“Well, that bastard is dying.” I shook my head. “My brother didn’t know about me. He found a returned letter Daddy had sent and confronted him. So, of course, Daddy Dearest’s last wish before he leaves the earth is to reconnect with me.” I shrugged. “I guess he wants my forgiveness.”
“Are you going to give it to him?” There was no judgment in Kara’s voice, just curiosity. I hadn’t realized until she said it, but I needed someone to listen, to not lecture me about forgiveness.
“Don’t know for sure, but I’m leaning toward no. If I see him, it’s for my brother. Or to show him that I flourished despite his abandonment. My intentions are not pure.”
“What is he dying of?”
“Last stages of emphysema, and he doesn’t have long. No more than two or three months.” I tore my cocktail napkin into smaller pieces. “What do . . .” I cleared my throat. “What do you think I should do? What would you do?”
Kara gave a husky laugh. “We aren’t the same person, Raina, you know that.”
“I do. But I still want your opinion. You don’t sugarcoat things. Nikki, despite her gruff exterior, would tell me to forgive. I think she would see her father in mine. Sienna, despite her bad-girl phase, is an optimist.”
“True.” Kara nodded.
“So? How about it?” I asked. “The floor is yours.”
“Okay, here goes. And no sugarcoating. But if I were you, I’d do it. And it’s not because my mama died and there’s an ache in my heart that will never go away.” She took a sip of her wine, then continued. “Don’t do it for him. Do it for you. You need a resolution and, girl, no offense, but you’ve got major daddy issues.”
“Well, damn. At least lube me up with Vaseline before you—”
“Stop.” Kara waved a hand. “You’re doing the sarcastic defensive thing. I’m giving the opinion you asked for.”
“By all means, continue.” I grabbed the lit cigar from the ashtray, inhaled, and took a long puff. With my lips, I formed a smoke ring that danced around Kara’s head.
She frowned and coughed, but the ring of smoke didn’t deter her.
“When your father dies, so does your opportunity to heal. But if you talk to him, you can move on in your life. Namely, your love life. You need to be able to see a guy for who he is, not worry he’ll leave like your dad.”
I knew Kara was right, and I knew her answer before she gave it to me. Guess we knew each other better than I had originally estimated.
“So, I think I screwed up a little with Cam.”
“Sure, you did.” Kara nodded. “But you shouldn’t let him off the hook. He knew where you stood regarding marriage. And, honestly, I think with time, a looong time, granted, you would’ve gotten to that place. He forced your hand, and he lost. You both lost. To be honest, I think you guys should try again. You could work it out.”
“You think so?” My voice sounded small and unsure.
“I know so. That man loves you, and you love him. Everything else will take some work, but it’s fixable.”
“For what it’s worth, I think Darren loves you, too. He’s just confused.”
“I wish I knew, but I honestly don’t. You didn’t see the empty look he gave me every night before he rolled over to his side of the bed. Like I was a stranger. A stranger he wasn’t particularly fond of.” She took a pull from her cigar. “God only knows how things will pan out.”
I reached over and squeezed her hand. “I’ll hold you up.”
“What?” Kara tilted her head.
“You said that you didn’t have anyone to hold you up. But I can. You aren’t alone. We’re in this together, no matter what.” I lifted my glass to clink with hers and to seal the vow I’d just given her.
“Alone, together,” she repeated. It sounded silly as hell, but it was meaningful. Kara and I were no longer semifriends who tolerated each other.
Daisy came back to the table with fresh drinks on her tray. “Another round from the gentlemen in the corner.”
“Nice.” I grabbed my drink and lifted the glass in the air, giving the men a silent thank-you.
I looked at Kara. “What do you say that we pause on being alone together and go flirt with the cute guys across the room?”
Kara nodded. “Dibs on the redbone with the baby face.”