when the seas got high and the wind started keening.”
Paige stopped looking at him. She studied the blanket’s weave in front of her bare feet, fighting the urge to hide. She managed to push two words out, hardly recognizing the shape of them. “What happened?”
“A distress call came in. We were the closest ship under power. So we responded.”
Paige squeezed her eyes shut, biting down on her lip until she tasted blood.
“It was your father, Paige.”
* * * *
Paige paced the cottage from one end to the other. Every time Liam opened his mouth to speak she raised a hand to silence him. Before he clouded the issue with any sort of explanation for why he’d kept this from her she wanted to formulate the proper questions to ask, ones he couldn’t skirt around with counter questions and more deception. Liam Gray had lied to her. He’d lied by omission, but it was a deceit nevertheless.
She went to the door and flung it open, breathing in storm-fresh air before reminding herself that danger lurked outside. She slammed it shut, throwing the bolt.
“Paige…”
She shook her head. Not yet.
“I didn’t lie to you. Not really.”
She strode to the dresser and back to the kitchen, Liam’s gaze trailing her movements. He sat very still, hands clasped loosely between his knees.
“You know exactly where my father’s ship went down.”
“Yes.”
“You know when.”
“Yes.”
“You lied when you said you knew nothing.”
His head moved from side to side. “You have to understand.”
“I don’t have to understand anything.”
“I didn’t say I knew nothing. You were asking about when I bought the house, whether I knew your father, and I said I hadn’t known him. I said there were other people better able to answer your questions. And there are.”
She stopped within an inch of his bent knees. He lifted his head to meet her eyes. She could feel his breath against her shirtfront. “How did you think I would feel when I found out the truth?”
“Like this.”
“Like this.” She backed up and sat on the mattress edge, nearly missing it. “You let me run around town asking questions, when all the while you could have provided me with the answers I sought.”
He brought his hands up onto his thighs as though he were about to rise.
She shook her head at him. “Stay there.”
He did, relaxing his spine against the chair’s ladder back. “I won’t be able to make you understand, but believe me when I say I’m sorry. The facts surrounding your father’s death weren’t the only answers you were looking for, Paige. In fact, based on what you’ve told me, that is the least of what you need. You want to know more than what happened out on the ocean. You want to know about your father’s life.”
Damn it, his understanding was putting a real damper on her anger. She needed to stay mad. Something was missing from his story, and she couldn’t follow through with the right questions if he turned the focus back on her. “If everything happened as you said, why was I unable to find out sooner? Nothing in the papers. No one willing to say a word. Not even you.”
“Paige, please.”
“What is the mystery?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. I wasn’t aware there was a mystery. I didn’t go looking for news stories, never asked about it in town. I had no idea. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t act like you did me a favor, Liam, by keeping this to yourself. Yes, I want an understanding of my parents’ lives, but I planned to start with the one solid fact I knew. My father died. I needed the when, where, and how, and all that information was yours to tell me.”
He said nothing.
“I’ve had so much trouble finding out the smallest details, and you kept quiet. I don’t understand.”
“I know you don’t.”
She frowned. “Then help me to.” There was a reason for his omission, an explanation that would make sense. It couldn’t have been cruelty. He didn’t know her, for crying out
Paige stopped looking at him. She studied the blanket’s weave in front of her bare feet, fighting the urge to hide. She managed to push two words out, hardly recognizing the shape of them. “What happened?”
“A distress call came in. We were the closest ship under power. So we responded.”
Paige squeezed her eyes shut, biting down on her lip until she tasted blood.
“It was your father, Paige.”
* * * *
Paige paced the cottage from one end to the other. Every time Liam opened his mouth to speak she raised a hand to silence him. Before he clouded the issue with any sort of explanation for why he’d kept this from her she wanted to formulate the proper questions to ask, ones he couldn’t skirt around with counter questions and more deception. Liam Gray had lied to her. He’d lied by omission, but it was a deceit nevertheless.
She went to the door and flung it open, breathing in storm-fresh air before reminding herself that danger lurked outside. She slammed it shut, throwing the bolt.
“Paige…”
She shook her head. Not yet.
“I didn’t lie to you. Not really.”
She strode to the dresser and back to the kitchen, Liam’s gaze trailing her movements. He sat very still, hands clasped loosely between his knees.
“You know exactly where my father’s ship went down.”
“Yes.”
“You know when.”
“Yes.”
“You lied when you said you knew nothing.”
His head moved from side to side. “You have to understand.”
“I don’t have to understand anything.”
“I didn’t say I knew nothing. You were asking about when I bought the house, whether I knew your father, and I said I hadn’t known him. I said there were other people better able to answer your questions. And there are.”
She stopped within an inch of his bent knees. He lifted his head to meet her eyes. She could feel his breath against her shirtfront. “How did you think I would feel when I found out the truth?”
“Like this.”
“Like this.” She backed up and sat on the mattress edge, nearly missing it. “You let me run around town asking questions, when all the while you could have provided me with the answers I sought.”
He brought his hands up onto his thighs as though he were about to rise.
She shook her head at him. “Stay there.”
He did, relaxing his spine against the chair’s ladder back. “I won’t be able to make you understand, but believe me when I say I’m sorry. The facts surrounding your father’s death weren’t the only answers you were looking for, Paige. In fact, based on what you’ve told me, that is the least of what you need. You want to know more than what happened out on the ocean. You want to know about your father’s life.”
Damn it, his understanding was putting a real damper on her anger. She needed to stay mad. Something was missing from his story, and she couldn’t follow through with the right questions if he turned the focus back on her. “If everything happened as you said, why was I unable to find out sooner? Nothing in the papers. No one willing to say a word. Not even you.”
“Paige, please.”
“What is the mystery?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. I wasn’t aware there was a mystery. I didn’t go looking for news stories, never asked about it in town. I had no idea. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t act like you did me a favor, Liam, by keeping this to yourself. Yes, I want an understanding of my parents’ lives, but I planned to start with the one solid fact I knew. My father died. I needed the when, where, and how, and all that information was yours to tell me.”
He said nothing.
“I’ve had so much trouble finding out the smallest details, and you kept quiet. I don’t understand.”
“I know you don’t.”
She frowned. “Then help me to.” There was a reason for his omission, an explanation that would make sense. It couldn’t have been cruelty. He didn’t know her, for crying out
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