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“Where’ve you been?” she asked.
He shot her a disgruntled look but didn’t answer.
The anger and frustration she’d experienced during their argument flared up again. He was trying to let her know that he was still holding yesterday against her. “You’re not going to tell me?” she said.
“I went out to breakfast,” he replied curtly.
He could’ve invited her and Ari to join him. Since they were always on a strict budget, that was a treat they didn’t get to enjoy very often. Thanks to Jack, she and Ari had gone out to eat last night, but she wasn’t sure her father knew that—unless Ari had mentioned it. What bugged her was that even if he hadn’t been mad at her, he wouldn’t have invited them. He wouldn’t have gone out at all—he would’ve let her make breakfast for him like every other morning.
“Are we not going to be able to get beyond what happened yesterday?” she asked.
He turned to face her before reaching his desk. “After the way you spoke to me?”
“You mean when I finally stood up for myself?”
His eyes widened. He’d become used to her playing the supplicant. But she couldn’t do it any longer. She needed their relationship to get onto a more equal footing. It was almost as if his position as pastor made him feel as if he could retain more power than he already possessed as her only parent. “Not showing the proper respect to your father has nothing to do with ‘standing up for yourself.’”
“What about the respect you owe me?” she asked.
He pressed a hand to his chest, making it clear her statement had shocked him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve been a loving and devoted father since the day you were born. All I’ve ever wanted is what’s best for you.”
“In many ways, that’s true,” she admitted. “And I appreciate it. But showing no confidence in my decision-making and treating me like a child, when I’m thirty-two years old, is demeaning. How would you like me to constantly tell you how to live your life, judge you for who you spend your time with and then get mad if you don’t see everything my way?”
“I don’t expect you to see everything my way.”
“That’s exactly what you expect, and if I don’t, you get mad—just like now. I haven’t done anything wrong, Dad. I need you to trust me to live my own life.”
“You’re only acting this way because of Kanon. He’s already having a bad influence on you.”
She scowled at him. Seeing how Kanon took charge of his own life—and apologized to no one for it—inspired her to do the same. But he hadn’t encouraged her to do anything wrong. “How are you blaming this on Kanon?”
“If you think I don’t know you went to the motel last night, you’re mistaken.”
“Because you followed me, or…”
“I didn’t need to follow you,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “You didn’t come home with Ari. Where else would you go?”
He pretended to know everything. That was partly why it was so difficult for her to rely on her own judgment. “I could’ve gone to the bar,” she pointed out. “I’m old enough to drink, you know.”
“Did you?” he challenged, arching one eyebrow.
She glanced away from him. “No.”
“Exactly. The bar has always been here. Kanon’s what’s new.”
“We just watched a movie. It was no big deal.”
“In his motel room…”
“Oh, for God’s sake!” Slamming her desk drawer shut, she came to her feet. “You know what? I quit. Jack has offered to hire me back. I’m going to run his trucking company, where I’ll be paid twice as much.”
“Jack?” he cried. “You’re going back to Jack?”
“No! I’m not going back to Jack. I’m only going to work for him. There’s a difference.”
“Either way, you’ll be sorry.”
“Maybe, maybe not. You don’t have a crystal ball. You can’t know that. And I’m not going to let you scare me away from what could be a good opportunity in spite of it involving my ex-husband. He’s not a bad man.”
