Page 6 of Every Bit As Perfect
My mouth dried.I frowned, resentful of the effect he had on me.
Not once had I ever touched him.My heart skipped a beat at the thought, that damn butterfly kicking up an unholy fuss.
He was Midas.
And I refused to be turned into a statue frozen in an eternal state of worship to him.
Despite my inner objections, some part of me wanted it.Probably the part singing the Hallelujah chorus in my pants.
The tips of my fingers grazed his wide palm.
His breath hitched.
I looked up at him sharply, but he only smiled at me benignly.
“Thank you,” I murmured.
“You are more than welcome.”
I made my excuses and high-tailed it back to work early.I rolled the bit of teal through fingers that ached to touch him again.
This was not good news.As much as Noelle liked to joke, Daire was so far out of my league he may as well have been from another planet.
Tucking it into my pocket, I shook off the thought.I had bigger fish to fry.Pumping myself up, I walked down the hall to meet my dad in his office.
My dad, Dan, a giant teddy bear of a man, waited for me with open arms and a wide grin.“Come here, darlin’.Give your old dad a hug,” he bellowed.
I walked into his open arms.Closed my eyes.Here was home.Safety.The one place my heart would always be safe.
“Hi, Dad.”
He folded around me.He’d always been a hugger, openly affectionate with his wife and kids.Thankfully, that had not changed with Hunter’s passing.He just held on a little longer.
“Are we waiting for your mom?”
“Yes.That way I only have to explain once.”
“Fair enough,” he said, bending his neck to kiss the top of my head.
I told myself my nerves were unwarranted, but facts were facts, and history didn’t lie.Every time I went to my parents with a new idea for the resort, they shot me down.
My first brainchild, hosting weddings, went over like a lead balloon.To say I was disappointed was a vast understatement.Hunter and I walked the bluffs for hours while I vented.
The next day, I walked past Mom and Dad’s office and came to an abrupt halt at the sound of Hunter’s raised voice.
Hunter, the child who rarely had a serious moment, certainly never raised his voice.
“I know you want me to take over the resort, Dad, but I’m not sure that’s where I’m headed.But Harley?She wants it and she has so many great ideas.”
“I know, but…”
“No buts, Dad.She’s creative.She’s motivated.She’s determined, energetic, and driven.You’re going to have to give her some leeway or you’re going to squash her.”
I stood frozen, shocked and touched at Hunter’s passionate advocacy.
For me.
“Well, we best not squash her.She’s not all that big to begin with.”
