think of anything more awkward. Except perhaps walking in on you and Mum having sex. That was pretty bad.”
“Sex is a normal, healthy—”
“Stop! I beg you, stop.”
“All right, but I’m here for you. I can talk to him. Or knock him down. No one hurts my girls.”
It should have made her laugh, the image of her father knocking Jordan down, but instead it made her want to cry.
“I can take care of myself.”
“Maybe you’re not as tough as you think you are.”
She was starting to think she wasn’t tough at all. Any moment now she was going to start crying. “I’m okay.”
“I know, but sometimes it’s nice not to have to fight your way through life alone.”
His words struck home. At that moment she felt more alone than she ever had before in her life.
She almost told him about Jordan. Almost. She’d find the conversation awkward, and she knew for a fact he would. “I think I might lie down for a couple of hours.”
“Good plan. You were probably awake all night worrying about your sister while you were trapped in that cabin.”
She didn’t share the fact that her exhaustion had a different cause. This new spirit of openness was all well and good, but there were limits. “Thanks again for listening. And for saying all the right things.”
“Parenting.” He kissed the top of her head and stood up. “There’s nothing to it. Now go and lie down, close your eyes and dream about a future that excites you. And if your mother happens to ask how it went, don’t forget to tell her I aced it.”
Laughing, she gave him a push and watched him leave.
Why had she dreaded that conversation? She should have had it sooner.
She still didn’t know what she was going to do, but she’d given herself permission to at least think about it.
And she was glad her parents were still together. Pleased they were happy.
An image of Jordan flashed into her mind. She’d never felt as comfortable with anyone before. Never talked and shared so openly. The closeness had added a layer of intimacy she hadn’t known before.
Was that how her parents felt when they were together? And Rosie and Dan?
She felt an ache deep inside her. For a moment, she imagined a different kind of life. A life that was balanced and varied. Instead of coming home half-dead from exhaustion with nothing left to give, coming home to someone who cared about her.
And what? She saw herself doing that with Jordan?
This whole thing with Jordan hadn’t been real.
It had been one night, not a whole life.
Her phone pinged and she saw a message from her sister.
Guess what? I’M GETTING MARRIED
Katie closed her eyes. Relief made her weak. Thank goodness. She didn’t know the details, and she didn’t care. All that mattered was that it was going to be okay. She hadn’t ruined her sister’s life. She felt a rush of emotion so powerful it almost knocked her flat.
She blinked back tears as she texted back.
So happy for you both.
The wedding was going ahead. Which meant she needed to pull herself together.
She needed to smile, and focus on being happy for her sister. She could figure the rest of it out later.
It was Christmas. This was her favorite time of year.
So why did she feel so low?
She was going to close her eyes for five minutes and see if that helped.
She was halfway to the bedroom when there was a tap on the door.
“Oh for—” She turned and saw Jordan standing there.
Her heart lurched. She wasn’t sure she could handle him right now.
She wanted to tell him to go away, but if she did that he’d think she was brokenhearted or something equally embarrassing, and she’d suffered all the embarrassment she could handle for one day.
She waved him in. “Hi, Jordan. Is something wrong?”
“Dan and Rosie seem to have fixed whatever was bothering them.”
“She messaged me.”
“I’m guessing you had something to do with the fact it’s back on.”
“If you’re asking if I spoke to Dan, yes, I did, although it was more of an apology really, since it was my interfering that almost broke them up in the first place. But in the end they fixed it themselves. Was there anything else or did you just come to talk about Rosie and Dan?”
“I didn’t come to talk about Rosie and Dan.” He closed the door behind him. “There are some things I need to say.”