25. Kara
25
Kara
T he familiar brass bell above the door chimed as Kara stepped into the cool air of Walker’s Pharmacy. She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the fluorescent lights that buzzed overhead. As her vision cleared, she spotted her father’s stooped figure at the far end, methodically stocking shelves with bottles and boxes. Kara’s gaze swept the store, searching for Charlotte’s face, but her daughter was nowhere to be seen.
Kara began weaving through the aisles toward her father when her eyes caught on a man standing near the front counter, his head down, hands inside his jacket pocket. She noted how his eyes darted around the store, avoiding eye contact as she passed.
The hairs on the back of Kara’s neck stood on end, but she tore her attention away, forcing herself to focus on the task at hand.
“Hey, closing time?” the stranger called out gruffly, his eyes darting between Whitaker and the clock on the wall.
“Half an hour,” Whitaker said, glancing at his watch. “Need help finding something?”
Kara observed as the man shook his head silently, then turned away from her father, disappearing down the next aisle.
As he disappeared from view, Kara stopped in front of Whitaker. “Dad.”
“Kara.” Whitaker’s eyes widened as he stood up straight. “What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk. You and Charlotte both.” Kara took a deep breath. “She told me she was helping with a delivery. Where is she?”
“She’s sorting boxes in the back. Look, we’re swamped. Can this—”
Kara cut in. “I told Ethan about Charlotte. That she’s his daughter.”
Whitaker removed his wire-rimmed glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. “What were you thinking? Why on earth would you do that?”
“He deserves to know he has a daughter.”
“It’s pointless!” Whitaker glanced at the customer nearby. He leaned in, whispering. “Have you forgotten what the Bennetts put us through? You remember what happened to your mother, don’t you? And you want to associate with this man?”
Kara stood there, her heart pounding.
In that instant, she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think past the memories. Her mother, the accident, all of it swirled inside her, but she swallowed it down. No more secrets. No more lies. She glanced toward the back of the store, where she knew Charlotte was sorting boxes.
It’s time.
Kara took a step toward the stock room just as Charlotte emerged from the back. “Everything all right?”
“Charlotte, thanks for your help. Let’s get you paid, shall we?” Whitaker said, striding briskly toward the register.
“Oh, it’s no big deal, Grandpa—”
“I insist. Come over here, dear,” Whitaker interrupted, gesturing to the register.
Kara stepped toward her daughter, closing the gap between them. “Charlotte, we need to talk. Now.”
Her father glanced up, giving her a look.
Kara dismissed it and put a hand on Charlotte’s shoulder. “I need to tell you something that can’t wait.”
She led Charlotte toward the break room. She could hear his footsteps close behind.
As they entered, his voice rose. “Kara, don’t!”
She didn’t stop walking.
“Go home. I’ll make sure Charlotte gets back safely.” A warning, a last chance ...
Kara whirled on her heel after entering the break room. “No. I’m done waiting, and so is Charlotte.” She turned to her daughter, taking a deep breath.
“Mom, what’s wrong?”
Kara hesitated, her gaze falling to the floor as she gathered her courage, but at last she pulled out a chair and sat down.
Charlotte followed suit, while the patriarch of the family stood for a moment before reluctantly taking a seat as well.
“Charlotte, it’s about Ethan.”
“From the rescue?”
“Yes, Ethan.” Kara took a deep breath. “He’s your father.”
Kara watched her daughter’s lips part, but no sound escaped.
As the seconds ticked by, Charlotte’s gaze flicked between her mother and grandfather, appearing to search for something—anything—that might explain the bombshell that had been dropped on her.
Kara could almost see the wheels turning in Charlotte’s mind, trying to piece together the truth.
Charlotte blinked rapidly, her breath coming in shallow bursts. Her mouth opened and closed again, but the words seemed stuck. Finally, she managed a stammer. “My-my father?”
“Yes, your father.” Kara reached for her daughter’s hand, but Charlotte’s fingers lay still in her palm, limp and unresponsive.
Whitaker threw up his hands. “Well, that’s just great.”
Kara shot him a sharp glare. “She has a right to know!”
“Oh sure, let’s go ahead and tell her everything—the man responsible for her grandmother’s death is Daddy dearest!”
Charlotte’s eyes widened. “Wait, what?”
Whitaker gestured toward Charlotte. “See? This is exactly why some things are best left unsaid.”
Kara slammed her fist on the table. “It wasn’t Ethan’s fault! I chose to stay out late that night! Not him, me ! But you—” she jabbed a finger at her father, “you dragged Mom out in the middle of the night to look for me. I was perfectly fine.”
Whitaker’s face reddened. “How dare you! After everything I’ve done—”
“Everything you’ve done? Like what, Dad? Control me? Smother me with your ‘protection?’”
Whitaker’s hands trembled. “Ethan used you, Kara. You really think he cares? He got what he wanted, and walked out, vanishing for twenty years. Now you’re acting like it’s all water under the bridge? Well, I got news for you kid, the Bennetts are trash, always have been. I warned you then, and I’m warning you now. Ethan is a good-for-nothing—”
“Enough!” Tears streamed down Kara’s face. “Just stop, Dad.”
She turned to Charlotte, her voice softening. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. You shouldn’t have to hear this.”
Charlotte squeezed her mom’s hand. “It’s okay, Mom.” She turned to her grandfather. “Grandpa, I think you’re wrong about Ethan. He’s done great things at the rescue. Even got me to the hospital after my accident. That doesn’t sound like someone who’s good for nothing.”
Whitaker removed his glasses, shaking his head as he rubbed his temples.
Charlotte turned to her mom. “Does he know? About me being his daughter?”
Kara nodded. “I told him today. Right before I came here.”
Charlotte leaned forward. “And? What did he say?”
A silence fell between them.
Kara hesitated, torn between the truth and the desire to protect her daughter.
No. No more secrets. Charlotte deserves the truth, no matter how difficult it might be.
“He— When I told him, he just— He said he had to leave because—”
Whitaker jumped in. “There! You see? He wants nothing to do with either of you. I’ve only ever tried to protect this family. When will you finally listen to me?”
Charlotte shot to her feet, her chair screeching against the floor. “You always talk about protecting me, Grandpa, but from what? The truth? Maybe you’re the one who doesn’t want to face it.” She shook her head, sighing. “I need a minute,” she muttered, pushing past them. “Just need some air.” She walked back out to the front, letting the door swing shut behind her.
Kara watched her daughter go.
“Look at her!” Her dad pointed toward the door. “Look what you’ve done to your daughter!”
“I told her the truth!” Kara snapped. “That’s all I’ve done.”
“Where are you going?”
“After her.”
Whitaker reached for her arm. “Kara, wait—”
Kara pulled out of her father’s grasp, intent on meaning what she said, when a flash of movement caught her eye. The strange man was still there—standing unnaturally still by the front counter, dangerously close to— Charlott e ...
He wasn’t browsing, wasn’t leaving. He was just ... standing.
Their eyes met for the briefest moment, and the chill Kara had felt earlier now exploded into full-blown, paralyzing dread.
“Dad?” she whispered, but Whitaker didn’t respond.
Kara turned to him.
Whitaker had stopped in his tracks, his usual brisk confidence having vanished. His face pale, hands trembling at his sides, eyes wide and dead ahead with something she hadn’t seen in years—fear. This wasn’t the father she knew, who always had control.
Her heart hammered in her chest as the man shifted. One step closer to Charlotte. Then another.
“Charlotte ...” Kara’s voice came out as a strangled whisper, her legs rooted to the spot.
She could do nothing more but watch the man’s hand emerge from his jacket, and feel the weight of her heart drop as her daughter’s pleading eyes met the terror of her own.