Page 31 of Knight's Desire

Her phone chirped, and she kept her eyes closed as she reached over, using her fingertips to feel along her desk until they bumped into her cell. She raised it in front of her before opening her eyes to see the incoming text from Parker. Her phone automatically unlocked with facial recognition, but she sighed, already knowing what he said.

Last-minute dinner meeting scheduled. You’re welcome to come along, but it will be a bunch of boring business talk. I promise to make it up to you.

Just like that, she was released from her date commitment. She felt both relieved to have a night home alone and annoyed at the mixed message in his text. He invited her but assumed she would turn him down without giving her the opportunity to choose for herself. He could be courteous in saving her from a boring evening, or he could be purposely leaving her out of it. The latter was ridiculous, but the suspicion nagged her. Why would he shut her out without giving her a choice? Especially after they’d just recommitted to spending more time together and not allowing their careers to put unwanted distance between them.

An overwhelming urge to talk to her mother brought tears to her eyes. Instead, she dialed her father’s number.

“Hope, sweetheart! What a nice surprise! How are you?”

She opened her mouth to give him a customary “I’m fine,” but the words wouldn’t leave her mouth. After seconds of silence, her father’s sigh came through the phone to vibrate in her ear.

“How about I talk, and you can answer me whenever you’re ready?”

The lump in her throat kept her from responding, but it wasn’t necessary. Truman Robertson knew what his daughter needed without words being spoken. It was a talent he had with all of his children and his wife, and it was one of a hundred reasons why they adored him.

“I tried something new for breakfast this morning. Have you ever heard of tomato gravy? Yeah, neither have I, but Bert from next door invited me over to try his wife’s homemade biscuits and tomato gravy. And I liked it, believe it or not. It doesn’t sound delicious, but it really was. Your mother would love it, I think. She always liked experimenting with new food.

“I went to see her this morning. I told her about it. I told her about your dresses, and son of a gun, if she didn’t smile a little at that. You’ve always been able to make your mother smile, but who knew talking about you could get such a reaction? She didn’t remember me today, which is the case most days, but I think once I said your name, she knew exactly who I was talking about. Well, it made my day, I don’t mind telling you.

“She looked pretty today too. Well, you know, I think your mother is beautiful all the time, but today, the ladies at the beauty shop fixed up her hair. She wore the lilac lounge set you got her for Christmas, and her eyes were just as bright as when I first met her. She took my breath away then, and she still does. You know, I always liked your mother in green, to match the green flecks in her eyes, but I think lilac may be her color. You probably knew that though since you bought her the outfit. You’re better at that fashion stuff than your old man.”

“I miss her,” Hope whispered.

“I do too,” Truman said. “This house feels too big since she moved into that facility, but it was the best thing for her. At least it’s close enough for me to visit every day. Sometimes I take her flowers or read to her. We listen to music, or I just talk to her. It’s not the same as when she was home, but it’s better than not being with her at all. They take good care of her. They’re kind to her there.”

“I know.” Hope swiped away the tears on her cheeks. “I hope one day I can find a husband who loves me the way you love Mom.”

“And I thought you had found a man who was up to the task. Sounds like you’re having second thoughts about — what’s his name? Parker, right?”

She sighed as the tears flowed in streams down her cheeks. “Yes. Parker Bexley. I don’t remember ever telling you that I thought he wasthe one.”

“No, you never used those words, but it seems to me the words wonderful and perfect were thrown around quite a bit. Has something happened?”

“I think so, but I’m not sure what. We both have been working so much, but that was one reason why we clicked so well. We are dedicated to our careers, so we understood when we had to focus on that. We would always make it up to each other with special dinners or an evening in with takeout and a movie.”

“It’s not enough anymore, is it?”

Hope considered her father’s words. “I don’t know. I don’t think I’d say it’s not enough, but something has shifted between us. It’s not the same. I can’t explain it, and like I said, I’m not sure I even know what’s changed.”

“When did you first notice something was different?”

She hesitated. She knew exactly when she recognized it — when her Shoppe had been broken into and he questioned whether it really happened. But she hadn’t wanted to tell her father she was being harassed. He didn’t need to worry for her on top of being there for her mother. Even though Claire Robertson’s dementia stole more of her mind every day and was the reason they moved her to a special care facility, she needed Truman more than Hope did.

“What aren’t you saying, Hope?”

She closed her eyes as he reminded her she could never hide anything from him or her mother. “My Shoppe was broken into. Twice. The first time was strange, and because it wasn’t a typical break-in, the police questioned whether I blew the whole thing out of proportion. Once he found out I was alright, Parker did the same thing. The second time, I didn’t even call him or the police. I just hired a PI and private security to figure out what’s going on. That’s weird, right? I mean, Parker is my boyfriend, so I should want to tell him about what happened, shouldn’t I?”

“I’ll get into that in a minute. For now, I want to know if you’re alright and what exactly happened. Both times. Don’t leave out any detail, Hope, or I’ll know. I’ll be in the car heading to you faster than you can blink.”

She smiled as a fresh batch of tears pricked her eyes. “That’s not necessary, Dad. I have it handled.”

As she explained, she started to downplay what happened, but before she could stop herself, she shared every detail of the break-ins and also talked about the unknown person who followed her that night.

“I can be there in an hour. You need to close up the Shoppe and go back to your house. Wait for me there.”

She could almost see her father slipping into his shoes and grabbing car keys as he spoke. “It’s not necessary, Dad. I’m alright. I promise. I’m not hurt, just a little frightened. I told you I hired private security and a PI to check into this. They’ll protect me, and if things get worse, I can always come home for a few days to see you and Mom. I have it under control. I promise.”

“This private security you hired…who is it? I want to check them out myself.”

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