Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100873 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100873 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
One of her friends had recently called him a “silver fox,” and while everyone else had laughed and told the friend to shut it before Catie threw up, all Catie had felt was a bone-deep sadness. Picking up younger women was just up Clive’s alley—he’d see no problem with hooking up with a friend of Catie’s should the opportunity come up.
“My Kit-Cat,” he said and hauled her into a huge hug.
Her eyes prickled because at this moment, she could almost believe he was the father she’d always needed. A man with strong arms to hold her tight against the ravages of the world, protect her in his warmth.
She’d blinked back that emotion by the time they drew apart. That single second of weakness was all she ever allowed herself around Clive. She knew him too well to permit any other vulnerability.
“I didn’t know you were in the city.” Half the time, she didn’t even know which country he was in.
“Yeah, Gloria and I are in town tonight. I thought I’d take my baby girl out for dinner.” Another huge smile filled with Clive’s brand of love. “What do you say, Kit-Cat? Date with your old dad?”
Danny’s flight wouldn’t land for an hour yet; after that, he’d have to go through customs and immigration. It might be two hours before he called her… if he remembered. She wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t; he’d traveled a lot, but this was different. It was the start of an adventure.
Her stomach all twisted up, she dug up a smile. “Sure, Dad. Just let me pull on some proper clothes. Where are we going?”
Clive wandered in after her. “That fancy restaurant at the top of the Sky Tower. Gloria was so excited about it she booked it in advance.”
Catie didn’t ask which one of them would be paying. If Clive was flush, he’d splash out. Otherwise Catie would pick up the check. She never expected him to pay—life was far less stressful that way.
“When did you and Gloria meet?” she asked from behind her bedroom door. It seemed to have escaped his notice that she had no idea who this woman was beyond being Clive’s latest hookup.
“Oh, it’s been two months,” Clive called back. “She’s the sweetest thing. You’ll love her, Cat, you really will.”
“I’m sure I will,” Catie said, having every intention of being polite to the woman. Some of her father’s lady friends were sadly actually in love with him and believed his protestations of love, while others were just out for a good time—same as Clive.
No matter the category into which Gloria fell, Catie wouldn’t interfere. She’d learned her lesson a long time ago when she’d tried to warn one particularly lovelorn woman that her father was fickle and that she should be careful how much of herself she invested in him. The woman had immediately put Catie into the role of “evil future stepchild” and was horrid to her whenever Clive’s back was turned.
Catie had borne it without complaint because she’d known the woman would soon be out. And she was—within the month, when Clive was “no longer feeling it.”
“Don’t ever hang on to a relationship when you’re no longer feeling it, sugar girl,” Clive had said with the air of a man giving sage advice. “Life’s too short to waste on anything less than total and absolute passion.”
As Catie considered what to wear, she decided she was in no mood to answer questions from a stranger who’d vanish as quickly as she’d appeared. With that in mind, she chose wide-legged black pants in a flowy material, pairing them with ankle boots and a slinky black top with long sleeves that held a fine silvery glitter. She threw on a necklace with a dangly charm on it that landed just below her breasts, brushed out her hair, flicked on a bit of mascara and lipstick, and was done.
Her father was looking at the photos Danny had printed out and left for her on the kitchen bench—a surprise she’d found when she returned home and one that had made the lump in her chest expand until it threatened to fill her. All the pics were either of the two of them… or just of her. Photos that made her look beautiful and strong and full of laughter.
Was that how Danny saw her?
“That’s one of Ísa’s brothers-in-law, right?” A sudden sharpness to Clive’s eyes. “You two hooking up?”
Taking the photos from him, she put them aside. “Too late to play the concerned father now, Dad.” She softened the rebuke with a kiss on his cheek. “Tell me more about Gloria. She sounds lovely.”
Chuckling, Clive allowed her to distract him, and they went off to join his latest paramour. It turned out that he and Gloria were staying at the hotel directly across from the Sky Tower, so Gloria met them in the lobby of the iconic tower that speared into Auckland’s night sky and was visible from all over the city.