Chapter 22
“Daddy!” Elle exclaims as soon as he appears in the doorway, looking frazzled and wearing his Sunday golf attire. His security detail trails behind him.
My father is a national hero, but his watery eyes and the worry lines on his forehead make him look like any parent who finds their kid in the hospital. He strides into the room with the barest acknowledgment of the doctor or nurse, even me, as he rushes to Elle’s bedside.
My kid sister breaks into tears and blubbers that she’s fine.
I blink away my own tears. Elle is fine. Just a couple scrapes, and now we’re awaiting some extra precautionary X-ray results, but the way Dad is hovering over her you’d think she broke both legs or something. He asks her several questions about her health until he’s satisfied.
Then he asks the same questions of Dr. Sharma, whose voice is remarkably even, though her hands are clenched hard on her clipboard. Bet she wasn’t expecting to attend to the president’s family today.
When my dad is finally satisfied, he breaks into his First Spouse smile and pumps Dr. Sharma’s hand and then the nurse’s with a hearty handshake.
The faintest of blushes appear on their cheeks.
It’s hard to think of my dad as anything but a dork, but once upon a time he was kind of a heartthrob, so my mom claims.
He places both hands on his sandy-brown hair, a gesture I’ve seen millions of times as a way he calms himself down before his eyes land squarely on me.
“Hi, Dad,” I say, my voice cracking. We’ve spoken almost daily, but finally seeing him in person reminds me how much I’ve missed him and Mom.
“Come here, pumpkin.” He pulls me in for a hug. I melt into his bear hug and sniff peanut M&M’s. Another one of his go-tos when he’s anxious.
“You got here so quickly,” I whisper.
“I was planning on surprising you girls with a visit soon,” he says with a grin.
“But when you hear your little girl took a spill and you’re a licensed pilot and married to the commander in chief…
there are certain things I can do quick.
” He taps his head. “Should’ve come today.
I knew my Spidey sense was picking up something in the matrix.
” I narrow my eyes at him for mixing up his movies. He knows how annoying that is to me.
“It was hardly an accident,” I protest. “Elle’s clumsy butt tripped.”
“I’m not the clumsy one,” Elle says.
Dad sighs as he pulls back. His grip tightens around my arms. “Your mother wishes she was here.”
“I know. We spoke to her before you came,” I say. “She’s tied up with some union negotiations.”
I frown and follow my dad’s gaze. My blood chills as I realize what’s caught his attention. Gabe has been quietly sitting in the back of the room, unnoticed by Dad until now.
Dad releases me and turns his full scrutiny onto him. I feel bad for him as he stands taller and broader shouldered than usual. The only hint Gabriel’s nervous is the red flush of his ears.
Meanwhile, I do my best to keep a neutral face, hoping Dad doesn’t get any hey-we’ve-been-kissing vibes from us. Honestly, I haven’t even worked out what’s going on between Gabe and me, let alone what to tell my father. All I know is that it just happened, and it felt…oh, so right at the time.
I put myself in Dad’s shoes as I examine Gabe’s worn brown boots, rumpled cargo pants, dirty gray T-shirt, and his thick, longish dark hair matted with dirt and sweat.
To me, sweaty and outdoorsy Gabriel is smoking hot, but to Dad?
Judging by his pressed-together lips, I’m thinking he’s not joining any fan clubs soon.
In short, Gabe’s outdoorsy-meets-edgy look is the polar opposite of, say, clean-cut Oliver Darby in a suit jacket and neatly cropped hair.
I wince as my father peers down his nose, a look I know means disapproval.
Elle steals a glance at me. She looks as nervous as I feel. I need to say something fast before we enter awkward silence territory, population everyone in this hospital room. “Dad, you remember Gabe Calabrese. He attended the state dinner with Tita Karra.”
“I remember. The boy wearing Chuck Taylors with his tuxedo,” Dad says, snapping his fingers.
“Yes, sir,” Gabriel says. “It’s nice to see you again.”
My dad studies Gabe’s outstretched hand a beat before grasping it with a firm handshake. “You’re the young man whose idea it was to take my girls on a hike?”
Elle and I protest at the same time. “Daddy, no,” Elle says.
“Hiking was my idea,” I add.
Dad guffaws. “Now I know I’m in an alternate universe. The two of you don’t have an outdoorsy bone in your body.”
I roll my eyes. “Not true. I wanted to try hiking for once. You always tell us to keep an open mind.”
He side-eyes me. “I do, don’t I?”
“Gabe was being a good host and guide,” I say, my voice not as controlled as I’d like. My father studies me. My cheeks grow warm as I wonder if he suspects anything between me and Gabriel.
He turns his attention back to Gabriel, who stands his ground. “Yes, a good guide indeed. Our agents say if it weren’t for you, my Elle could’ve had some serious injuries.”
Gabriel blinks uncertainly. My father breaks into a smile and claps Gabriel heartily on the back. “Looks like you’re a good guy to have around.”
“Thank you, sir,” Gabriel says.
My dad nods and turns back to Elle and me. “Let me catch up with your agents and then let’s see if we can get out of here and find some dinner. I’m starving.”
“We’ve got you covered,” a familiar voice says as Tita Karra and Ruby rush in. Tita Karra wraps her arms around Elle. She whispers some words into her ear that make Elle cry happy tears.
Tita stands beside Ruby and addresses the room. “We’re going to have barbecue and a bonfire at the inn. Gabe’s mom has this hot sauce you’ll adore,” she adds.
My father’s eyes have lit up. Dad loves his hot sauce. “How hot?”
“We’ve made many grown men cry.” Ruby beams. She claps Gabe’s back. “This one’s our reigning hot-sauce champ.” He rolls his eyes at his mom, but I can tell he’s holding back his smile.
Dad guffaws. “Very well. We’ll see how much heat Gabe can stand.”
As my father leaves the room, I squeeze Gabe’s shoulder. “I think he likes you,” I say.
“What gave you that impression? The way he glares at me or his clenched fists?”
I chuckle. “For context, Oliver hates hot sauce. Maybe he wants to see if you can roll with him?”
He grimaces. “How hot can your dad roll?”
“He claims he lost his taste buds in space, so his tolerance for heat is really high.” I grimace, feeling bad for Gabe.
“You mean I have to ingest nuclear-grade peppers to win his approval?” I hold back my smile as he grumbles about me sneaking in some milk to dinner.
Tita Karra and Ruby delivered on the BBQ. And the hot sauce. After four rounds of the sauce and Gabriel still standing, I could see the respect in Dad’s eyes, which rose even further as Gabe discussed chicken wings. Another one of Dad’s faves.
Fortunately, the rest of us get to enjoy Ruby’s special honey BBQ sauce.
I grin at Dad across the picnic table, polishing off his last rack.
Elle sits next to him, doing the same—bib smeared with sauce and a few bandages dotting her arms from the gashes she got on the rocks.
With her energy and appetite, you’d never guess she was at the hospital just this afternoon.
I spot Gabe a distance away, starting a fire at the inn’s firepit.
My breath catches as I watch him carrying a few logs.
We left the hospital in separate vehicles, and I’ve hardly said a word to him since my father arrived.
After all the excitement from Elle’s fall, the kisses we shared by the river seem like a daydream, except it’s not hard for me to recall the feel of Gabriel’s lips pressed to mine.
“Penny for your thoughts,” my dad says. He’s watching me with interest. Does he suspect I was watching Gabe?
I force a smile. “I’m just excited for a bonfire. In fact, I’m going to head over now.” I don’t stay to hear Dad’s response.
Gabriel is gone when I reach the firepit. I grab a seat on one of the logs facing the pit, forming a circle.
Ruby pokes at the small flames. I can feel the frustration roiling off her as the logs in the pit fail to catch fire. “Even starting and maintaining a fire takes patience,” she says, mostly to herself.
“We need kindling,” I say, rising from my chair to see if there are any sticks nearby, which is difficult given the only light is from the inn and the half-full moon above.
It wasn’t until I moved to the White House that I learned starting a fire is not necessarily easy. I’ve watched our staff struggle at times to make sure the flames catch on and continue. That’s where I learned about kindling. Sometimes creating a roaring fire needs help.
My search takes me around a large tree and out of sight of the firepit. I step on a branch that cracks under my shoes. There’s a kindling candidate. I stoop to pick it up only to see another hand sweep it up first. I rise to my feet and find myself face to face with Gabe. “I got it,” he says.
I’m tongue-tied. He’s even more magnetic, if possible, thanks to the mix of moonlight and shadows on his face.
I force my hands to my sides because all I really want to do is pull those cheekbones of his toward my face and continue what we started on the riverbank.
His eyes are so soft and dreamy, it’s probably a good thing his arms are full of wood to stop us from doing anything embarrassing.
A cloud must’ve moved because the moon’s light grows brighter. I’m startled to see the inn’s tree swing, empty and barely swaying on the other side of the tree. My chest tightens at seeing the place where Gabriel’s grandparents swung together, so magically in love.
I sigh. “So romantic…”
Gabriel is silent and brooding as he studies the swing.
My nerves flare with anticipation. “Bet this would be a good place for more practice.”
He avoids my gaze as he shakes his head. “This place deserves better than two people just…practicing.”
I recoil, hearing anger and hurt in his voice. I must’ve offended him by suggesting we kiss here. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t being serious, Gabriel.”
“Nothing about our situation is serious, Abby,” he says sharply.
A knot forms in my chest. “What do you mean?”
He lifts his face to the sky and takes a deep breath. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it. I better get back, I think your dad is asking for some rocket fuel to start the fire.”
As we round the tree, I realize it might’ve looked a little suspicious for both of us to be walking in from the dark together. Fortunately, my father is nowhere in sight.
Ruby accepts Gabriel’s kindling and gets to work. Moments later I’m clapping as the firepit roars to life. I grab a seat on the log nearest me and try to make eye contact with Gabriel to see if he’ll join me, but his attention is elsewhere.
I feel a familiar hand on my shoulder as Dad takes a seat on the log next to me, his security detail behind him.
Elle grabs a seat next to Tita Karra and Ruby.
Gabe sits on the dirt, reclining on a log instead of sitting on the log with me and Dad.
A few feet away, Shaw and Nessa are illuminated by the firepit’s flames.
It’s a pleasant summer night. The trees hum with the rhythmic chirps of the cicadas and the sky is an inky blue splattered with stars I could never see in the city.
My dad looks up, studying the night sky. He’d retired from the astronaut corps by the time I could read, but I still have vague dreamlike memories of him in a white suit, flying up to space. And of course, there’s a ton of videos.
“Do you have a favorite star, Gabe?” he asks. “Abby said you’re into astrophotography.”
If only the darts in my eyes could prick Dad. Thanks for outing that I talk about Gabe with him. If he noticed anything awkward, Gabe doesn’t look like it. He clears his throat. “The North Star seems to always be a good one,” he says.
My father nods. “Yes. Polaris. It’s gotten me out of a few jams.”
“What about you, sir? What’s your favorite?” Gabe asks.
Dad regards him. “I was actually thinking if I’d be able to see the space station passing by.”
“Cool,” Gabriel says, tilting his head to the sky.
Tita Karra snorts. “The world’s tiniest bachelor pad is what my sister called it when they were dating.”
Our group laughs as my father grins. “I was worried our relationship wouldn’t take, but turns out absence does make the heart grow fonder.”
“You mean Mom was always busy,” Elle says.
“Yes, I suppose that counts,” my dad muses. “Sometimes our duties take us away from the people we love. Like your mom.”
“Do my friends count?” Elle whines. “It’s like we’re on different planets.”
My dad rolls his eyes. “Yes, I guess so.” He pauses. “And for Abby, Oliver counts too.” I frown as Dad continues. “Sometimes you don’t see your friends and loved ones, but you know they’re there.”
But I’m barely listening anymore as I go over my dad’s words about people we love. Why did my father go out of his way to mention Oliver?