Chapter 9
Kat
“You better stay out of that water, girl!” Dad chuckled as Noodle splashed into the pond. “She never listens. The other week, I had to mop twice in one day because she ran through the house with muddy feet.”
“She definitely keeps you on your toes.” We waited by the edge of the pond while Noodle swam around the weeds.
I could hardly believe two weeks passed so quickly.
I had settled into Dad’s routine with surprising ease.
Most evenings were spent hanging out with Dad and watching The Unit.
Not my usual cup of tea, but all those rough, rugged men reminded me of someone.
Someone I hadn’t seen since our gun shop visit.
Not that I wanted to see him again. Not really. Well, maybe a little.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d spent the evening relaxing. No reports to work on or projects to finish. It was strange to have free time. But it was also nice.
I’d worked my ass off to get to where I was.
CFO of a medium sized tech company. Twelve to eighteen months away from moving to a larger company.
My name on the deed to my condo. A BMW that drove like a dream and a list of gentleman I could call on if I needed and ignore when I didn’t.
My life was the picture of stability, and I loved it.
Dad was older than my mom. She’d barely graduated high school when they met.
She married him thinking she’d found someone to take care of her, only to realize she wasn’t cut out for country living.
But then she’d been stuck without any skills or work history and we’d ended up living with her parents.
She was determined not to meet that fate again, so she enrolled in classes at the local community college.
That went well at first, until she met a visiting instructor and I got stepdad number one.
After that, Mom made sure she had someone lined up before leaving.
I loved the woman, but her inability keep a job had her relying on a man her whole life.
We moved every couple of years and I was never able to put down roots.
The only time I had anything familiar was when I visited Dad.
So even though I didn’t follow her example, Mom did teach me the importance of establishing my own career and identity.
I made sure to do well in school and stay through to my master’s so I’d always have a means to support myself.
I’d never be stuck with a man I no longer loved because I’d be homeless without him.
I had put down roots. I sort of knew my neighbors. I could borrow cups of sugar. It’s what I’d always longed for growing up.
But that also meant I hadn’t taken a vacation in years. And not that this was one, but it was a nice break from the daily grind.
I’d never thought about what Dad did all day.
Since he was retired, I’d assumed he just puttered around.
He quickly proved that wrong. We took Noodle on a walk around the property twice a day, anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour, depending on their moods and the weather.
We checked on the pigs, but at this point Dad rarely had to feed them.
The MC sent over their restaurant scraps every day, so they were happy and healthy.
Dad also had a nice garden that he kept up with. It had been a lot larger at one time, but the portion he worked with now had tomatoes, a few herbs, and other veggies like cucumbers and peppers. I gathered a few items for a salad and we walked back to the house.
“Don’t take everything. I gotta leave a few for the guy.”
I sighed. “What guy?”
“My friend. I forget his name, but he comes around here and buys from me. He doesn’t trust the grocery stores, thinks the food sits on trucks for too long and gathers up all them diesel fumes.”
“Right, well, there’s plenty left if he comes by.” Assuming he was even real.
“Good. He always gives me a crisp hundred, no matter how much or how little he picks up.” We walked to the back deck of the house and stopped in front of the door. Dad grabbed a towel off a hook and wiped down Noodle’s feet.
“You can’t forget this step, Katie. The other week, I had to mop the floor twice in one day because of her muddy paws. That was not fun.”
I forced a smile. “Yeah, you mentioned that.”
Dad’s head tilted. “Did I?” He yawned as we walked up the deck steps. “I think I’ll take a nap.”
I took several deep breaths as my heart pounded.
His appointment with the neuropsychologist couldn’t come fast enough.
He hadn’t been combative like the hospital described, but his forgetfulness was concerning.
We could have a full ten-minute conversation, then an hour later have the same conversation. And he had no idea.
Yesterday, I found a note in a drawer that he’d written to “the people living here.” He’d wanted to know whether they would be staying for dinner, because their food kept going to waste. It was heartbreaking.
I walked through the kitchen and worked on a stir fry for lunch. The tension fell away as I focused on dicing and slicing. I rarely cooked at home. My meals were delivered by my nutritionist every week. This was fun though; maybe I could also try baking since I was falling off the low carb wagon.
I finished cooking and set the veggies to low to keep warm.
The rice still had another ten minutes or so.
My eyes darted around the kitchen, looking for something to pass the time when they landed on my laptop case.
I’d set it on top of the refrigerator to keep it safe from Noodle but then forgot about it.
This was the longest I’d gone without turning it on in… well, I couldn’t even remember.
I nibbled my bottom lip. I could turn it on for a few minutes. Yes, I was on leave, but if it was my choice to look, it was fine. I could check my emails, make sure there wasn’t anything too pressing. They might need me. Payroll went out yesterday; I should make sure everything went okay.
The case felt heavy in my hands as I pulled it down from the fridge and carried it to the table. The cold metal was a familiar comfort. Long time no see, old friend. My pulse raced as I opened the laptop and pressed the power button.
“Need any help with lunch?” Dad shuffled into the kitchen, wiping the sleep from his eyes.
I jumped in my seat, slamming the laptop closed. Focus, Kat! I’d spent years prioritizing my career over family.
“No, I’m good. The rice should be ready now if you’re hungry.”
Dad looked over at the laptop and back at me. “I hope you aren’t sticking around here on my account. If you need to go back, you go on. I was doing fine before you came down, and I’ll be doing fine after you leave.”
My heart clenched. It’s not like he’d had a choice before.
“No worries, Dad. They overworked me for years. I’m enjoying the break. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s going to earn me a raise when I get back, now that they understand how much work I do for them.”
Dad grinned. “That’s my girl.”
“But you can help me with something, actually. I need to get my car serviced. I’m due for an oil change and tire rotation. I usually take it to the dealership, but I didn’t see one of those around here.”
Dad rolled his eyes. “I thought I taught you better than that. You never go to the dealer, they always charge too much. But I got a place.”
“Do you think I can get in sometime this week?”
“Katie girl, when I call them, they’ll fit you in after lunch.”