is blind. He’d married the woman in spite of the red flags waving all around him and he’d stayed blind right up until she ripped out his heart and left a substantial dent in his savings.
Athena had struggled to keep her mouth shut, gritting her teeth through family gatherings, pretending she hadn’t heard when she caught her aunts gossiping in the kitchen about the new wife when Daddy brought her to the family Thanksgiving gathering. She’d hoped against hope that maybe Nicole would turn out not to be as shallow and grasping as she’d appeared. The hopes had been in vain.
Daddy’s sisters hadn’t hesitated to say, “I told you so,” when Nicole dumped him, but as far as Athena had been concerned there’d been no point in pouring salt in the wound. She’d kept her mouth shut and vowed to never let him get hurt again.
“Athena, what are you up to?” he asked now. “You were looking forward to that tour. I heard you talking about it with Denise last night, and now you’re not doing it.”
She had been looking forward to taking the tour. But if she had to do guard duty instead, so be it.
“I’m not up to anything,” she insisted. She could feel the warmth of a blush stealing onto her cheeks and felt like she was fourteen all over again, trying to convince her parents that she hadn’t sneaked off to meet a boy instead of going to her best friend’s house like she’d said.
He cocked an eyebrow. “I hope you’re not thinking I need a chaperone at this age.”
“No, of course not.”
“Are you sure?”
Okay, guilty as charged, and maybe there was nothing wrong with Catherine Pine. Maybe Athena was being paranoid. But she’d rather be paranoid than see her father hurt again.
“I just want to spend time with you,” she protested. That much was true. She did. “I thought we were going to do it together.”
“I’m sorry, darling. That was thoughtless of me.”
“It was,” Athena said, and realized her feelings were hurt. “I mean, you’ve barely met this woman. You don’t know anything about her.”
Daddy’s penitent expression disappeared. “Really, Athena, I’m a grown man and I don’t need a babysitter.”
Oh, yes, he did. But he wasn’t going to admit it. Much easier to scold her than admit his own weakness.
A good defense was a good offense. “Fine. If you don’t want me along,” she said, using her best huffy voice.
He softened. “Of course I do. If you’re joining us to be friendly and have a good time. But you need to let me handle picking my own friends. I know you worry, but your old man’s okay now. I can take care of myself.”
The man who had fallen into such a trap telling her he could take care of himself? It was the equivalent of a child saying, “I can cross the freeway by myself.”
“I understand,” she said. It was a good, neutral comment. No promises made.
Though she knew he took it as a promise that she wouldn’t interfere. “All right, then. In that case, let’s go get our coats.”
She nodded, and they left the dining room together, her father happy that he had things settled and her determined to have a little talk with Catherine Pine the moment she could get her alone.
If she ever could.
They found Catherine waiting for them by the gangplank, wearing her red coat and a knitted hat. “Are you sure I’m not spoiling your father-daughter time?” she asked.
At that point, what were they to say? Yes, go away?
“Not at all,” said Daddy, looking at Athena.
She managed a weak smile.
“It’s awfully kind of you to share your father with me for a little while,” Catherine said to her.
Yes, a little while. Not the whole cruise.
“Daddy’s never met a stranger,” Athena said.
“I’m sure he hasn’t,” Catherine said, smiling at him. “There’s a gift not all of us have.”
Athena didn’t. It seemed as she’d gotten older she’d gotten less trusting. Her divorce and Daddy’s fortune hunter had done that to her, she supposed.
Was Catherine a fortune hunter, looking for a man to take care of her? She did seem like a nice woman, Athena would give her that.
But people weren’t always what they seemed. When they were first together Athena’s husband, with his big smile and his big laugh, had looked to her like a man who would be happy to hang in there for the long haul. He hadn’t been. He’d gotten tired of house repairs and mowing the lawn and