“He’s your father.”
“What does that mean?” I whispered. And that was really the question, for all of us.
What, exactly, did that mean?
* * * *
I was going to call Ben. I really was. I was just planning out everything I was going to say in my head. And then he rang the doorbell in the middle of breakfast and John invited him in for pancakes.
The first thing he did was hug me. I was coming back from the refrigerator with the syrup John had forgotten. I looked up and there he was in the kitchen.
“Sara, my God, I’m so glad you’re okay.” Ben hugged me tight. “You could have been killed!”
So much for not telling John about what had happened with the stepbeast.
I had to sit down and tell the whole story over pancakes and everyone exclaimed how lucky I was to be alive. The phone rang and Chrissy was closest so she answered it.
“Your manager?” she said, holding the phone out to Dale.
He sighed, getting up from the table to talk. He stretched the cord all the way down the hall. We had finished off the last of the pancakes and John got up to the dishes. I started to get up to help clear but Chrissy interrupted me.
“You sit down,” she insisted. “I’ll clear.”
I blinked at her, too stunned to object.
“I’m really sorry I barged in like that,” Ben said. “I just saw the article and got really worried.”
”I’m okay,” I assured him, wondering how he even found the article. It had been buried. “Bump on my head. Bloody lip.”
“I wish I’d been there.” He shook his head, jaw tightening, a faraway look in his eyes.
“You read the article in the paper?”
He shook his head. “No, online.”
When I gave him a puzzle look he laughed. “I forgot, you don’t have a computer. I’m going to have to get you guys online. I find everything online. News, weather.”
“So, umm…” I wasn’t sure now how to tell him. “Dale got something in the mail the other day…”
“The DNA results?” Ben smiled and winked. “I got mine too. You’re my girl.”
I was surprised by his reaction, but in hindsight, it made sense. Of course he wasn’t surprised. It just confirmed what he’d been saying all along. So he was my father after all. My mother had lied to me. I could have known him my whole life, had some sort of relationship with him, and she had taken that away. But what kind of man was he? Maybe she had her reasons? Dale had been suspicious from the start—but Dale was always suspicious when it came to “other men” in my life.
“Listen, Sara, I am so sorry about that investment thing.” Ben sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I know it scared you off and I didn’t mean… I should have been more clear. I should have approached it differently. I just saw a great opportunity for you to invest in your future, that’s all. It’s not even my company or my idea. I just happen to think it’s brilliant.”
“I guess it did put me off a little,” I admitted.
“I know, I know.” He held up his hand.”I had a lot of time to think about it when you didn’t return my calls.”
“Sorry about that. I… have a habit of avoiding confrontation if I can.”
“I can’t blame you for that.” He reached out and tucked a piece of stray hair behind my ear. “But once I saw it from your perspective… ugh. I just show up out of nowhere after seeing your picture in the paper, you’ve got this rich and famous boyfriend, and me, dummy that I am, I end up talking to you about this investment thing. I could kick myself.”
I met his eyes, trying to determine if he was telling the truth. Or was this just more of some plan? It was like Chrissy’s sudden turn of attitude. I didn’t quite trust it.
“Can you… can we just have a do-over? I promise not to be such an idiot this time.”
o;It doesn’t matter. Once it’s out there... it’s out there.”