I wanted for her.”
Dani thought about pointing out that she wasn’t with Emily
for her money, but that opened up all of her confusing feelings
for exploration, opened them up to being picked apart, and she
very much doubted a man like Peter Radcliffe would
understand any of it. She wanted to keep her private life
private, at least those more intimate bits. If she didn’t fully
understand her feelings herself, how she was she supposed to
defend them and fight for them?
Surprisingly, Radcliffe went on, and he seemed to genuinely
mean what he was saying. “I want Emily to have someone
love and cherish her, not see her as a bank account.” The way
he said it, it felt personal.
Dani briefly wondered how happy Emily’s parents were in
their own marriage. She knew nothing about them, so she
dismissed the thought. It sounded like Radcliffe cared about
his daughter far more than he’d let on from the conversation in
the car. Dani could actually see he was worried now. Was it
that same worry that had driven him to say things that were
just a few shades away from being harsh and despicable? Or
was this all a carefully calculated act to make him appear like
a loving father?
Dani didn’t doubt that men like Radcliffe could be stellar
actors when they wanted to be. Wasn’t that what politics was
all about? Looking squeaky clean and good when the cameras
were on you, promising one thing and then doing another
entirely when you had the power to carry it through? Were
there a few honest people left out there?
Radcliffe seemed to sense her doubts. “Look. I love my
daughter. The party is one thing. My personal life is another. I