garage because kids are fucking expensive. Eventually, it all became just a pipe dream. It was more important to put food on the table than waste time thinking about places I was never going to see.”
“Wow,” I said quietly. It was the second time I’d said as much tonight, and I was just as bowled over. My father had never expressed any interest in traveling. He’d never expressed any interest in much of anything outside of Coral Cove.
“Yeah, well.” He looked over at my open computer with interest. The picture of Lahja was still up on the screen. “You take that picture? Can I see?”
“Sure.” I passed him my computer and showed him the arrow. “Press this to go forward and this one to go back.”
I watched him going through my pictures, still a little flummoxed at his revelation. I huffed out a laugh at the irony. Here I was thinking we were as different as could be, and we shared more than I could’ve imagined.
“You know… you don’t have as many responsibilities as you used to,” I ventured. “John, Mark, and Matt are good with handling the business when they put their minds to it. And you don’t have any pets to take care of.”
He kept scrolling through pictures. “What’s your point?”
“Maybe you should come with me on a trip sometime. It’s never too late to check off some things on those travel lists.”
He stilled, his finger frozen on the arrow key. “I don’t know about all that.”
“Think about it,” I urged. “You don’t have to give me an answer now.”
“I wouldn’t be able to get my special muffins for my breakfast,” he blurted.
“For God’s sake, Dad, they have muffins in different countries.”
“Not Laura’s special wakeup blend,” he said stubbornly. “And what about my bills?”
“Autopay.”
“My yard!”
“The boys can take care of it.” I raised an eyebrow. “You gonna keep coming up with excuses, or are we gonna get you a passport?”
He grunted. I translated his Dad-speak again. “Thank you, Journey, for caring about my well-being. I’ll take your thoughtful offer under careful consideration.”
I heard a howl outside and I smiled wistfully—Kona. If I went out there now, I could probably catch a glimpse of Cam in his backyard. I stayed right where I was. I glanced over to find my dad giving me a look. The I’m about to get all up in your business look. I sighed.
Sure enough, he asked, “Did you tell him how you feel?”
“Tell him how I feel?” I snorted. “I practically flayed myself open for the general amusement of our fellow diners at Fork tonight. I think Cam is done with me.”
He scoffed. “That boy loves you. Always has. He’s just scared.”
“Yeah, well he’s not the only one,” I shot back.
He hummed as he continued flipping through my photos. “Good.”
I frowned. “Good? Why’s that? Is that some solution to a riddle I’ve never heard of? One fraidy-cat plus one fraidy-cat equals happiness?”
“No,” he said pointedly. “And you should feel free to stop being a wiseass.”
I huffed. “All right. Then why?”
“Because love is supposed to be scary. You’re supposed to be scared of finding it. Keeping it. Losing it.” His fingers tightened on my laptop at the last one. I didn’t blame him. That one was the worst. “If you’re not scared, you’re not invested enough. Not with your future or your happiness. And definitely not your heart.”
“Since when do you get so deep?”
“Still waters, JJ. Still waters.” He closed my laptop and put it on the coffee table. “Love is why you came back to help get me on my feet. Love is you scheduling a walk-in bathtub installation next week that you think I don’t know about.”
“That was fear, Dad,” I said helpfully. “I’m still scarred from seeing your ghostly white hide when I had to help you out of the tub.”
He ignored me. “Love is why we ate that shackazulu you prepared yesterday.”
“Shakshuka.”
“Whatever.” He paused. “Did I ever tell you how your mother and I started dating?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“We were set up on a blind date with other people. I wound up sitting down at the wrong table.” He went on as I chuckled. “We were talking for a good fifteen minutes before we realized the mix-up. By then, I knew I didn’t want to let her go, but her date arrived and mine spotted me from over by the bar.”
“Did you get her number at least?”
“Not yet. We spent the next twenty minutes making moon eyes at each other