Page 42 of A Touch Charmed

“See?” She smiled and gave me a light kiss. “That wasn’t so hard.”

I shook my head, but couldn’t stop the grin from coming through.

Scooping her up, I brought us down to the ferry and waited for my dad to get back from his most recent run. Doing this in the middle of the day during festival week probably wasn’t the best of ideas, but I didn’t want to let this fester in my mind all day. Better to get this over with while I was still somewhat calm and rational.

The ferry docked. My dad’s weathered face and dark eyes that crinkled at the corners had always been a comfort to me. Not being sure if I could trust him took something from me that I didn’t know if I’d ever get back. It was like looking down from a tightrope and realizing the safety net you’d been counting on had suddenly been ripped away.

He raised his hand to wave, but catching sight of my expression, he faltered. I held Thora tight to my side, drawing energy from her quiet strength. She squeezed my side in a subtle show of support. Which gave me the push I needed to take the next step forward.

My dad jumped off the boat. “Finn. Thora.” He gave her a short nod. “Good to see you two. Looks like the rumors are true then.”

“You free for a break?” I really didn’t want to have this conversation in front of a bunch of tourists, but I would if it came down to it.

“Was just about to head home for lunch.”

“Great. We’ll meet you there.” I picked up Thora and had her in front of my parents’ house within half a second, not wanting to subject her to an awkward walk home with my dad.

Before I could tap the door with my fist, my mom flung it open. Her wild mop of dark gray curls was pulled into a messy bun at the top of her head. Her warm brown eyes and welcoming smile had a way of drawing people in. She had a light about her, and I liked to think I got all the best attributes of my personality from her influence.

She pulled Thora into a bone-crushing hug. “I heard the rumor down at Constellations. I almost told Betsy Newcomb to shut her lying mouth because if my Finn was dating this precious girl again, I just knew he wouldn’t keep this information from his beloved mother.”

I shook my head. My mom always was one for the dramatics. “You know I never could keep anything from you, even if I wanted to.”

My mom pulled back and smooshed Thora’s cheeks between her hands. “Dear Lord, girl. Of course, you were a beauty back in the day, but look at you now. Simply stunning.”

“It’s good to see you again, Darla.” She gave my mom a bright smile.

“Now that we’ve established Thora is, in fact, a hottie, can we go inside, please?” I chuckled as she elbowed me in the ribs. “Dad should be along soon.”

“Good, I just put the chili pot on the stove. Let’s move it along.” She ushered us through the front door like she hadn’t been the one holding us up outside. “Can’t keep letting the air out.”

My parents’ house was small, a two-bedroom, but had never felt crowded. Even when Galen, Rafe, and I had shared a room, we managed to carve out our own areas.

The walls were painted a light tan, and two worn blue couches in the living room took up most of the space. In the kitchen, a square table with a fruit-themed plastic covering stood at the center, while the chipped Formica counters lined the walls in a U-shape. The spicy scent of my mom’s chili wafted on the air and my mouth watered. Nothing beat my mom’s cooking.

By the time my mom set us both up with a bowl and fussed over Thora some more, my dad had come through the kitchen. He kissed my mom’s cheek and whispered something in her ear that had her coming up with an excuse to exit the room. After he grabbed his lunch, he set it in front of him and took his time stirring his spoon around his bowl.

“I take it this is going to be a serious discussion,” he said.

“Could be.” I pushed my food to the side, ready to get this out in the open. “Did you know Warren Chase broke us up seven years ago? He somehow got Olivia Beaumont to steal my phone and had us sending bullshit texts to each other.”

“No.” His eyes widened with surprise, and I let out a small breath of relief. He hadn’t known. “What makes you think I’d know anything about that and not tell you?”

“You can guess why.” I rested my arms on the table.

“Listen, son. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Thora coming back right away because I didn’t know how you’d handle that news, but that’s a lot different than keeping a secret from you that would alter your entire life.” Devastation pinched his features, and the first dregs of guilt began to worm their way into my gut. “You really think I’d do that?”

“Hell, I don’t know what to think anymore.” I rubbed my hands over my face. “Sharon Chase said it started when you got fired twenty-five years ago, and made it seem like you had all the answers as to why the mayor would do that shit to his own daughter.”

A grim expression settled over my dad’s face as he sat back with his arms crossed over his chest. “What happened between me and Sharon has nothing to do with this.”

I glanced at Thora, who looked just as clueless as me. What kind of history did my dad have with Sharon Chase? “What happened between you two?”

He let out a sigh. “Let me make a call first. This affects more than just me, and once it’s out, there is no taking it back.”

Thora gripped me under the table, both of us understanding that whatever my dad was about to check on would change everything. I hoped we were prepared for the fallout. Our magic flowed between us in urgent waves as our palms glowed with clear and pearlescent light. As if it, too, could sense we were on the brink of something significant.

My dad returned a few moments later and took a seat at the table across from us. His dark eyes always had a twinkle in them, but they dulled as he laced his fingers together and stared down at them with a heavy expression. “There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to come right out and say it. I had an affair with Sharon Chase twenty-five years ago.”

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