Page 33 of Wild Nights

I settled into the cushions of the couch and turned downthe volume of the TV. "I hope this is okay. I wanted to see your face while we talked."

Carolina smiled softly. "I don't mind."

Neither one of us mentioned our previous agreement. But I was positive it was at the forefront of our minds. We were breaking the rules. But it was Thanksgiving. A time when people were lonely and reevaluated their lives.

"You haven't mentioned your dad."

Carolina looked away. "He left when I was twelve and Ginny was seven. It was a big deal for me, but I'm not sure Ginny remembers what it’s like to have a dad that was present."

There was more to this story. "Did he leave around this time of year?"

Her face fell. "Right before Thanksgiving."

"Ah." That explained why she was struggling today. She was usually so strong and confident. I hadn't spent a lot of time with her, but I hadn't noticed her getting tripped up by anything.

"He left my mom for one of his students. He was a professor at a local college so everyone knew about it."

My stomach twisted for her. "That must have been tough."

"We held out hope for a while that he'd come back, but he was very clear with my mom that he'd already moved on and wouldn't be returning. It hurt, but I appreciated that he didn't lead us on."

"I can't believe a father would do that." I'd never do something like that to my kid.

"We saw him from time to time, but there wasn't space for us in his new apartment. He only had a one bedroom, and Mom wouldn't let us stay overnight. It was like he was pretending he didn't have kids and was available to date younger women. Like it was a game to him." She paused and shook her head. "I don't know why I'm telling you all of this."

"You feel comfortable talking to me, and I don't know anything about the situation."

"It does make it easier. We were a source of gossip in our small town for a long time. People felt sorry for us, that our father left us for a student. It was scandalous. I tried to shield Ginny from the worst of it."

"You're a good sister."

"I think I did too good of a job because it feels like she's jumping into this new relationship, and she doesn't know if it will last."

"How does anyone know if something's going to work?" With Tina, I didn't feel like she was it for me. Her lifestyle was so different from mine, and she cared about things that I didn't. She wasn't who I would have chosen for Joey's mother.

"I just think she's moving too fast. It's a shock, I guess. But I'll get used to it. I was more upset that they didn't want a traditional Thanksgiving meal. That they'd be just as fine ordering from a restaurant."

"You don't want that." I could see the hurt on her face. This was important to her.

Her wide eyes met mine. "I wouldn't be okay with that. And I don't know what that means for future holidays."

"You have the Thanksgiving you want, and they can come or not. You can still spend time together, even if you don't share the meal."

Her shoulders lowered. "I guess. It's just not how I envisioned the holiday."

"I want the family meal too." I wasn't ready to tell her it was because of my son. I wanted him to know our family and not get lost in the large event we held at the lodge.

"I'm feeling sentimental because of the holiday. I needed to carry on our traditions when Dad left because Mom was devastated and Ginny didn't understand."

Carolina had to be the adult. That was a lot of pressureon a twelve-year-old. "I'm sorry you felt like you had to do that. That the burden fell to you."

"I never minded."

I hadn't thought much about Carolina's life outside our nights together. But the picture of her was coming into focus. She loved her family. She was loyal, caring, and kind.

Carolina sighed. "I shouldn't keep you any longer. This isn't what our relationship is."

The words about our relationship evolving got stuck in my throat. This wasn't what she wanted. And I didn't want to change the rules. "Happy Thanksgiving, Caro."

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