torture of spending time with him against the desire to do something nice for Clare.
“Okay, I guess,” she said slowly. Then she sighed and went back to stacking plates in the dishwasher. “Maybe that will help me make up for upsetting her today.”
Bingo. That was the opening he’d been waiting for.
“I heard her drop the ornament. What happened?” Adam kept his voice casual and continued scrubbing a pot.
Nicole paused and stuck her hands in her pockets, her face troubled. “I shouldn’t have brought up David. I think she misses him a lot.”
“Who’s David?”
“Her son. He died in the car crash with her husband.”
Adam’s hands stilled, and he sucked in a sharp breath. He’d had no idea! When Seth Mitchell had mentioned that she was a widow, the man had made no reference to a double tragedy that had taken both her husband and son. Now he understood the source of the ever-present pain in Clare’s eyes.
“I hope she’s not mad at me.”
Nicole’s comment brought him back to the present, and he turned to his daughter. “She knows you didn’t mean to make her feel bad. Sometimes it’s just hard to be reminded of people you love when they’re gone. It takes a long time to stop missing them.”
Nicole’s face grew sad. “Maybe you never do.”
He knew she was thinking of her mother. “Maybe not,” he conceded. “But it does get easier in time.”
Her shoulders hunched and she dropped her head. “Yeah. I guess. But you don’t miss Mom like I do.”
Adam dried his hands on a dish towel and reached out tentatively to lay a hand on her stiff shoulder. He was afraid she’d pull away, but she didn’t. “Your mom and I had some good times, Nicole,” he said gently. “I like to remember those. And I miss them. But I wasn’t the best husband. I was too caught up in my work. And I’ve never been very good at letting people know what’s in my heart. I have a lot of regrets about the way things turned out between your mom and me. But at least one good thing came from our marriage. You.”
Nicole looked up at him, and he saw a glimmer of un-shed tears in her eyes. “Sometimes I feel like I just get in your way,” she said in a choked voice. “Like you’d rather talk to sick people than to me.”
His gut clenched, and his instinct was to reach out and pull her close. But he was afraid she’d back off. So he restrained the impulse. “That’s not true. It’s just easier to talk to them sometimes because I can usually help them solve their problems. But I’ve never been very good at solving problems for the people I love. I can’t write a prescription for those.”
She studied his face. “You don’t always have to fix everything. Sometimes just listening is enough.”
He tried to swallow past the lump that suddenly appeared in his throat. “I’ll remember that.”
They looked at each other for a moment, then Nicole backed up a step. Adam let his hand drop to his side. “Well, I gotta go finish my reading.” She glanced around the kitchen. “Are we done?”
“Yeah. I think so.”
As he watched her leave, he realized that this was the longest civil conversation he’d had with his daughter since she’d come to live with him. And he also realized his response to her last question hadn’t been quite accurate.
Because he had a feeling they weren’t done. They were just beginning.
And his heart felt lighter than it had in a long time.
Chapter Six
“O kay, she’s almost done in the kitchen. Should I bring it out now?”
At the sound of the excited, low-pitched voice behind him, Adam turned from the crackling fire and nodded at Nicole. “I think it’s time.”
As his daughter scampered away, he thought back to their outing to the mall in Asheville. Though they’d spent much of the time in silence, and their conversation had been mostly strained, there had been a few occasions when they’d seemed to connect. Those fleeting moments had given him hope that their
“Okay, I guess,” she said slowly. Then she sighed and went back to stacking plates in the dishwasher. “Maybe that will help me make up for upsetting her today.”
Bingo. That was the opening he’d been waiting for.
“I heard her drop the ornament. What happened?” Adam kept his voice casual and continued scrubbing a pot.
Nicole paused and stuck her hands in her pockets, her face troubled. “I shouldn’t have brought up David. I think she misses him a lot.”
“Who’s David?”
“Her son. He died in the car crash with her husband.”
Adam’s hands stilled, and he sucked in a sharp breath. He’d had no idea! When Seth Mitchell had mentioned that she was a widow, the man had made no reference to a double tragedy that had taken both her husband and son. Now he understood the source of the ever-present pain in Clare’s eyes.
“I hope she’s not mad at me.”
Nicole’s comment brought him back to the present, and he turned to his daughter. “She knows you didn’t mean to make her feel bad. Sometimes it’s just hard to be reminded of people you love when they’re gone. It takes a long time to stop missing them.”
Nicole’s face grew sad. “Maybe you never do.”
He knew she was thinking of her mother. “Maybe not,” he conceded. “But it does get easier in time.”
Her shoulders hunched and she dropped her head. “Yeah. I guess. But you don’t miss Mom like I do.”
Adam dried his hands on a dish towel and reached out tentatively to lay a hand on her stiff shoulder. He was afraid she’d pull away, but she didn’t. “Your mom and I had some good times, Nicole,” he said gently. “I like to remember those. And I miss them. But I wasn’t the best husband. I was too caught up in my work. And I’ve never been very good at letting people know what’s in my heart. I have a lot of regrets about the way things turned out between your mom and me. But at least one good thing came from our marriage. You.”
Nicole looked up at him, and he saw a glimmer of un-shed tears in her eyes. “Sometimes I feel like I just get in your way,” she said in a choked voice. “Like you’d rather talk to sick people than to me.”
His gut clenched, and his instinct was to reach out and pull her close. But he was afraid she’d back off. So he restrained the impulse. “That’s not true. It’s just easier to talk to them sometimes because I can usually help them solve their problems. But I’ve never been very good at solving problems for the people I love. I can’t write a prescription for those.”
She studied his face. “You don’t always have to fix everything. Sometimes just listening is enough.”
He tried to swallow past the lump that suddenly appeared in his throat. “I’ll remember that.”
They looked at each other for a moment, then Nicole backed up a step. Adam let his hand drop to his side. “Well, I gotta go finish my reading.” She glanced around the kitchen. “Are we done?”
“Yeah. I think so.”
As he watched her leave, he realized that this was the longest civil conversation he’d had with his daughter since she’d come to live with him. And he also realized his response to her last question hadn’t been quite accurate.
Because he had a feeling they weren’t done. They were just beginning.
And his heart felt lighter than it had in a long time.
Chapter Six
“O kay, she’s almost done in the kitchen. Should I bring it out now?”
At the sound of the excited, low-pitched voice behind him, Adam turned from the crackling fire and nodded at Nicole. “I think it’s time.”
As his daughter scampered away, he thought back to their outing to the mall in Asheville. Though they’d spent much of the time in silence, and their conversation had been mostly strained, there had been a few occasions when they’d seemed to connect. Those fleeting moments had given him hope that their
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