Page 23 of Tiger on the Prowl

“I leave the crying to your mother. There’ll be plenty of that today,” he claimed. “Now, shall we go down there and wow them all?”

He offered both arms, one to each of his daughters, and together they left the hotel room and walked down the long hallway to the elevators.

Olivia wondered whether one day it would be her turn to be the one in the white dress, being led down the aisle by her father, to a handsome man who loved her.

“And just so you two know, I want at least two dances with each of you, no matter how many handsome young men are vying for your attention,” he said with a grin. Then he winked and looked at Olivia. “And I’ve seen some of Timothy’s friends. I think you’ll have your pick of handsome young men today, Olivia.”

She rolled her eyes. “Are you trying to play matchmaker, Dad?”

“It worked with your sister.”

“And it was embarrassing,” Grace claimed, laughing. “You can’t just walk up to a stranger in a restaurant and ask him if he wants to go out on a date with your daughter.”

“Timothy didn’t mind,” he said, chuckling, “or we wouldn’t be celebrating a wedding today. Besides, he wasn’t a complete stranger. He lived in the same building as your mom and I. We practically knew each other. And I never heard any weird sounds coming from his condo.”

“We’re never gonna win this argument, sis,” Olivia said. “Better not waste our breath.”

Grace winked. “Yeah, we need that for dancing.”

Olivia smiled. Her father had a way about him that always cheered her up.