Bill’s salt-and-pepper eyebrows almost reach his hairline as he holds up his palms toward me. “Wait. Back up for a second. Harper? My daughter Harper?”
“Yes.”
He tilts his head to the side. “You were in New York yesterday? With my daughter? That’s why you wanted time off?”
“Yes.”
His eyes narrow at me, and I don’t blame him. This all seems incredibly strange from an outsider’s perspective.
My breaths come out quicker than I’d like, but I’m here now and need to get this over with. “Listen, Coach. I met Harper on New Year’s in New York. I had no idea who she was. I only found out last night.”
Sharon hisses at my comment, and Bill and I glance her way.
Bill stares at his wife with a quizzical look. “Did you know about this?”
“I saw the video earlier if that’s what you mean.” She focuses on her lap and plays with her fingers. “I also suspected something during her visit in January, but since I wasn’t sure, I didn’t want to stir the pot if nothing was going on. Not to mention, Harper’s an adult and deserves someone nice after . . . you know.”
Bill harrumphs. “I don’t want to talk about him. He was never good enough for Harper.”
Sharon nods, and they both turn back to me.
Bill leans forward and puts his elbows on his knees, a gesture I know all too well. “And you said Ben was in the video? How did that happen?”
“We went to a bar after our dinner, and he happened to be there. Harper went to the bathroom, and he cornered her. When I went to check on her, he recognized me and brought you up. That’s how I found out. Then we left. He’s also been sending her text messages and flowers this week.”
Bill shoots out of his chair. “He did what? I’m going to wring that weasel’s neck if he ever as much as lays eyes on her again. I don’t want him anywhere near her.”
I nod. “Totally agree.”
Everyone is quiet for a moment until the redness in Bill’s face vanishes. “And she didn’t tell you I was her dad?”
I shake my head. “Nope.”
It’s still a bitter pill to swallow that she lied to me this whole time, and it’s definitely something we need to talk about. But for that, I need to get a hold of her first.
“What was she thinking?”
“Don’t ask me.” I brush a hand over my face, the exhaustion from only getting a few hours of sleep and all the stress beginning to overpower my body.
Sharon clears her throat. “But you said she was fine when you left in the middle of the night, right?”
Bill's gaze shifts from Sharon to me. “What now? You left her in the middle of the night?”
Ah crap. I fill them in on everything that happened with my brother, and by the end of it, they both stare at me with similar expressions. Wide eyes, mouth slightly open, and fingers digging into some part of the chair.
Bill is the first to recover. “Well, shit. Zane’s okay though?”
I nod. “I think so. I’ll keep a closer eye on him, just to be sure.”
“I think I need to sit down too.” Sharon walks around the chair Bill’s occupying to sit on the small sofa. “That’s a lot to happen in less than twenty-four hours.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Her gaze finds mine. “Was that all, or is there more? I might need a drink to survive that.”
She chuckles, but I can’t tell if she’s serious or not.
Is there more?