Page 7 of My Temptation

“He said no.” She wrung her hands together, which I’d noticed over the last week was a sign of nervousness. “He knows my dad left me a lot of money in his will, money that was released to me after Danny died, and he pointed out that I don’t need to work, but I got the feeling it was something more. Like maybe he didn’t think I’d be good at anything.”

I couldn’t speak for Striker, and I didn’t know him as well as I knew the other guys I worked with, but I doubted his not wanting her to work had anything to do with her abilities. “Striker has his reasons for not wanting you to work, and I’d guess that has more to do with you being in the public eye than anything else. It’s harder for us to do our job when you’re easily accessible.” I set my cup on the counter and leaned forward. “I’d bet my paycheck he doesn’t doubt your abilities.” I smiled sympathetically and pointed out what I thought to be true. “That sounds more like your own doubt.” When her eyes dropped, I decided we’d talked about this enough. I didn’t want to make her sad. I wanted her to find her strength and her voice, but that would take time. I had a feeling she spent her whole life being beat down. It would take more than a few conversations for her to build her confidence. “Why don’t you go pack?”

“Okay.” She stood from the stool and lifted her laptop. “Should I bring this?”

“Yeah, and anything else you like to do when you have time alone. I’ll need to meet with my father, so you’ll have to occupy yourself for a few hours, maybe more.”

Beth studied me closely, and I wondered if she saw in me what I was trying to hide. “What does your dad do?”

“He works for the FBI.”

“Are you close to him?”

Anger for who I thought he’d been and who he turned out to be tore through me, and I admitted something to her that I’d never said aloud before. “I hate him.”

Her shoulders dropped, and it seemed some of the weight she was carrying lessened. Maybe hearing someone else voice her thoughts made her feel less guilty about having them. “Guess we have that in common.”

I smiled softly, feeling a connection to her that I hadn’t before. I needed this. I needed to put people into my life who understood me, if for no other reason than to help me find my way back to who I was. “If I had to guess, Beth, I’d say we have more in common than either of us realizes.” She held my stare briefly, and I pointed at the hallway. “Go pack. I’d like to get on the road.”

“Okay,” she agreed and turned toward the hallway.

“Hey, Beth,” I called out.

She glanced over her shoulder. “Yeah?”

“Pack for a few extra days. We’ll stay until Sunday.” I smiled, and for the first time, I felt more than abhorrence about going. Maybe I could make the most of this trip. It was obvious Beth and I deserved the break from our lives. “Something tells me we both deserve this girls’ trip.”

2

MILA

Lifting my hand to knock on my father’s office door, I immediately paused. I didn’t want to meet with him. The pit in my stomach had been telling me that since we left New Hope, but if I didn’t, I had a feeling he’d make me regret it. I felt a warm hand on the back of my shoulder and glanced at Beth. I’d almost forgotten she stood beside me. She didn’t look my way, and I appreciated that. I’d taught myself how to be strong, and I didn’t want anyone to know how vulnerable I felt in my father’s presence. But somehow, she understood and gave me the support I needed without words.

With one last deep breath, I knocked and waited to hear the voice I once loved to hear. The voice that at one time made me feel safe and loved but now caused me only anxiety and sometimes, when I was being honest with myself, a little fear.

“Come in,” he called out.

Shoving open the door, I stepped through and watched my dad rise from his chair and smile. “Right on time.”

“Would you have accepted anything else?” I asked sarcastically.

He chuckled. “Absolutely not.”

He moved around the desk and came straight to me before wrapping his arm around my back to hug me. I leaned into him as he expected for a moment before pulling back and gesturing toward Beth. “Dad, this is Beth.”

“Beth.” He repeated and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

She smiled shyly and slid her hand in his before her soft voice replied, “You too.”

Dropping her hand, he faced me, and I finally saw the irritation he was trying to hide. “I was under the impression we’d be meeting alone.”

“I explained that I’m on assignment, but you insisted we meet today. Bringing Beth was my only option,” I replied. “She’s agreed to use her earbuds while we talk.”

“I guess we don’t have a choice, then.” He moved to sit behind his desk.

I pointed at the couch against the back wall in his office. “Beth, you can sit over there if you’d like.”

She nodded but didn’t respond, only made her way to the couch while I slid into the seat across from my father. I waited until she put in her earbuds to turn back to my father.

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