Page 181 of The Penalty

Trevor Chase. The random stranger Dawn said wanted to meet me when I was here with Cade.

I shook his hand. “I remember. You’re not a Royal City supporter.”

“Dad,” Victoria hissed. “You told him that?”

When Trevor laughed a lightbulb went on in my brain. I’d thought there’d been something oddly familiar about him that night. And now I know.

His laugh.

It didn’t sound like Victoria’s but his smile and the way his eyes lit up were the same.

I should have known.

“Not going to lie to him, love.” His smile grew bigger. “I’m Leeds ’til I die. But I’ll always support England’s number one.”

Victoria folded her arms, glancing at both of us. “Unbelievable. What else did you two talk about?”

“Mostly football. Which reminds me. Hell of a save against the Dutch. Nearly had a heart attack when Donovan made that sliding block.”

“You and me both.” I relaxed into the conversation. “Good thing I spent extra time in training working on penalty shoot outs.”

“Ready for the big tournament next summer? It’s in Italy, right?” He addressed his daughter. “Will you be going?”

“Oh. Um, I don’t…we haven’t—”

“I’ll convince her.” I slipped an arm around Victoria’s waist. “We’ve talked about going to Italy on holiday.”

As we spent the next few minutes chatting, I felt Victoria soften in my embrace, leaning comfortably into my side. Her relationship with her dad hasn’t been the greatest. Seeing them get along pleased me in a way I didn’t expect.

“Before I go,” Trevor said, reaching into his pocket. “I wanted to give you this.”

He handed her a small box.

Victoria’s breathing stuttered. “What is it?”

“A charm bracelet.” A wisp of heartbreak passed through his eyes. “I know it’s not something you’d wear but…I saw your mother a few weeks ago.” Victoria’s hands shook when she opened the box, revealing a delicate bracelet. “This belonged to her. The charms represent you and Charlotte. The silver crown is you. The gold crown is your sister. You’re both named after royalty you know. Helena wanted you to have it. And she apologized for missing your birthday.”

I held Victoria in a firm grip.

“I don’t know…I don’t know what to say.” Her body trembled uncontrollably.

“You don’t have to say anything, sweetheart.” He looked at his daughter softly. “I told her about the foundation and how you created it to honor Charlotte.”

Victoria slumped against me. “What did she say?”

“You know how your mother is. She’s stubborn, like you. The words never came out of her mouth but I could see the pride in her eyes. Maybe someday the three of us can all sit down and work through this rift.”

Trevor looked at me, holding my attention with a steady gaze.

“Take good care of my little girl.”

Dawn caught my eye after Trevor said his goodbyes and left. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

“Do you still want to go to the cottage?” I asked, skimming my hand along Victoria’s arm. “Or would you rather we go back to London?”

Regaining composure, she looked up at me through her lashes. “We have dinner plans.”

“We don’t—”

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