A Turn in the Road - Debbie Macomber [42]
“Hello, Grant.”
“It seems the three of you had quite an adventure,” he said. Although his comment was mild enough, Bethanne sensed his concern, mingled with irritation.
“We’re fine.”
“Bethanne, don’t you realize what a crazy risk you took?”
“Like I said, we’re fine. Nothing happened.” She didn’t want or need a lecture from him.
“You rode off with a biker? A biker?”
“His name is Max, and like I told your mother and Annie, he was a perfect gentleman.”
Grant was silent for a moment, as though weighing how best to continue. “Annie suggested they might be Wild Hogs. You remember the movie? Businessmen escaping the corporate world? She even said they went skinny-dipping, just like in the movie.”
“I…don’t know about that. What I do know is that they came to our rescue and I’m grateful.”
Again he paused. “Promise me you won’t do anything that foolish again.”
“Grant, I’m not a child.” She appreciated his concern but at the same time found his reaction condescending. She hadn’t been in any danger; her instincts told her as much. Grant still didn’t seem to grasp that she was an independent woman now. While she understood his feelings, she wasn’t about to let him scold her.
“I know that, and it’s your business if you want to take those kinds of risks. But don’t drag Annie and my mother into it.”
The tightness of his words told Bethanne that he was struggling to hold on to his temper.
“I think we should change the subject,” she said, unwilling to get into an argument. He was right; she’d probably been far too trusting. Still, she didn’t feel she’d had any choice.
“Fine,” he snapped. “We’ll change the subject.” But he didn’t introduce a different topic; neither did she.
“Would you like to speak to Annie again?” she asked a few seconds later.
“Please.”
Bethanne handed her daughter the cell.
Turning her back on both her mother and grandmother, Annie walked to the window. “All right, Daddy, I will. I know.” This was followed by a short silence. “I know. Okay. Goodbye. I’ll check in tomorrow night, I promise.” She closed the cell, then turned around and stared at Bethanne.
“What?” Bethanne asked. She’d crawled under the sheets and opened her book. Ruth had turned off her light and was asleep, or pretending to be.
“You upset Dad,” Annie said. “All he cares about is our safety. There was no need to get huffy with him.”
Rather than argue, Bethanne shrugged. “Did I?”
“Yes, you did,” her daughter challenged. “Can’t you see how hard he’s trying?”
“I know he is,” Bethanne conceded. Annie had a point; she’d been short-tempered with Grant. In theory she’d moved past the divorce, past the pain, and yet every now and then, when she least expected it, those old resentments would rear up, taking her by surprise.
“He’s doing everything he can to make up for what he did,” Annie said. “All he wants is for the two of you to get back together.”
“Annie—” She wasn’t allowed to finish.
“Maybe you think I shouldn’t have told him about you riding off with Max, but…I felt he has a right to know.”
“If you feel it’s important to keep your father updated, then do so,” Bethanne told her daughter. She stopped herself from saying that she’d prefer it if Annie omitted any details pertaining to her.
“Daddy loves you,” Annie added. “You can’t expect him to deny his feelings.”
Bethanne didn’t doubt that Grant had loved her in the past, especially when they were first married. At the births of their children he’d wept tears of joy as he held her hand and thanked her for making him a father. She remembered the good years they’d shared, the career he’d built and the comfortable lifestyle he’d provided. However, those happy reminiscences were tainted by everything that had led up to and followed the divorce. Did he love her when he checked into a hotel room with Tiffany and then came home at night, all smiles? Did he love her the day he announced he wanted a divorce? He’d been heartless the morning he walked out the door. Bethanne had worked hard to forgive him, but she wasn’t sure she could ever forget