It wasn’t as bad as she had thought. Her mother knew who she was right away. That was the perfect way to be greeted. “Mom, I want you to meet my friend Charles.”
Charles shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Clark.”
Her mother didn’t speak, but at least she smiled at Charles. Her father pushed the wheelchair from the kitchen to the living room. “Charles, why don’t you come sit in here with us so we can get to know you.”
“Dad, he’s not here for the third degree. He was just nice enough to bring me up here for the day.”
He shot her a look, and she watched as he turned back to Charles. “The day? That’s odd because I got a call late last night saying my daughter was in town.”
Rosslyn was going to intervene, but Charles replied first. “We didn’t want to disturb you so late knowing your . . . situation here.”
Her father stared at Charles as though he wasn’t so sure about that response. Then finally he said, “The important thing is our little girl is here now.”
Rosslyn couldn’t take her eyes off her mother. How had the shaking gotten so much worse in just a week? It had to be her imagination. Dad surely would’ve called her if something had changed. Then she remembered he had, but she hadn’t picked up on it. At that time, she’d been distracted with Charles. She couldn’t let that continue to happen. Her father needed her to be responsive to what he needed. I’m his backup for when he needs to talk or needs a break. And what was I doing? Rattling the windows at the B&B all night. Really nice, Rosslyn. Way to win the daughter of the year with that one.
“Do you work for Max?” her father asked.
Was it her imagination or did she just see Charles clench his jaw before answering?
“No sir, I work for Lawson Steel.”
“Ha. Lawson is that bastard’s competition. This really must piss Max off.”
“Dad, he doesn’t know, and I would like to keep it that way,” Rosslyn said. “If he finds out, I could be fired.”
“Let him fire you. Then you can come home where you belong instead of—”
“Please, Dad. We can talk about this some other time. I only have a few hours before we have to head back to the city.” She didn’t want to have this conversation in front of Charles. He didn’t know she was Maxwell’s niece, and if her father kept talking, it was bound to slip out.
“You’re right. Let’s enjoy your visit. You can call me tomorrow night.”
And then I’ll have to answer all the questions I’m avoiding now. It beat the hell out of having Charles witness them.
The next few hours were spent talking about stories of her as a young girl. It was what her mother seemed to remember the most. They even pulled out a photo album, making Rosslyn want to crawl under the couch. Big hair was an understatement. It had been wild and her choice of clothes had matched.
On their drive back to the city, Charles said, “That was . . . very informative.” He couldn’t hide his amusement either, and she shot him a warning look. “Don’t worry. I’m sure my family has a few photos of me I wish didn’t exist.
“The question is when will I get to see them?” Rosslyn asked.
He laughed. “Never, if I get my hands on them first.”
“That doesn’t sound fair at all.”
Charles shrugged. “I didn’t twist your father’s arm to bring them out.”
“I don’t know about that. I leave you guys alone for five minutes to get my mother some tea and I return to a room filled with laughter.”
“You have to admit, your hair looks much better now than back then.”
“I don’t know. I was thinking about growing this out and maybe trying that style again. What do you think?”
“I’m not sure it would fit in my car. At least not without obstructing my view,” Charles teased. Then he reached over and covered her hand with his. His teasing tone vanished as he said, “I’m glad you allowed me to tag along. It’s obvious you’re their pride and joy.”
“Since I’m their only child, what choice do they have?” Rosslyn joked.
“I’m serious, Rosslyn. Your father told me all the sacrifices you’ve made so he could be home taking care of your mother. He might call you his little girl, but you’ve impressed him with the woman you’ve become.”
She blushed hearing Charles talk about her like that. Rosslyn did what she had to, what was needed. She didn’t want any praise. There was only one thing she wanted, and unfortunately it wasn’t possible. For my mother to make a full recovery.