Golden Lies - Barbara Freethy [162]
"You'll need help getting him out of the car," Tyler said, interrupting her thoughts.
She'd almost forgotten he was standing there. "You've gotten yourself quite a headline, haven't you? 'Victorious sailor turns into worthless drunk.'"
"Is that how you think of your father?"
"No, but it's probably what you'll say."
"How do you know what I'll say?"
"I've been interviewed before, had my words twisted."
"Is that where your resistance comes from?" he asked with a thoughtful expression on his face. "I'm not interested in embarrassing you, Miss McKenna. I just want an interesting story. Fame, success, adventure -- those are things that change people's lives forever. Most people never experience even one of those, much less all three, the way you did."
Kate didn't know what to say. She needed time to think, to figure out the best way to handle this man Maybe if she told him just enough, he would go away. But what would be enough? Would he start digging? And if he did, what would he find?
"I need to take care of my father," she said. "Maybe tomorrow, if you want to stop by the bookstore, we can talk."
"Why the change of heart?" He sent her a skeptical look.
"You don't look like someone who gives up."
"That's true." Tyler tipped his head toward the car. "Will your father be all right? I could follow you home, help you get him into the house."
"No, thank you."
"Where is home, anyway? I don't think you said."
"I don't think I did." Kate got into her car and shut the door. "I don't know what to do about that man, " she muttered, glancing over at her father. Duncan's response was a very unhelpful snort. She'd have to take care of Tyler Jamison herself.
Tyler stared down the road long after Kate's taillights had disappeared. What had seemed so simple had suddenly taken on new and disturbing dimensions. The first was Kate herself. She wasn't what he'd expected. For some reason, he'd thought tomboy, tough girl, overachiever, but she hadn't looked all that tough in a pair of black capri pants and a clingy T-shirt that matched her light blue eyes. Her blond hair had fallen loosely around her shoulders, and she'd moved with a feminine grace, spoken with a soft voice. She had a great smile, too, he thought, the kind that invited you to come in and stay awhile, the same way her friendly little bookstore invited customers to stop in and browse. Not that she'd been all that friendly when she'd discovered he was a reporter. Despite her casual manner, he'd sensed a wall going up between them with every question that he asked.
Tyler reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. It was a magazine cover from eight years ago. Three blond, sunburned girls stood on the deck of a sailboat, holding an enormous silver trophy in their hands, their proud, beaming father in the background. The McKennas had conquered the world's toughest oceans. But were there secrets behind those smiles? Was there another story of their trip, one that hadn't been printed? Tyler suspected the answer to both questions was yes.
In fact, if one looked closely at the picture, only Duncan looked really happy. The girls appeared shell-shocked. It was the only word he could think of to describe their expressions. Maybe he was reading more than was there. He'd spent most of his life living by the facts and only the facts, but this story was different. This story was personal.
Kate McKenna hadn't wanted to talk to him. As she said, it was an old story, so why the resistance? She was hiding something. A drunken father? Not the biggest secret in the world. There had to be something more. Tyler had a hunch he knew what that something was.
He folded the magazine cover, slipped it into his pocket, and took out his cell phone. He punched in a familiar number, then waited.
"Jamison residence." Shelly Thompson, Mark's private nurse, answered the phone in her no-nonsense voice.
"Shelly. It's Tyler. How's Mark doing today?"
"Not good. He tried to stand, but his legs couldn't support his weight. He's very depressed."
Tyler