Oh crap. Dad wasn't used to me coming here with anyone. I couldn't even remember the last time I came here with a friend—forget about bringing anyone I dated. The last guy who’d been here was Elliot, and he’d thought Dad was a burden. The guys I’d gone out with after the breakup weren’t any better. One made it clear he didn’t want to get involved with someone who had such a huge responsibility. Whatever. The other one just stopped calling. Good riddance. If they thought my dad was a burden, I didn't need them in my life. He was a good man, and I liked taking care of him.
"Your daughter is my trainer at the gym. And I was going to take her out tonight."
"Where, if I may ask?"
Dylan grinned. I looked over my shoulder, trying to overhear. He caught me in the act.
"I could tell you, Martin, but she's listening, and it was meant to be a surprise."
Dad burst out laughing. Right at that moment, I realized I might lose a piece of my heart to Dylan because he made my dad laugh so wholeheartedly. I hadn't heard that sound in a long time. Dad was always a positive person, not grumpy or anything, but lately, I hadn't heard him laugh as much as before. After his stroke, he pulled it together and stayed strong and determined, but as the years had gone by, I almost felt as though his limitations were weighing on him.
The restaurant delivered on time, and the three of us sat around the small kitchen table, eating directly from the carton.
“This stuff is good,” Dylan said.
“It’s some of the best Chinese takeout I’ve had in New York,” Dad said.
“How long have you been living here?” Dylan asked.
“When my girl moved to New York for college, I wasn’t sure what to do with myself, so I bought this house and moved here to be closer. I worked in construction, and it was easy to find a job. Now I’ve had to find something else, obviously.”
“Mel told me. As a transcriptionist.”
“Exactly. There are many companies that offer transcription services, and the pay is decent. The best part is I can do it from home and only need a computer to do it.”
Dylan glanced at me with a smile. “So Mel got her kick-ass attitude from you.”
“I’d say so,” Dad replied proudly.
I couldn’t really believe Dylan was here, with us, and he genuinely seemed interested in Dad’s life.
“Was your recovery long?” Dylan asked.
Dad grimaced. “Yes. My Mel had her plate full with me for about a year. I couldn’t move half my body at all in the beginning, but I had a lot of physical therapy, and Mel helped me with many exercises at home too. Now I can use both hands, but my left leg is still troubling me. I can move it enough to get up from the wheelchair and move into bed or take a few steps, but nothing more.”
Dylan asked a bit more about Dad’s recovery while we ate.
Once the cartons were empty, I asked, "Do you want me to steam some fish for you to eat tomorrow?"
"You don't have to do that," Dad called.
"It's only going to take me ten minutes, and then tomorrow all you have to do is heat it."
"Thanks, Mel."
I took the tuna out of the fridge, washing it a bit before putting it in the steamer. I thought Dad might throw the steamer out the window when I brought it home to him. His doctors had explained it would be good for him to add steamed vegetables and fish to his diet. I wasn't a fan of it. I felt it had zero taste, and even though it was a big fad in the fitness world to eat steamed everything, it wasn't my thing. And since I was Dad's daughter, he’d passed on his love of grilled ribs smeared with barbeque sauce to me, so I’d assumed he’d take one look at the steamer and toss it away or hide it in a cupboard. But, to my astonishment, Dad was using it regularly. I'd asked him about it one day, and he'd said he intended to be around for a long time, and if eating steamed fish was what it took, he would do it.
My gaze crossed Dylan’s as he played with Buddy while talking to Dad about the most recent basketball game, and I knew that keeping this sexy man from slipping into my heart wasn’t going to be easy.
Chapter Fifteen
Dylan
After cooking him dinner, she packed everything carefully in plastic containers, putting them in the fridge. Fucking hell, this woman was something else.
"You youngsters should go. I have an online meeting with my book club, where we’ll discuss the latest James Patterson," Martin said.
Mel smiled. "Okay. When it's about James Patterson, I’ve learned there's no distracting my dad. Come on, let's go. He takes his book club meetings very seriously."
I put an arm around her shoulders as we said our goodbyes and walked out of the house. They were stiff. I massaged her neck while we walked to the car. She dipped her head back, humming lightly.
"Oh, this is good. This is so, so good."
She pouted when I had to let go to open her door. “Hey, don’t stop.”
“I’ll carry on once we’re out of the car. That’s a promise.”
After she got inside, I moved to the other door, climbing in the driver seat.
"Your dad seems to have embraced technology a lot."
“He had to. To be honest, this was a bit of a blessing for Dad since leaving the house is a bit complicated for him. And he has a pretty active social life online. He's part of multiple clubs. He also plays cards and is even in a group that solves mysteries. Don't ask."
"He is a great guy."
"He really is. He was the best dad I could wish for."
"So, it was just the two of you since you were little?"
"Yes. Dad kept a few pictures of Mom, but I realized at some point that it was hurting him to see her, so I put them in boxes. And, anyway, it was also hurtful for me. You should have seen him when I was in school. He helped me with all the plays. He’s not a touchy-feely guy, but he got involved in all the activities at school. I never realized we were different from other families until I started having sleepovers and noticed all the things moms did. Dad and I divided tasks between the two of us at home once I was old enough to reach the sink. He worked two jobs while I was growing up because there weren’t enough construction sites in our small town. Not like here. He worked in a bar in the evening after I went to bed. It was the only way we could make things work.”
“That sounds intense.”
She shrugged.
She'd had a lot on her shoulders since she was a kid. Her childhood was nothing like mine: laid-back and without any responsibilities. The only rough patches had been in those winters when there hadn’t been enough snow and my parents had to take on second jobs. I wondered if she'd ever had an easy stretch in her life, if she ever had someone focus on her. I wanted to be the one to do that.
"Okay, so my plan didn't work today. It's too late for the sunset. But we can do something else," I said on the drive back home. "We can do something from your list.”
"Hmm. Let me think." She lowered in the seat, tapping her fingers against her legs. "I've always wanted to go on a boat on the river."
I nodded. "Yeah, I've seen a few of those. There’s one near my apartment. North Cove Yacht Harbor.”