If for Any Reason (Nantucket Love Story #1) - Courtney Walsh Page 0,64
about this, Emily.”
“You obviously did this for her.”
“That was one of the reasons.”
She didn’t want to know the other reasons. Her heart was too tangled up as it was.
“Okay, but why don’t you tell her?” she asked, begging her emotions to stay in the game here. “That girl idolizes you, and knowing something like this—it would go a long way.”
“Look, I’m really sorry I snapped at you earlier, but Jolie and me—it’s complicated. It’s not the same as you and your dad.”
“No, it’s not. Because you’re here, right in front of her, but you still seem a world away.”
His jaw twitched as if he was chewing on words he wasn’t sure he should say aloud.
“You act like this is easy,” he said. “I’m making up for a lot of lost time here.” Hollis pulled out a chair next to the table and sat. He tugged the shirt over his head—thank goodness. “And I don’t . . .”
She walked out from around the island and stood next to the table. “You don’t what?”
He shook his head. “It’s stupid.” He met her eyes, and that’s when she saw it—a quiet desperation. “And I don’t want to talk about it.”
She sat down across from him. “Can I help?”
He folded his hands on the table, the muscle in his jaw twitching around thoughts he kept inside.
“Hollis—”
“I don’t deserve a second chance with her.” The words were so abrupt they had to be unplanned.
She stilled. “But you’ve got one.”
“I know, but . . .”
“You have to at least try.” What she wouldn’t have given to know that her dad was trying with her—even if he failed miserably.
“I am trying.” He rubbed his temples with both hands, then looked at her again. “Hard. But she hates me, and I don’t know how to show her that I’m sorry. You know, I’m not like Hayes. People aren’t so easy for me.”
No, Hollis didn’t need words to attract the people around him. It happened because of those piercing eyes, that smile, the way he could make you feel like you were the only person in the room.
“I think you’re wrong,” Emily said. “She doesn’t hate you. She’s just trying to make you work for her affection a little bit.”
“No, she hates me. And she should. I screwed everything up.” He shook his head. “I don’t deserve her forgiveness. I mean, would you forgive me?”
The question caught her off guard.
“If it was your dad, come back after all these years, would you forgive him?”
“That’s different,” she said. But was it really? Even she had struggled with the similarities.
“How?”
“I’m an adult,” she said. “I don’t need a father anymore. She’s just a kid, and she does.”
He turned the glass of lemonade around in a circle. “I don’t even know where to start. I don’t know what to say to her or how to talk to her. She makes me feel stupid.”
“She’s a preteen girl. That’s what they do.” Emily spoke with authority she didn’t have. She’d only ever been around a few children in her adult life, and never for long stretches. But she had been a teenage girl. That counted, right? “Tell me how I can help.”
“I’m not like you either—I’m not a natural with kids.”
She laughed. “A natural? Are you joking? Your daughter is the only kid I’ve ever liked. Well, with the exception of this boy I met on the ferry ride over here. I’m convinced he and I could be great pals if I ever saw him again.”
His face softened, then grew serious. “What do I do?”
“I’m no expert on parenting,” she said.
“No, but you have a dad who screwed up.” He looked away, frustration obvious on his knit brow.
“I think you’re overcomplicating this, Hollis,” Emily finally said. “You don’t have to have some deep conversation with her.”
“I feel like I don’t know her.”
“Think of how you’d get to know someone new. You wouldn’t dive right into their deepest, darkest secrets.”
He tossed her a look that instantly lightened the mood. “That’s ironic coming from you.”
“Okay,” she said. “Most people don’t get to know other people like that.”
His eyes narrowed. “Is deep diving for personal information how you always make new friends?”
No. Her motto was more “Keep everyone at arm’s length and you won’t get hurt.” The less personal information shared, the easier it was to walk away.
“Emily?”
She forced a smile. “You’re trying to take a page out of my playbook, aren’t you? You’re getting awfully pushy.”
He shrugged. “Seems only fair for you to know how it