If for Any Reason (Nantucket Love Story #1) - Courtney Walsh Page 0,120
know I never really trusted the guy.”
She nodded.
“I guess I finally put it together. I overheard him talking with your grandma.”
A breeze kicked up, blowing her hair over her eyes. She tucked it behind her ears and looked at him. “What did they say?”
Hollis reached for her hand. She slipped it inside his, loving the way it made her feel, then worrying she loved it too much.
“I didn’t hear everything,” he said. “Just enough to gather that your grandma didn’t like him. I’d seen Jack in your mother’s room really early on. He was sitting at the desk, looking at something. He seemed sad. But then, all of the sudden, there was something about him that reminded me of you—I guess it all clicked.”
She looked away. “He found a photograph of himself and my mom. Said it was the only one they’d ever taken. My mom must’ve hidden it in her room somewhere, and during the renovations, he unearthed it. He tried to give it to me.”
“You didn’t take it?”
Emily shook her head. “How could I?”
“Look, Emily, I know you’ve got a lot of mixed feelings about him, but I really believe he thought he was doing what was best for you.”
Emily pulled her hand from his. “How? How is leaving your daughter to grow up without a father ‘what’s best’?”
Hollis was quiet for a moment, likely thinking of Jolie, of his own mistakes. “I’m just saying, maybe you should give the guy a second chance?”
Emily stopped walking. They’d reached the edge of the beach, and the sand stretched out in front of them. “Why would I do that, Hollis? He had so many chances over the years to reach out to me. He could’ve come to the hospital after my mom died. He could’ve seen me at the funeral—he was obviously there. He could’ve come to my grandparents anytime and said, ‘Hey, I want to be in her life.’ But he didn’t. He stayed away.”
“Do you know that for sure?”
She looked up at him. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, what if he did come to your grandparents?”
“You think they knew?”
Hollis shrugged. “I don’t know, but there’s history there, Em. Your grandma must have a reason not to like him.”
She shook her head. “No, that would be too cruel, even for her.”
After a pause, Hollis said, “Then maybe he had another reason for staying away.”
Emily took a step back. “I can’t believe it. You’re siding with him.”
Hollis moved toward her, but she turned away. “I’m not siding with anyone. I’m just saying, I talked to the guy, Em. He seems sincere. He seems like a dad who screwed up and just wants a chance to make things right.”
She spun around. “And you know all about that, don’t you? You let Jana raise Jolie like she was a single mother, sending money as if money was what either of them really needed.”
“Emily, don’t.”
“But here you are, wanting a second chance, and because you’re Hollis McGuire, you get it. You’ve got that girl wrapped around your finger now—but what happens when you let her down again? What then?”
“I’m not going to let her down again,” he said.
“You don’t know that,” Emily said. “That’s what people do. They hurt each other.”
Hollis’s face fell. “I know you’re upset, Emily.”
“No, you think because Jack Walker showed up to renovate my house that means he’s somehow ready to be my dad. Well, guess what, I don’t need a dad anymore. I don’t need anyone.”
“So, what, you’re just going to run away?” Hollis leveled her gaze. “Because that’s what you do, isn’t it? You run.”
“Like you did with Jolie?” Her tone had turned bitter. She didn’t like it, but she didn’t know how to control it—it was as if her emotions had taken over, leaving all sense of logic and kindness somewhere in the dust.
He looked wounded, but only for a moment. He drew in a breath and let it out gently. “You’ve never stayed anywhere more than a year,” Hollis said. “You’ve never had a meaningful relationship with anyone, Emily. When things get hard, you run away. But the hard stuff is necessary to get to the good stuff. Don’t you get that?”
“And suddenly you’re an expert on relationships,” she said with a dry laugh. “You spend a couple of weeks with your daughter and you think everything is just fine now.”
“No, I don’t,” Hollis said. “I’ve got a lot of work to do—you don’t think I know that?”