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Fear sling-shotted itself through his body. Dozens of bad scenarios filtered through his head while she sobbed into the phone. He took a calming breath then spoke.
“Emilie, it’s all right. Tell me what happened.”
He sat in the nearest seat while she told him about swimming and meeting Finn in the pool. “Everything was fine right until I was ready to leave.”
His heart thumped loudly in his ears, blocking out her voice. He shook his head, willing the sound to still so he could hear. Adrenaline raced through his body while he thought of the worst. “Did he hurt you? Are you okay?”
She gave a weak laugh. “No, nothing like that. I’m okay.”
Dean let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. So what’s wrong then?”
“I wouldn’t say I planted doubt in Finn’s mind, since he already knows Ava is using him for money, but I don’t think I helped anything.”
“Wait, he knows?”
“He suspects. I didn’t feel like I should be the one to confirm anything.”
Dean nodded. Things could backfire, hurting Emilie, too. “I agree. Is there anything I can do?”
“Hurry and get here so I won’t make any more stupid mistakes.” Her voice was sweet and oh so tempting. If he could fly there, he would. He checked the time.
“I was just about to head back.” He grabbed his keys and left the house, locking the door behind him.
“Wait,” she said suddenly, stopping him in his tracks on the way to the truck. “Maybe there is something you can do. I feel like this wedding is going to end in disaster. Can you stop by Gail’s house one more time and beg her to come? Tell her about the new circumstances. See if she’ll reconsider.”
He unfroze, took a few more steps and jumped into the driver’s seat. “Okay, but I don’t want you to get your hopes up.”
* * *
Dean knocked on Gail’s door then checked the driveway again to reaffirm her car was still there. After a minute, he tried again. It wasn’t too far of a walk, but Gail didn’t seem like a person who’d walk to her office in high heels.
After a minute and some more knocking, the door swung open, showing Gail’s stern face. She brightened when she saw him. “Dean Wright! What are you doing here at this hour? I came home for my lunch break and thought you were someone selling something or preaching.”
He chuckled and pointed to himself. “Nope. Just me.”
Gail’s face twitched with a hint of a smile. “You must want something.”
“You might want to sit down for this conversation.” He gestured inside.
Gail gave him a warning look. “What did you do?”
Dean followed her into the kitchen while she returned to her sandwich. She offered to make him one, but he didn’t want to delay his drive any longer. “I realize you’re going back to work, but it would only take one call to tell your boss you won’t be coming in. Mr. Bradford would be shocked to know you aren’t going to your daughter’s wedding.”
“I already told Emilie. Ava wants me there for selfish reasons.” Gail glared at him, her way of closing the conversation.
“Actually, things have changed a bit. She might need your support more than you think. Someone’s got to talk her into doing the right thing.”
Gail lifted one eyebrow but continued to munch away at her sandwich.
“No one expects you to bail out Ava financially or bend to her every whim. But she might need your emotional support.”
“She hasn’t called me once since leaving, except to ask for money? She came home one day before I could change the locks and stole all the money in the house. No idea what she used it for, but that girl’s been wayward a long time. She didn’t even tell me she was getting married. Does that sound like someone who would want support from me?”
She stared beyond him. He peered over his shoulder and saw the old picture of her and Ava on her first day of kindergarten. How had she held in her feelings for so long? “Where did I go wrong in raising her? I taught her right, and yet she turned her back on everything that was good.”
“You still care about her, even after the many times she’s hurt you. One day you’ll remember this moment and regret not being there.”
Gail snorted. “I doubt that. She’s too much like her father. Only cares about herself.”
