Harper shook her head in warning and set them down. They ordered, and the kids wandered over to the supervised play area.
“What’s going on?”
Harper turned to him, her expression soft. “She was just a bit upset in the bathroom. She asked about her mom.”
Gabe felt like he aged ten years every time he remembered this. He turned to watch his daughter’s blonde head bent intently over a block puzzle on a table nearby. His chest ached, as if a vice were widening slowly inside, threatening to burst him open. He pushed back against the painful sensation.
“She’s okay,” Harper reassured. “I told her we’d be at her grandparents’ soon.”
Nodding, he tapped his fingers on the table. He took his coffee gratefully when it arrived. Chancing a glance at Harper, he narrowed his eyes on her even expression. She must be wondering what kind of circus he’d thrown her into. She probably had a million things to take care of this weekend, but here she was, sitting in some tatty diner in the Hamptons trying desperately to comfort a kid who’d effectively just lost her mother. What kind of person did that? Just dropped everything for someone she didn’t know because it was a good thing to do? He wanted to thank her, but the words would seem so... useless. He didn’t know what to say to her; he needed her here, but he didn’t want to need her. If he was honest, he resented the whole situation. He wanted to be back in New York, going about his usual business.
He sighed harshly; he wanted to be back in New York worrying about how he was going to seduce her. God, he was beyond hope.
Harper sipped her coffee quietly. She could feel the waves of tension coming off Gabe, crashing against the atmosphere. He seemed incredibly angry suddenly. She couldn’t tell if he was upset because Alice had ruined the otherwise calm morning, or if he was feeling ineffectual against her pain. Harper wanted to believe it was the latter, but he was so rigid and hard to read, it was impossible to tell. This was the man who’d made a living out of manipulating people to accommodate his ends, and so she could only imagine how utterly confused he was by the wayward emotions of his daughter. Not that Harper wanted to make excuses for him... she blew air out from her mouth, looking around the warm and busy room. Families enjoyed lunch together; friends were gossiping in the aisles, children running to and fro. The windows were steaming up; it was the soggy, noisy imperfection of life all around them. She kind of wished Gabe would just try to loosen up and go with it.
They only stayed a few minutes more, and within another twenty they were on the coast. The sea stretched ahead and merged with the stormy horizon in a grey mist. Waves frothed and frilled against the sand, which seemed brilliantly white, whipped up in barrels of frenzy by the wind. A rickety wooden fence, sticking out of the ground like old, rotten teeth, shook precariously as they followed the sand-covered road towards a large house. Sitting on the bluff, it was a classic structure typical to the area, dark brown with white trim. It was also very large and very well-placed. There were only a couple of other houses that she’d seen in distant view during the journey, neither of which would enjoy the undisturbed view of the Atlantic that Gabe’s parents’ house did. She’d expected them to be wealthy, but she hadn’t expected this.
“It’s impressive.” She widened her eyes on him as they pulled to a stop in the gravel driveway. “Did you grow up here?”
He shook his head, smiling. “No. My parents have apartment in the city where they brought up me and my sister. They only moved out here permanently after my mother was elected.”
“Did you spend summers out here?” When he nodded, she looked around again, trying to imagine how wonderful this secluded little paradise would be in the heat. She imagined summer romances, tennis on the lawn, and a life free of care.
“What’s going on?”
Harper turned to him, her expression soft. “She was just a bit upset in the bathroom. She asked about her mom.”
Gabe felt like he aged ten years every time he remembered this. He turned to watch his daughter’s blonde head bent intently over a block puzzle on a table nearby. His chest ached, as if a vice were widening slowly inside, threatening to burst him open. He pushed back against the painful sensation.
“She’s okay,” Harper reassured. “I told her we’d be at her grandparents’ soon.”
Nodding, he tapped his fingers on the table. He took his coffee gratefully when it arrived. Chancing a glance at Harper, he narrowed his eyes on her even expression. She must be wondering what kind of circus he’d thrown her into. She probably had a million things to take care of this weekend, but here she was, sitting in some tatty diner in the Hamptons trying desperately to comfort a kid who’d effectively just lost her mother. What kind of person did that? Just dropped everything for someone she didn’t know because it was a good thing to do? He wanted to thank her, but the words would seem so... useless. He didn’t know what to say to her; he needed her here, but he didn’t want to need her. If he was honest, he resented the whole situation. He wanted to be back in New York, going about his usual business.
He sighed harshly; he wanted to be back in New York worrying about how he was going to seduce her. God, he was beyond hope.
Harper sipped her coffee quietly. She could feel the waves of tension coming off Gabe, crashing against the atmosphere. He seemed incredibly angry suddenly. She couldn’t tell if he was upset because Alice had ruined the otherwise calm morning, or if he was feeling ineffectual against her pain. Harper wanted to believe it was the latter, but he was so rigid and hard to read, it was impossible to tell. This was the man who’d made a living out of manipulating people to accommodate his ends, and so she could only imagine how utterly confused he was by the wayward emotions of his daughter. Not that Harper wanted to make excuses for him... she blew air out from her mouth, looking around the warm and busy room. Families enjoyed lunch together; friends were gossiping in the aisles, children running to and fro. The windows were steaming up; it was the soggy, noisy imperfection of life all around them. She kind of wished Gabe would just try to loosen up and go with it.
They only stayed a few minutes more, and within another twenty they were on the coast. The sea stretched ahead and merged with the stormy horizon in a grey mist. Waves frothed and frilled against the sand, which seemed brilliantly white, whipped up in barrels of frenzy by the wind. A rickety wooden fence, sticking out of the ground like old, rotten teeth, shook precariously as they followed the sand-covered road towards a large house. Sitting on the bluff, it was a classic structure typical to the area, dark brown with white trim. It was also very large and very well-placed. There were only a couple of other houses that she’d seen in distant view during the journey, neither of which would enjoy the undisturbed view of the Atlantic that Gabe’s parents’ house did. She’d expected them to be wealthy, but she hadn’t expected this.
“It’s impressive.” She widened her eyes on him as they pulled to a stop in the gravel driveway. “Did you grow up here?”
He shook his head, smiling. “No. My parents have apartment in the city where they brought up me and my sister. They only moved out here permanently after my mother was elected.”
“Did you spend summers out here?” When he nodded, she looked around again, trying to imagine how wonderful this secluded little paradise would be in the heat. She imagined summer romances, tennis on the lawn, and a life free of care.
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