Page 53 of Dirty Secret

"What smell?" I asked as I widened my eyes at my father, hoping he would get the hint.

"Oh, uh, nothing. I think it was me. I farted . . ." He bobbed his head as if making sure that he had indeed farted.

"Good to know, Dad."

My father opened the door and winced. But, like the strong Brighton man he was, he raised his chin and pretended the air wasn't poisonous. "I wanted to apologize, Heidi, again."

"You didn't mean to inform the FBI about my parents' dealings with the notorious terrorist Emma Hawthorne? Or, how my father had been using money from his Children's Hope charity for his reelection campaign. Or how he went in with the strip club owner and my ex-husband to use that business as a front to bring in funds and arms for Emma Hawthorne's organization. You didn't mean to tell them any of that?" Heidi said as more tears trailed down her cheeks.

My father hung his head. "In my defense, my plumbing buddies who did time in prison only knew about the charity thing. The Feds found out the other stuff themselves."

Heidi stood, and both my dad and I turned our heads to avoid the stink blast. "Then do you care to explain how Mr. Willis got arrested, too? It's not like the man was ever nice to your son. I thought my dad was bad and that you were different, Mr. Brighton, but I was wrong. You also go after the people who've hurt you. Like what you do doesn't have an effect on the people around you. The only difference between you and my father is that you did it legally."

"You're right," he said, and I stood to protest but my father waved me off. "I'll be downstairs making sure Kat doesn't get into anything."

It hurt to watch my dad slump his shoulders in defeat and leave. I knew he had done what he felt was best for his family, the people he loved, and his country. But, when it came out during coverage of the trial that he was one of the informants, Heidi stopped speaking to him.

"He's still my dad, Max. He may be going to jail, and he's definitely not a good father, but he's family. I still love him. I know what he did was wrong, but I never realized he took it that far. I just thought he made a few shady deals but nothing like what he's been found guilty of."

"I understand. But that's my father walking downstairs brokenhearted because he hurt a woman he cares about. It was never his intention to make you unhappy. You're one of the reasons he called the FBI. He couldn't sit by and watch your parents treat you the way they had."

There was silence for a moment. I reached for her hand and was relieved when she squeezed mine.

"I'm mad at myself, not your father. There must have been signs. I feel so stupid. No one is that corrupt without his own family figuring it out. And here I am, his daughter, only thinking he made people do what he wanted because they needed something from him. It's not right, but nothing I witnessed was ever illegal. Sure, he gave terrible advice about things that would be illegal, but I guess I wanted to be blind to the reality. If anyone should hate someone, it should be everyone despising me."

"No one could hate you. Besides, the authorities already questioned you. They found nothing that would implicate you. It's not like you had anything to hide, like your parents. You just so happened to be raised by terrible people."

"But that's all I know."

I squeezed her hand. "Not anymore. Now you have a new family."

She smiled for the first time in weeks and I leaned in to kiss her but stopped myself as my nose burned. "Why don't you go clean up and come downstairs? Everyone is waiting."

She lowered her nose toward her armpit and her eyes crossed. "Oh God, I smell terrible. You should have said something." She backed away and scurried into her bathroom.

I went downstairs and waited with Kat and my dad for Heidi. After about fifteen minutes, I heard her come down the stairs. When she walked into the room, her mouth opened and her hands clasped in front of her. "What is that?"

"A new state-of-the-art, dual range, chef's oven," I said and waved my hand to introduce Heidi to her new appliance.

"I never ordered that. Where did it come from?" She couldn't take her eyes off the blue and silver oven.

I waved my other hand at my father.

"From me," he said as he stepped forward. "I had some old things that were just gathering dust, lying around the house, so I looked up how much they were worth. Apparently, a lot. So, I sold them. And it was the strangest thing . . . After I deposited the checks into my account, I had the urge to buy an oven. But what would an old man who only knows how to boil hot dogs want with a big fancy oven? Then I thought of you."

My father barely got the last word out as it caught in his throat. Tears were falling once again from Heidi's eyes, but this time, it wasn't from sadness, but from love.

I remembered my father announcing last month that he was selling Great-Granddad's watch and Grandma's tea set. I thought he had lost it. I wondered if I should make a doctor appointment for him. But when he mentioned buying an oven for Heidi, I knew it wasn't his brain that was breaking, but his heart.

"Why is everyone crying?" Kat asked. "Aren't you happy you got an oven?"

Heidi nodded before throwing her arms around my father.

"I'm so sorry." He hiccupped as he embraced the woman I loved.

"There's nothing to forgive. I'm sorry for blaming you to begin with. It's my parents' fault, they did this and should be punished for it. You only told the truth."

Kat grew impatient, and she shooed me off as I tried to hold her back from opening the oven.

---