A Taste of Christmas by Rachel Bowdler

Author:Rachel Bowdler [Rachel Bowdler]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rachel Bowdler
Published: 2022-12-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

A knock on the door of Erin’s office broke her concentration — and she was grateful for it. Numbers and spreadsheets and bills always kept her busy, but they weren’t what she wanted to focus on today. She’d had other ideas recently, especially after helping Rory deliver food to the homeless several times a week. It was the least she could do, and she still wanted to help more.

“Come in,” she called, putting down her pen and lifting her gaze to the door.

They did, slowly. If Erin had known who her visitor was, she wouldn’t have been grateful at all.

Her heart somersaulted into her throat at the sight of her father in the threshold, two takeaway coffee cups in his hands and a navy scarf knotted around his neck. When she hadn’t heard from him over the weekend, she’d assumed that would be the end of it; that they’d go back to pretending the other didn’t exist.

But here he was. Served her right for giving him her bloody business card.

“I haven’t seen you for thirteen years and now it’s twice in one week,” she remarked coldly without deigning to stand up or offer him a seat. “Lucky me.”

“I kept picking up the phone to call you this weekend,” Dad admitted, daring to step into the office. The door swung shut behind him. “I didn’t really know what to say, and I didn’t think you’d answer.”

He was right; she wouldn’t have. After the initial shock had worn off on Friday night, it had made way for anger: the same anger that had been simmering in Erin’s gut for years. Yet she couldn’t find the strength to summon it now; to tell him to get out, leave her alone. She tried, but the words snaked around the lump in her throat and then refused to go any higher.

When Erin remained silent, he extended one of the cups. “Hot chocolate?”

Erin hadn’t had hot chocolate in years. She fueled herself on caffeine, and probably wouldn’t have gotten through the day without a daily minimum of five cups. Still, she took the offer and placed it down on the desk. Dad took it as his cue to sit, too, glancing around with… awe? She supposed Spuds ‘n’ Puds was a far cry from the empty farmhouse they used to live in.

“This place is amazing, Erin. I can’t believe how wonderful you’ve become. Well, you were always wonderful, of course. I just mean… your own office. Isn’t that something?” His throat bobbed, his grey eyes locking onto hers. The emotions swimming there — pride, joy, admiration — didn’t belong to him. He hadn’t earned the right to them. Erin had built her business, her life, without him, and none of it was his to be proud of. She wasn’t his to be proud of.

“Thank you,” was all she said, crossing her legs uncomfortably.

“How long have you had it?”

“Four or five years, now.”

“I always thought you’d go down the agriculture route. You always said it’s what you wanted to study.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.