank into the chair in front of his desk, I realized I had no memory of the drive over. I felt disconnected from reality. I always came here with Asher, but I hadn’t told him about the appointment today. There had been too much going on lately; I couldn’t keep everything straight. I’d tell him later.
Alan was talking about a horse boarding stable just outside of town and how they employed extra people from time to time, ones that they actually put on the payroll and registered with the government.
“So, what does it mean?” My voice felt like it was coming from far away.
Alan smiled. “It means I’ve found him. I’ve found Asher’s father.”
I stared. “Is he alive?” This had been my biggest worry in starting this quest. What if I helped hunt down Asher’s father just to send him to a graveyard?
Alan nodded. “Not only is he alive, but he lives less than five hundred miles from here.”
“You have a current address?”
“Yes, and this.” Alan dug into a pile of papers on his desk, then slid a shiny photo across the surface to me.
