Or how about a really large scotch? But she kept the words inside and followed him into the sitting room. “Coffee is fine.”
He sat down, and Dani perched on the edge of the seat opposite. His face held a shell-shocked expression, and she was pretty sure hers did as well.
“You remarried?” she said.
Talk about stating the obvious.
He cleared his throat. “Yes. Three years now. Beth has been good for me.”
“I can tell, and I’m glad.”
Beth appeared at that moment, carrying a tray, and the awkward silence was filled by the clatter of cups while she handed the coffee around, then took the seat next to Dani.
“I’m glad you came. I’ve been telling Matt for years he should get in touch with you.”
Matt’s gaze darted from her to his wife as though searching for an escape route.
“Don’t worry. I understand,” Dani replied.
“I don’t,” Beth said.
Dani swallowed, then studied her father. He glanced away, and she realized something then. Her father was a weak man.
“Sometimes things are just too painful to face,” she said. “Sometimes it’s better to forget.”
“But you’re here now.”
“I needed…closure, I guess. I honestly thought I was over this”—she waved a hand toward her father—“and instead, really I just pushed it to the back of my mind.”
“And what changed?” Beth asked when her father remained silent, sipping on his drink and staring at the floor, leaving the onus of the conversation to his wife.
“I was injured. In a bomb blast in Afghanistan, so I’ve been sort of on sick leave while I waited for a physical.”
Her dad looked up from his contemplation of the carpet, and she could feel his eyes on her, checking her out, but it was Beth who answered, “You poor thing. Are you okay now?”
“Yes, I had the physical yesterday, and I’m fine. I can go back. But that’s not it, really.” She fiddled with her cup. “I met someone recently. I guess it made me realize how screwed up I am.”
“You don’t seem screwed up,” Beth said.
“Thanks,” Dani said dryly.
“So who is this someone?”
“His name’s Zach. He’s a writer.”
Beth’s smile widened. “You know your face softened when you thought about him. I’m guessing you like him a lot.”
“Maybe. Maybe too much.” She turned to her father. “Do you hear anything from Mom?”
“Nothing.”
Short and sweet.
She sighed. He wasn’t like a stranger. He was a stranger.
Beth made small talk after that, with Matt adding the odd comment when he was directly asked. Dani shifted in her seat. She wasn’t uncomfortable; there were no bad feelings between them. Mainly because there was nothing between them at all. But she also realized that she didn’t feel too bad about that. Maybe deep inside, she’d felt a lingering guilt that she hadn’t tried harder. Now that dissipated, leaving a sense of lightness.
She was glad she’d come here. Glad she’d seen him. Now she wanted to go. She put her half-empty cup down on the table.
“So how long are you in town, Dani?” Beth asked brightly.
She’d made no plans, hadn’t looked past this meeting. She needed time to process this, see where to go next. “I’m not sure. Probably just tonight.”
“Do you want to stay here? Spend some time…”
Reminiscing about the old days…? She didn’t think so.
“No, thank you. I’ve already booked a hotel.” She rose to her feet, wiped her palms down her pants legs. “You’re a nice lady,” she said. “And Matt’s a lucky man.” She could have added that he didn’t deserve her, but why be bitchy?
“Well, now you’ve broken the ice, keep in touch, won’t you?”
Would she? She didn’t know right now. But she nodded and headed out. To her surprise, Matt rose to his feet and followed her. At the front door, she stopped and turned to face him. He drew himself up. He was going to say something. Did she want to hear it?
“I never blamed you,” he said. “I just didn’t know how to cope. And I let you down.”
“Yeah.”
His eyes widened, and he jerked back a step. He obviously hadn’t expected her to be so blunt.
“But it looks like we both came through okay,” she added. “So don’t worry about it.”
Well, he’d come through okay. She was guessing once she’d been out of sight and in the army, he’d been able to start forgetting and build a new life. Good for him. She didn’t resent it.