Dad and I wait until she’s gone before going to the kitchen. He goes straight for the cabinet that holds the liquor. After pouring a couple inches in two glasses, he hands me one and takes his and the bottle to the table.
He throws back his glass and pours another.
“It was that fucking Sean kid,” he mutters darkly.
I take a seat beside him, sipping my drink rather than chugging it since I have to drive after this.
“With Aleah not telling us, we can’t know for certain,” I reply, staring into my glass, still trying to maintain my calm.
“She’ll tell us, I’ll make damn sure of it.”
“Don’t push her, Dad.”
He scowls, taking another drink. “If she doesn’t tell me, I have other ways of finding out.”
“And what are you going to do once you find out who touched her?”
For a split second, something dark enters his eyes before he blinks, and the look is gone. He shakes his head. “Arrest his ass and make sure he’s prosecuted.”
Having a detective as a father can be handy at times. This is not one of those times. I want to get my hands on the creep who hurt Aleah, and there won’t be much left of him to prosecute. Damned the consequences.
“Tell me more about this Charlotte,” Dad says, changing the subject. “Who is she to you? Besides your patient.”
“She’s nothing more than that,” I tell him. It’s the truth at the same time it’s not. She can’t be more than my patient, even if I want her to be.
“I may be getting on in years, but I’m not stupid, Bryan. I saw the way you looked at her out there.”
I shrug and fake indifference. “She’s a beautiful woman. Any man would look.”
Dad pours himself more vodka, drinking this one slower.
“Again, I’m not stupid,” he reiterates.
I sigh. “What do you want me to say, Dad? That I think about the woman constantly? That she’s a wonderful and amazing woman, and no matter how hard I try to fight it, I’m a thin thread away from doing something that could cost me my job, but part of me doesn’t care because I can see Charlotte being the one woman who was made for me?”
Dad’s brows raise higher with each word I say. “Wow,” he says once I’m done. “Sounds like you have a lot of thinking to do. I don’t know the reason behind her seeing a psychologist, but there are other doctors out there. She doesn’t have to see you, Bryan. That’s no excuse to not pursue her if you care about her.”
I tip my glass to my lips and drain what’s left before setting it on the table. I’m tempted to pour another, but I need to keep a clear head. Not only because I have to drive Charlotte back to her car, but also because I’ll be alone with her in a confined space. I need all of my wits to get through that.
“Yeah,” I say quietly, knowing he’s right, but also knowing it’s still wrong to get involved with a patient. Even if she does start seeing another psychologist, which is something I still definitely do not want her to do. Unless it’s a female. I could handle her telling all of her dirty secrets to a female doctor.
A few minutes later, Charlotte walks into the kitchen. Dad and I both get up from the table.
“How is she?” Dad asks, unable to hide his anxiety.
“She’s fine. I couldn’t get her to talk though. Not sure if it’s because I’m not someone she knows and trusts or if she really doesn’t want to talk to anyone about what happened. She went to bed after her shower.”
Dad nods, not liking the answer Charlotte gave him, but unable to do anything about it. For as long as Aleah has lived with us, she’s been stubborn. If she doesn’t want to talk about tonight, there’s no forcing her to. Hopefully after we give her some time, she will.
“Thank you for checking on her. I’m Spencer, by the way.”
Charlotte smiles softly at Dad. “It was no problem at all. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.”
“You did enough by making sure she was okay and being with Bryan when he picked her up.”
“I’m sure she has her mother and friends, but I gave her my number in case she ever wanted to talk. Sometimes it’s easier talking to someone you don’t know.”
Dad stuffs his hands into his pockets. “Her mother is gone.”