I freeze at his inquisition, slowly dragging my eyes up to his. “Who told you I have a new job?”
He smiles, his familiar eyes twinkling. “Stephen came by. He told me you’d broken up with him and that you quit your job.” The hurt in his tone is unmistakable.
My gut twinges with guilt.Should I have told him? Why the hell was Stephen here?
“I didn’t quit actually. I was let go.”
He doesn’t know what day it is half the time, but he’s still my dad. He should’ve found out from me.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t want you to worry.”
I swallow down the discomfort in my throat, praying he forgives me. His mood swings from his Alzheimer’s can be dramatic and unpredictable.
He smiles kindly, patting my arm. We’re sitting outside on a bench in the gardens of his nursing home. It’s warm out even though it’s barely nine a.m.
“Kate, I will always worry about you, but that’s my job.”
I nod, dipping my head to rest on his shoulder. I’m grateful for his clear mind today. I needed this.
“I won’t anymore. I’m sorry. Why was Stephen here?”
His hand pats my knee. “He asked if he could borrow some money,” he says.
I shoot up from my reclined position, eyes lasering in on my father’s face. “What? I cannot believe that asshole would do that! What the actual hell? We broke up, and he came crawling to you for money instead of getting a real job? Pathetic.” My nostrils flare as I exhale the frustration.
He smiles, shaking his head. “Oh, sweet pea, he’s not getting any wool over my eyes. It’s not your dad’s first rodeo.”
I form a weak smile, resting my head back down on his shoulder. “Well, it was still completely out of line for him to ask.”
“So, if you lost the job at the design firm, where are you working now?”
“I’m a personal assistant.”
“Hmmph.”
We enjoy the scene in front of us—a smooth pond with ducks swimming and frogs hopping around on lily pads. He doesn’t say anything else about the job, and after another ten minutes of idle chatter, Luke appears on the pebbled path in my peripheral vision. He’s been close but out of sight for the whole visit. I guess it’s time to go. I knew we didn’t have a lot of time to spare.
“I love you, Dad. I’ll come back and visit soon, okay?”
He smiles, leaning forward to peck me on the cheek. I look up as Luke approaches, wary of him getting closer and causing my dad to wonder who he is. He doesn’t stop, even as my eyes widen. In the next ten seconds, he’s standing in front of us, stretching out his hand.
“Hello, Mr. Dawson. My name is Luke Bradshaw.”
My dad looks up at him, the smile on his face dropping as he stands. “Ah, so can you tell me why my daughter has bandages on her wrists?”
Luke doesn’t break eye contact. My dad reaches for my hand.
“She was taken yesterday by Russian mercenaries who were trying to use her as bait to extract information from me.”
I gulp at his blatant honesty, eyes jumping to my dad’s face. He surveys Luke for another moment, still gripping my hand.
“Are you going to keep her safe from now on then?”
Luke nods, the posture of a soldier in his stance. “Yes, sir. Until my dying breath.”
My dad’s eyes begin to water. “I’m not able to...anymore. I’m glad she has you now, Luke.”
Another nod from Luke seems to end the exchange, and I wrap my dad in a tight hug.
