Page 90 of The Sweetest Thing
Dane reeled. He’d been a kid, about Leif’s age. His mother was dead, Camellia and the Hills were no longer part of his life, and his father wasn’t around much. Dane had made the mistake of going to his father for comfort—never again.
“What sort of son hits his father?” His father’s tone was razor-sharp.
“What sort of father lets his son struggle with grief on his own? What sort of father shames him for his tears? What sort of father tells his son his dead mother would be ashamed of him?” That was when Dane had hit him. “I was a kid. I made a mistake. God knows I tried to apologize. I am sorry. Every damn day, I regret it.” He took a deep breath. “I wanted my father back.” He swallowed so hard, it hurt. “I still do.”
His father’s transformation wasn’t something Dane had been prepared for. For years, his father was either raging against the world or chasing after a woman. He was proud and defiant or proud and charming. Now...now he was none of those things. His father was shaken—as if his whole world had been turned upside down.
“What is wrong with you?” Leif’s voice sliced through the tension.
Sonofabitch. Dane didn’t know when Leif had come down for breakfast or how much he’d heard, but none of it was good. His little brother didn’t need to be dragged into this.
“You two suck at this,” Leif yelled. “We aren’t a family, we’re a bunch of assholes.”
“I’m going to go...” Silas murmured, and moments later, the low rumble of his truck signaled his departure.
Dane, Leif and their father faced each other in a standoff.
“A family would talk all this crap out. Instead,you’resending me away.” Leif was shaking, his gaze fixed on their father. “You don’t care that I’ve been working to make things better. Do you know what my grades are? That they want me to be the Junior Beekeepers vice president next year? That’s a big deal. Does that matter? Any of that?” He swallowed. “Do you care?... Aboutme?”
Dane bit his tongue. His father should answer for himself—even if it hurt Dane to see Leif struggling.
“You know what? You suck, Dad.” He rubbed his nose with the back of his forearm. “And you suck for covering for him.” Leif glared at Dane. “If you hadn’t tried to smooth everything over, maybe he’d have had to be a dad. Maybe he’d have given a shit about me.”
Dane’s lungs folded in on themselves as Leif stormed into the house, stomped up the stairs and slammed his bedroom door.
His father headed across the yard to his truck, climbed in and drove off. Dane had no doubt he was headed toward his hunting cabin.
Dane wanted to yell. Or throw something. He was sick and tired of being the one left to handle things. His father didn’t want him here. Leif didn’t want him here. What the hell was he doing? Wasting his time and his money—on what?
He blinked, hating the sting in his eyes. Slowly, the blood stopped roaring in his ears and the knot in his chest eased enough for him to breathe evenly.
He could feel sorry for himself later. There were things that had to be done. Important things. See Tansy, for one. The sooner, the better. Seeing her would make everything better.
But first he needed to get Birmingham and Leif to the Honey Festival. They, along with Felix and Crissy, had volunteered to run the booth for the day. Now, more than ever, Dane was thankful for that arrangement. All he had to do was drop them off at the booth and submit the Texas Viking Honey entry for the honey judging contest. He’d called Julian, their insurance guy, and he’d promised to come do an assessment of the damage around noon.
Between dropping off Birmingham and Leif and Julian’s visit, he’d go see Tansy.
The drive into town was unbearable. Birmingham wasn’t a talker—unless it was about bees. Leif was more sullen than ever, and Dane’s headache had reached colossal proportions. Not a word was said all the way to the booth.
“Leif!” Kerrielynn was a flash of brown hair as she launched herself into Leif’s arms. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
Leif clung to the girl, eyes closed, arms tight. “I’m fine.”
“I know.” But she wasn’t letting go. “I was worried.”
Leif’s eyes were still closed, but he was smiling.
“I needed to see you for myself.” Kerrielynn let go of Leif, flushed and happy.
His little brother’s mood didn’t stand a chance against the sunshine Kerrielynn brought with her.Sunshine is what he needs. “I’ll come back with lunch?” Dane offered, eager to check in his honey and go see Tansy. He needed to see her. “For now, I’ve got to get back out to the farm.”
“You don’t have to worry about a thing, Mr. Knudson.” Felix gave him a thumbs-up. “We’ll sell everything.”
Birmingham nodded and sat in the camping chair in the corner of the booth. “I’ll keep them in line.”
“I know you will.” Dane managed a smile. “I appreciate the help.”
“I’m so sorry about the fire. Was it bad? Is there anything we can do?” Crissy asked.
