Page 43 of All's Fair in Love and Blood - A Romantic Comedy Novel

One person, though, wasn’t happy, and that was Auggie. Not like he was ever happy. Maybe unhappy wasn’t the right word to describe him, but I felt his eyes on me frequently, and when I looked his way, his brow was always furrowed and his face pinched. Sometimes he would tilt his head as if he didn’t recognize me.

I was grateful when some business associates called to him from the aisle. Auggie never passed up an opportunity to mix business with pleasure. Honestly, I was surprised he hadn’t already held a conference meeting or made ten phone calls while we sat there. What did surprise me was when he said, “Scarlett, come with me; I want to introduce you to Jack and Frank Adams.” He said their names like they should mean something to me.

I stared at Auggie blankly for a moment. This wasn’t only unusual—it was bizarre.

Auggie stood and waited for me.

Kane whispered in my ear, “Their company services some of our diagnostic equipment.” Then he nudged me to give me some encouragement. On his prompting, I stood and followed Auggie, skirting past the narrow aisle to the stares of not only Eva but Ophelia, who was there with her flavor of the month.

They both gave me fake smiles like they always did in my father’s presence, but their incredulous eyes told a different story. I could see Ophelia scrutinizing the white shorts and blue ruffle tank top I was wearing. Of course, she looked perfect in her tiny jean shorts and tight white T-shirt, with her hair pulled through her baseball cap in a pristine ponytail. Eva showed her true colors when she reached for Auggie. “Don’t interrupt the lovebirds,” she choked out. “I’ll go with you.”

My fists curled into balls as I tried to refrain from rolling my eyes. Eva hated Kane’s and my relationship more than anyone. She only wanted to go with my father because of her determination to prove to everyone she was number one in Auggie’s world.

Auggie surprised me again. “It’s important for Scarlett to meet Jack and Frank.”

Eva’s cheeks pinked, and I swear she held back some tears. “Whatever you think is best.” She focused back on what was happening on the field.

I almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

Auggie bulled past a mixture of stepchildren and employees, all who seemed to bounce on the edge of their seats with anticipation that Auggie would acknowledge them. He nodded and waved as he passed. He wasn’t a complete ogre.

I stepped on only a few toes and narrowly escaped landing in my stepsister, Danielle’s, lap. So, business as usual for me.

By the time we reached the aisle, I felt like I’d had a workout.

Auggie shook hands with the gentlemen, who, like my father, were dressed nicely.

Auggie turned toward me and said, “Frank and Jack, this is my girl—”

What he said after that was a blur. Auggie had never called me his girl, only his daughter. Saying I was his girl was significant. Even more significant than Kane using the same term of endearment. It meant that maybe my father loved me.

Could I dare to hope?

On Top of the World

“My dad would have loved this.” Kane squeezed my hand as we looked out over Centennial Olympic Park from the SkyView Ferris wheel.

I snuggled closer to Kane on the leather seat in the air-conditioned gondola. Admittedly, I was not that fond of how high up we were dangling in the sky. However, it gave us an incredible view of the city, and being with Kane made me feel as if I were on top of the world. I hadn’t seen him all week due to another business trip, so I was willing to be anywhere with him, even if I did feel a little queasy. It didn’t help that the floor was made of glass, highlighting how high we really were.

“You know, he took me to the ‘96 Olympics.”

“That must have been amazing.”

Kane gazed out over the city. “It was. I still remember people dressed in gold rising high above the stadium to the sound of mysterious tribal music during the opening ceremonies. There was this energy I can’t explain. And when the orchestra began to play the theme song by John Williams, my dad started to cry.” Kane’s eyes began to water.

I loved how easily Kane showed his emotions.

“I asked him why he was crying,” his voiced cracked.

“What did he say?”

Kane’s eyes penetrated my own as if the other passengers didn’t exist around us. His look went right through me and I felt it all the way to my toes.

“He said, ‘Kane, this is sacred ground now. Dreams are being realized as we speak. To witness someone’s dreams come true is an honor.’”

“That’s beautiful,” I whispered.

“Then he told me he would do whatever he could to make sure my dreams come true.”

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