and checked the screen.
Her dad.
She was tempted not to answer it, but even if she didn’t, seeing his smiling face on the screen was enough of a damper on her sexcapades with Manny.
She screwed up her nose. “I have to get this. It’s my dad.”
“Go ahead.” His rueful smile made her want to hug him for giving her this space. “I’ll go take a cold shower.”
She kissed her fingertips and pressed them to his lips before answering the phone.
“Hey, Dad, how are you?”
“Fine, love. You?”
“I’m in New Zealand for work. Did you get my text I sent before I left?”
“Uh . . . yes, I think so.”
Her dad sounded more absentminded than usual, and for the first time since she’d landed in New Zealand she felt guilty for not checking in on him before she left. She didn’t want to encourage his clinginess because it inevitably led to questions about her mom she couldn’t or didn’t want to answer. But her dad should be better by now, past this pining. It had been fourteen months since his marriage fell apart, and he had to move on.
“Have you heard from your mother?”
No, because her mom had a life and that meant she left Harper alone most of the time. But the moment the thought popped into her head she felt disloyal. Her dad was like a giant teddy bear, and he was floundering. He needed her.
“I haven’t, Dad, but I’ve been busy—”
“She’s probably seeing someone.” He sighed. “Why is she doing this?”
Every phone call, every face-to-face chat with her dad had her fielding the same questions, and with Manny sitting on the bed, his back turned to give her some privacy, she’d had enough. The great Alec Ryland, the life of the party, big, bold, boisterous, had to grow a pair and make a clean break.
“Dad, it’s time.”
“For what?”
“To file for divorce.”
Harper didn’t know what was worse, her dad asking questions about her mom’s dating life or this silence punctuated by what sounded suspiciously like sniffles.
“Dad, are you okay?”
“I’ll talk to you when you get back,” he said, and hung up, leaving her feeling more helpless than ever.
Wasn’t she meant to be having life crises and her parents supposed to comfort her? This was all wrong, and she was tired of being caught in the middle. Her dad was right about one thing. When she got home they’d talk and she’d sort this out once and for all. Not that she had any say in their marriage or divorce, but she was tired of being pulled in both directions. She’d kept her opinion to herself, but it was time to voice it and make sure her parents moved on.
She crossed the room to lay a hand on Manny’s shoulder. Only then did he turn, the concern in his eyes making her want to crawl into his lap for a hug.
“Sorry about that,” she said, sitting next to him on the bed.
“You don’t need to apologize. Family comes first.” He reached up to brush a strand of hair away from her face. “You okay?”
“Yeah, but I’m tired of being caught in the middle. And of hearing my dad so down. When I get home I’m going to encourage him to file for divorce.”
“He still loves your mom?”
She nodded, sadness for her folks making her throat tighten. “It’s not my place to find out what went wrong with them, or try to fix it, but I wish I could. But that’s obviously not going to happen, so I need to be up-front and tell them what I think. They need to move on.”
He slid an arm around her waist and she rested her head on his shoulder, grateful for the silent comfort. She liked that he could be serious and supportive, and shelve his joker self when needed. Who was she kidding? She liked everything about this guy, way too much, way too soon.
“Do you want to head back to the bar for that nightcap?”
He was giving her an out, and she gratefully took it. Talking to her dad had definitely put a damper on their sexy time. And while she had full confidence Manny could rekindle their spark quickly, she wasn’t in the mood anymore. Besides, she really should get some stuff ticked off her to-do list tonight, and if the prelude to sex with Manny had been any indication, she wouldn’t get much done if they went the whole way.
“Thanks, but I should get back to my room and do some