Maybe she did, and maybe it would absolve him of some of the guilt he felt. But it would be devastating if she learned the truth. And he wouldn’t hurt her again.
Chapter Six
It’d been a long time since Dakota had eaten fried catfish. Or fried anything. The additional pounds didn’t translate well on camera. But she was unemployed, feeling sorry for herself, and she deserved a bit of down-home goodness.
Her father had returned with the fish he’d caught that morning already cleaned and filleted, for which she was grateful. She didn’t mind eating fish or meat. She just didn’t like the idea of meeting her meat while it still had eyes and a mouth. She wouldn’t have minded cooking her father’s catch, either. But he’d insisted on cooking it himself.
“The meal was delicious.” Dakota took the final bite of catfish. “But I’m beginning to think that you secretly doubt my cooking abilities.” Dakota poured herself a glass of sweet tea—something else she hadn’t allowed herself to enjoy since her last trip home. She’d probably drank five gallons of the stuff the week she came home for her mother’s funeral.
“It’s no secret.” Her father chuckled. “You have many talents, Kota. God knows cooking has never been one of them.”
“Dad!” Dakota balled up her napkin and tossed it across the table at her father.
He caught it, both of them laughing.
“Speaking of secrets…” Dakota put down her fork and produced the pouch she’d hidden on the seat beside her. She shoved it across the table. “Can we talk about this?”
“You went through my things?” Her father frowned, furrowing his white and gray brows.
“I was looking for the heating pad. I think I might’ve tweaked my back rearranging the furniture in my room.”
Mostly true.
“All right, Dakota.” Her father sighed, obviously doubtful of her story. He shrugged. “So I’m diabetic. Shouldn’t be a shock. My father was and my brother, Phil, is.”
A twinge tugged at her gut. Her grandfather had suffered multiple amputations before his death twenty years ago. And her uncle Phil was a noncompliant diabetic who suffered with debilitating nerve pain. Neither would happen to her father as long as she could help it.
“Then why didn’t you tell me? Even before I came home, we talked several times a week. You never once thought you should mention this to me?”
“You were busy, living your life in the big city.” His eyes didn’t meet hers. “I didn’t want to be a burden or to make you feel you needed to come home to see about me. I have everything under control.”
“Well, I’m certainly not busy now, and I’m right here.” She reached across the table and squeezed her father’s hand, forcing him to drag his gaze to hers. “If it’s completely under control, why hide it from me?”
“I wasn’t hiding anything.” He pulled back his hand. “Some things are just private.”
Dakota groaned quietly. “How long have you known?”
“About six months, and I’m doing well.” He patted his belly. “Down thirty pounds.”
“That’s great. Still, you should’ve told me. What if something had happened to you?”
Her father’s expression shifted to one of recognition. “This isn’t like what happened to your mother, sweetheart.” He placed his hand over hers.
Dakota’s heart thudded in her chest and tears burned her eyes. Her mother had concealed her illness from Dakota and her sister until her father insisted on telling them. By then she’d had only a few months left. But her mother hadn’t told them that, either.
“I’m fine. I promise. Well, except for—”
“What else is there?” Dakota tried to keep her voice measured, despite her growing panic.
“I’ve been putting off knee-replacement surgery.”
“Why?”
“I have the rental properties to look after. Besides, it’s not the kind of thing you want to go through alone,” he admitted with a shrug.
He’d had the other knee replaced ten years ago. When he’d still had her mother.
Her father was a proud, independent man. His body seemed to vibrate with the discomfort of revealing his vulnerabilities to her.
“You’re not alone, Dad.” Dakota squeezed his hand. It broke her heart that she needed to say that. Didn’t he know she would’ve dropped everything and come home had she known he needed her?
“You shouldn’t be hobbling around in pain when there’s a simple fix. Call your doctor today. Ask for the soonest date you can get on the schedule. I can help out with managing the rental properties, and I won’t leave until after you’ve had your surgery and you can get around on your own again.”
“You don’t need to do that, Dakota. I can manage.” He tried to tug his hand away, but she wouldn’t let him.
“If it were me who needed you, wouldn’t you have come to New York to take care of me, despite how much you hate the city?”
“Of course. I’m your father. It will always be my job to make sure you’re all right.”
“Well, we’re family. And it’s my job to look after you, too. Shay has Howard. We only have each other. So will you please stop being so difficult and let me do this for you?”
He gave her a grateful, if reluctant, smile. “All right, baby girl. I’ll call the doctor’s office and see how soon they can get me in.” He pulled his hand back and grabbed another piece of fish from the plate. “But if you get another job offer, don’t think twice about accepting it. I know how things go in television. If you sit on the sidelines too long, it’s easy to be forgotten.”
He wasn’t wrong about that. Only, that was exactly what she needed. Enough time and distance for the scandal to blow over and be forgotten. But if she was going to move back to New York or a large market on the West Coast, she needed to find a way to earn money while she stayed here on Holly Grove Island.
She was a Class A screwup, but she wouldn’t become a financial burden to her father.
“I’m not leaving here as long as you need me,” she said firmly. “End of discussion.”
“I appreciate that, Dakota.” A small smile lifted the edges of his mouth and his eyes glistened. “But that won’t stop me from taking you out in a game of cornhole. That is, if you think you’re still up to it. I imagine it’s been a long time since you tossed a bag.”
“Oh, you’re talking smack, huh?” Dakota stood, gathering their plates. “Well, I’d be happy to wipe that smug smile off your face, Old Man. Best three out of five?”
Her dad chuckled. “You’re on.”
Yes, she was stuck in Tiny Town, USA, for the next few months. But on the upside, she enjoyed spending time with her father and hanging out with Sin a couple of nights a week. As long as she kept busy and avoided Dexter Roberts and the town’s gossiping hens, she’d be fine.
Chapter Seven
Sweat trickled down Dakota’s face and neck as she ran along the coastline. It had been more than five years since she’d gone for a run on this beach, but the familiar taste of the warm, salty air filled her mouth. Strands of hair that had escaped her messy ponytail stuck to her face. Her thighs burned and her feet ached, but she was determined to make it to the end of the beach.