CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Gary walked over, a strange half-smile on his face, leaving Skye standing by the door. Then she disappeared with Billy and I felt a twinge of panic.
Why had she left us together?
I wished she hadn’t because now I was feeling awkward. Gary had been a good friend. Was I now supposed to embrace the fact that he was my biological dad? Welcome him with open arms? Buy him a card on Father’s Day? Tell him everything was right in my world now that I’d found him?
Because that wasn’t how I was feeling.
I swallowed hard and pasted on a smile.
‘Blossom. Hi.’ He ran a hand through his hair, looking as awkward as I was feeling.
‘Hi, Gary. Sit down.’ I indicated the chair, studying his face for the resemblance. Because there surely must be one.
‘How are you feeling? Skye phoned an hour ago and told me about your accident and I had to come and see you.’
‘You abandoned the garden centre to come and see me?’
He smiled sheepishly. ‘I left Simon Brady in charge and ran to the car.’
‘Well, I’m feeling a lot better now. The doctor says I can go home tomorrow.’
His shoulders relaxed. ‘Oh, that’s great. Skye said you’d taken a bash to your head and you were unconscious when you got here? I was so worried.’
‘Were you?’ I asked coolly, feeling strangely indifferent.
‘Of course I was. I was frantic. You’re my...’ He stopped and took off his glasses, rubbing his eyes and then replacing them.
‘Yes. I’m your daughter.’
‘You are.’ He sat down at last, shuffling his chair forwards. ‘And I can’t tell you how amazed I was when Skye told me. It was a shock because I’d had no idea. All these years.’ He shook his head in disbelief. ‘But I’ve had time to get used to the idea and I have to say, I couldn’t be more delighted.’ He reached out, but I slid both hands under the covers.
‘You found out that day Skye came with me to the garden centre, didn’t you?’
He nodded, folding his own hands in his lap, the barest trace of hurt in his eyes at my subtle rebuke.
But what did he expect? That I’d be all smiles and happiness? I’d only just found out, for goodness’ sake!
‘Why didn’t you tell me I was your daughter? As soon as you found out?’ I asked.
He looked at me for a moment. Then he sighed. ‘I wanted to. Of course I did. But Skye was adamant that day that I should keep the news to myself. She said you didn’t know the true circumstances of your birth and she wanted to tell you herself about what happened... between us.’
‘So you just did what Skye told you?’
‘Well, yes. You were the most important thing... your feelings were uppermost in my mind. I didn’t want to upset the applecart by barging in and telling you I was your father. I suppose I trusted that Skye would tell you. She said she would.’
‘Yes, but Skye and Ada happen to be very good liars,’ I snapped.
‘Are they?’ he murmured. ‘I didn’t know.’
‘It’s funny, though.’
His eyebrows rose in query.
‘You see, if it was me and I discovered I had a child I didn’t know I had – who I knew was desperate to find out about her biological parents – I’d have wasted no time at all in seeking her out and telling her, regardless of anyone else’s opinion.’
‘I wanted to tell you. Of course I did.’
‘But you didn’t. Instead, you pretended you didn’t know when I next saw you.’
He sighed miserably. ‘I did. And I felt terrible. But...’
‘You had to do what Skye told you.’ I nodded. ‘So how did you two get together in the first place?’
He smiled ruefully. ‘Well... my dad was a landscape gardener and during the school summer holidays, I’d help him out for a small wage – labouring, you know? So one time your mum – well, Ada – she hired us to lay a patio in the back garden. She was away on some animal rights protest the day we pitched up and she’d left Skye in charge.’ He smiled, remembering. ‘We just clicked, the two of us. We were the same age and we knew some of the same people, and by coincidence we ended up bumping into each other at a party that night. It was a Friday, I think. Skye was making the most of Ada being away and her sister having a sleepover at a friend’s house, and she was letting her hair down.’
I snorted. ‘That sounds like Skye. Always the rebel.’
He nodded, amused. ‘So anyway, we had too much cider to drink and we went out into the garden, and I guess that’s where it happened.’
I stared at him. ‘You don’t remember?’
He looked mortified. ‘Well, we were just kids playing around. Kissing and having a laugh. Just being curious teens, I suppose. I hadn’t... you know... before. And neither had she.’
‘So it was an experiment?’
‘I guess it was. We liked each other, though.’ He shrugged helplessly.
‘Well, that’s something, I suppose. So what happened after? Did you see each other again?’
‘I wanted to. But we were at different schools and the job at Ada’s was finished. And then we moved house, to a village ten miles away. Next thing I heard, Ada had taken Skye off to Edinburgh to attend drama school. So that was that.’
I nodded slowly, not replying, just trying to process all of this.
Gary leaned forward. ‘Look, Blossom, I know this must be such a hard thing to take in, that I’m him. After all your years of wondering who your father was. Thinking it was Antonio and then having your hopes crushed.’ He shrugged. ‘I’m probably a big disappointment and if I am, I’m really sorry about that.’
He looked so crushed, I felt bad. ‘You’re not a disappointment. It’s just... you’re right. I am finding it hard.’
He nodded. ‘Of course you are. You need time to get used to the idea. So I’m going to leave you now.’ He stood up and I could see the sadness beneath his smile. ‘Any time you want to talk, I’ll be there. At the garden centre. Where I always am.’
‘What happened with Maureen?’
‘Oh, she was nice. But we decided friends was best.’
I frowned. ‘I hope you weren’t just too scared to take the next step?’
He laughed. ‘You know me too well. But no, it wasn’t like that. You opened me up to the idea of a new start, but it just wasn’t meant to be... with Maureen.’
Billy appeared at that moment, and there was an exchange of hellos and goodbyes, and Gary left. I saw him turn at the door but I pretended I hadn’t noticed and kept on talking to Billy.
‘So how did it go? With Gary? Skye told me.’
I shook my head. ‘I don’t know, Billy. It feels weird. You have to be careful what you wish for.’
It wasn’t exactly a great start to a father-daughter relationship. All I kept thinking was that I’d lost a really good friend because now there was just this awful awkwardness between Gary and me.
‘You look tired,’ said Billy. ‘Get some sleep and I’ll come back in the morning.’
‘Okay.’
He was almost at the door when I called him back.
‘What is it?’ He grinned. ‘Does Madam require more magazines or books? Or does she wish to be fed grapes by an adoring minion?’
I smiled, feeling myself blush at what I was about to say. ‘I just thought you should know that my memory is coming back and I’m recalling an awful lot more about what happened the afternoon of the crash. With you.’
‘Oh?’
‘Yes. Apparently, we had a very nice time. So... when I’m out of this hospital bed, can we try that kiss again?’