Page 78 of Prognosis Bad Timing

‘Granny, this is Charlie.’

A lump swelled in his throat. Dana had introduced him like he was Superman, and he knew he would leap tall buildings for the daughter of the woman he loved.

Could he be a good father to her? Her trusting eyes made him believe he could.

‘Hello, Mrs Douglas,’ Charlie said politely.

‘I take it you’d like to see Carrie?’

Charlie could see the reticence in the older woman’s eyes but he could also see an innate kindness. He nodded.

‘Very much.’

‘Come in.’

Charlie breathed a sigh of relief as Carrie’s mother stood aside and allowed him to enter. Dana clung to his neck and jiggled around in his arms.

He was led into a lounge room. ‘Come on, Dana, sweetie. Bedtime.’

Dana protested and Charlie passed her over to her grandmother reluctantly. ‘I want Charlie to read to me,’ she said with a pout.

‘Another day, Sleeping Beauty.’ Charlie shot Dana his most reassuring smile. If he had his way, he’d be reading to her every night.

‘Promise, Charlie?’

Dana looked so earnest and he crossed his fingers behind his back. ‘Promise.’

They left the room and for the first time he noticed Carrie standing in the doorway. He wanted to rush to her but she looked distant, her arms crossed, everything about her discouraging any familiarities.

‘Don’t do that. You’ll only build her hopes up. You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.’

Charlie swallowed. ‘I’d like to be able to keep it.’

‘I thought you didn’t want to be a father to a four-year-old?’

‘Carrie...let me explain.’

‘Don’t waste your breath. Save it for Veronica.’

‘Damn it, Carrie,’ Charlie swore, striding towards her. ‘I don’t want Veronica. I only want you.’

He was right in front of her now. Close. So close she could almost touch him.

And she wanted to.

She’d not seen him for two whole days and the potency of his presence was lethal. She pushed away from the doorframe and took care not to brush against him as she moved into the room, away from his intoxicating nearness.

He turned to face her. ‘I know how it must have sounded the other day.’

She gave a bitter laugh. ‘Really?’

Charlie sighed. ‘You have to understand how it is with my father and I. We have a fraught relationship. I didn’t turn out to be what he wanted. My rebellion had always stuck in his craw. So I endure dinner with my parents every Sunday and he rings every week to chew my ear about something I’ve done that’s disappointed him. I guess you can say it’s the price I pay for walking my own path.’

Despite Carrie’s animosity towards him, Charlie painted a bleak portrait of his family life. She almost felt sorry for him. No wonder he doubted his ability to parent. No wonder he had enjoyed his time in her home so much. She couldn’t imagine not having the support of her parents.

They’d always been there for her in everything she’d done.

‘I usually just tune him out. Take the phone call because otherwise he rings incessantly and then I have Angela on my case. He prattles on about my divorce and a surgical position he could get me and I barely even listen. I just say yes, no, really, maybe and grunt a lot.’

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