Chapter 19
The next day after school, Jade still couldn’t get inside her house without a police escort—Connor. Sometimes her brother came in handy even though he was the biggest pain in the arse.
Nate had tried to convince her to go home with him, but she needed to work from home and write reports for her students. As tempting as his offer was—his whispered, wicked promises caused her knees to weaken—she was too far behind to keep putting her work off.
What would the media do if they found out she’d spent last night with Nathan Harvey? They’d go nuts, that’s what.
As she made her way into the bedroom, the package her father sent sat unopened on the chest of drawers. He’d called a few times the past week, and she let it go to voicemail, then texted an excuse about being in a meeting and she’d call back.
She picked up the parcel, sat on the edge of the bed, and opened it. A long, navy-blue box was inside. She lifted the lid. Nestled in the velvet lining, she found an emerald stone attached to a silver, intricate chain. She fingered the cool gem; it was beautiful. Next, she read the card.
To my birthday girl.
When I saw the colors of this stone, it reminded me of you. Beautiful and bright.
I hope you had a wonderful birthday.
Miss you, sweetheart, and I hope to see you soon.
Love, Dad xx
All her life, her father had missed important events. Birthdays, dance recitals, and her university graduation just to name a few. His job as an airline pilot had him traveling around the world and hardly ever home. At first, he’d only flown around Australia, and he’d be gone a couple of days at a time. But when he flew internationally, the time away stretched longer and longer, until one day, he never came home.
Over the years, he called her regularly, but depending on the time zone of the country he was in and their work schedules, they often missed each other.
Even after all this time, it still hurt that he left his family. His little girl. The daughter who followed him around like a shadow. The one who wanted to grow up and be a pilot like her dad. But when he didn’t come home, and chose his work over family, she decided she never wanted a job that would take her away from loved ones. A part deep in her heart believed maybe he didn’t love them enough to want to stay. And that’s what cut the most.
She couldn’t put off calling him back any longer and pulled her phone from her pocket.
After three rings, he answered. “Hi, shortcake.”
He’d given her the nickname Strawberry Shortcake because of the color of her hair. The name got shortened over time.
“Hi, Dad. I hope I haven’t caught you at a bad time?” She could hear rustling through the phone.
“No, just heading out to the airport.”
“I won’t keep you. I just wanted to say thanks for the gift. It’s beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like it. Sorry I didn’t get it to you on time. You know how it is when I’m halfway around the world.”
Yeah, she knew what it was like. It meant she rarely had her father in her life.
“I’ll be flying into Sydney next month, and I have time off, so I’ll be heading down to Brimland Point. I’d loved to get you kids together to hang out for a few days. I miss you guys so much.” More noises in the background and someone calling his name.
“Sounds great,” she said with exaggerated enthusiasm. The words clogged her throat. “I can hear you’re busy, so I’ll talk to you later. Have a safe flight.”
“Okay, shortcake. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
When the call ended, she blew out a long, shuddery breath and flopped on her back on the bed. She always looked forward to seeing him, and they had fun while together, but every time he left, it still chipped away at her heart. She’d learned to mask the pain. As a kid, she’d cry and cling to him, trying to stop him from walking out the door. But as an adult, she smiled and waved him off. She’d never let him see the pain that twisted in her heart.
One good thing about their conversation—he never mentioned her affair with Nathan Harvey that was splashed over the internet. Being in the sky so much didn’t allow a lot of time to catch up on the latest news. And by the quick call, catch up on how his family was doing.
* * * *
Nate finished the last song of his set. The three new tracks he’d written over the past few days had gotten a great reaction from the crowd at Jovi’s.
