Chapter 9
NINE
HUNTER
“You don’t…have to leave,” I murmur, holding Sylvie tighter as we curl up on the sofa.
The Christmas lights blink as the fire crackles, and the shitty Christmas movie she picked plays on the television.
It’s not like either of us have been watching it; instead, we’re wrapped up in a heavy blanket, and I don’t know where she starts and I end.
The eventful morning turned into a quiet afternoon I can’t help but appreciate and enjoy.
I should feel guilt—and I do. Opal is still with my brother, her only contact with me a text to say she’s going over to a friend’s house to hang out for the rest of the day.
Part of me thinks she’s avoiding me because of last night and the auction, and I know I should address that with her sooner rather than later.
Especially because it gave me something I didn’t know I was missing.
And yet, selfishly, I don’t want to leave this bubble yet. I don’t want this to disappear. Without the cloud of frustration or sex hanging over me, I can see clearly now, and that clarity means one thing: I don’t want Sylvie to leave.
Sylvie shifts so she can meet my eye, an emotion I can’t read swirling in her dark eyes. “What do you mean?”
I clear my throat, moving my hand to her hair, soft and wavy beneath my fingers. “You don’t have to leave Willow Ridge.”
Disappointment flickers in her gaze as she looks away. “Here I thought you might be sick of me.”
A lump forms in my throat as I guide her back to me, forcing our eyes to meet. “Never,” I whisper. “I would say you can stay here, but that’s not up to me alone.”
Sylvie blinks hard, a heavy breath falling from her lips. “Opal.” She closes her eyes and leans her head against my shoulder. “I think her forcing us into a date tells us everything we need to know about her stance.”
I chuckle, tension loosening from my body. “Opal has been trying to convince me to ask you out since you arrived.”
“Why didn’t you?” Sylvie asks quietly without looking at me. “I mean, I can’t say if I would have accepted it, but I like knowing Opal has always been on my side.”
I smile more to myself as hope swells within me, even though I’m hesitant to respond. “Truthfully?”
She glances up and gives me a shallow nod.
I sigh. “You’re a lot younger than me, and I’m a dad. I never got the impression that was…something you wanted, and I wasn’t about to put myself out there for someone I couldn’t see a life with.”
Sylvie stiffens in my arms. “And now?”
I swallow hard. “Now, I hope there’s a chance we could…try. Because Opal likes you, and…so do I.”
It feels more than just like. I’ve always cared about Sylvie in some way.
As an acquaintance, a co-worker, a friend.
Even though we haven’t always seen eye to eye, even with the tension between us, I’ve always done more than just care about her.
But I don’t want to scare her off with how I really feel, even if that might be the only reason she might stay.
Sylvie isn’t the type of person to stay in Willow Ridge without a reason.
Not when she has plenty more why she should go home.
Before either of us can react, a key turns in the lock of the front door and it bursts open. Sylvie almost falls off the sofa as she scrambles to get up, and I can’t stop my heart from hammering painfully against my ribs as I turn.
Opal and my brother, Link, stand in the entryway, eyes wide and mouths agape. My brother has his eyebrows raised in shock, but Opal…
Opal looks seconds away from breaking down in tears.
“Hey—” Before I can get anything else out, she drops her bag and storms up the stairs, slamming her bedroom door shut behind her.
Link rubs the back of his neck. “She didn’t have a great morning.”
“What happened?” Sylvie asks, her voice low.
Link looks from her to me. “You should go up and have a word with her. Something to do with her mom calling. I don’t know about what, she wouldn’t talk to me.”
I swallow hard, chest tight. “Thanks, Link.”
My brother looks between us, brows still raised. “She also might be worried about you two. I guess she doesn’t have to be.”
I can’t help but look over my shoulder at Sylvie. There’s no point in denying anything happened, because even a blind man could tell. I have no doubt Opal knows something, even if she doesn’t understand what. She’s fifteen, not five.
The need to go after her slams into me as his words actually settle within me. “Thank you, Link. I’ve got it from here.”
My brother makes a sound in the back of his throat, but I don’t watch him leave.
Instead, I turn to Sylvie, who holds her hands up.
“If you don’t want me to stay, say the word and I’ll go make him take me back to my place.
Or I’ll make myself scarce and call the council about why they blocked access to my street. ”
“You should go with Link,” I say, keeping my voice low.
Disappointment flares in her dark eyes, but she nods once, teeth gritted, and walks around me towards the door.
“Sylvie—”
“No, I understand. She needs you. I’m not even a guest; I just crashed here.”
I don’t know if she’s saying that to hurt me, or for Opal’s benefit in case she’s listening. I know I should pull her into my arms and tell her that’s not what I think and that I want her to stay, but I’m frozen in place watching her rush to catch up with Link.
A ringing starts in my ears, one I can’t ignore as I watch Sylvie disappear, too. I stay locked in place as she returns from the guest room with her handbag and that stupid Mrs. Claus outfit.
“Thank you for last night,” she says without looking at me.
“I’m stealing a pair of your rain boots.
Everything will be washed and cleaned for you to pick up.
” She stops in the doorway and finally looks back at me with an expression I can’t read.
“Go be with your daughter. I’m not leaving town yet. ”
The yet feels ominous–like a promise. But she doesn’t elaborate, and like a bastard, I don’t question it. Only when the door closes do I move. I’m torn between chasing after Sylvie and staying here. After everything, she should know me better.
But I also know Opal needs me more.
As I start up the stairs, I listen to Link’s truck drive away. Guilt eats away at me in a way I can’t describe, not just over Sylvie, but Opal, too.
Maybe I am being selfish thinking I can have both.
Upstairs, I can hear Opal crying, her sobs tearing at something inside me. Her door opens quietly as I push it inward, stepping into her cold bedroom without a word.
“I don’t want to talk, Dad,” she sniffles, sitting on the edge of her bed. “Just go away.”
“Can’t do that,” I murmur, closing the door behind me. “Just you and me now.”
Her eyes flicker up to meet mine, red and puffy. “Where’s Sylvie?”
“She went home with Link,” I reply, taking a seat on the floor in front of her.
The walls of her bedroom have barely changed over the years, but they show her growth as she’s gotten older.
Murals from different points in her life decorate the old wood panelling.
Paintings hang from hooks that need to be reinforced every couple of years with how much she changes.
Opal sniffles again. “I’m sorry.”
I cut her a look, frowning. “For what?”
“She didn’t have to leave. I’m fine. And I don’t want to talk about it.” She wraps her arms tightly around herself, more tears welling in her eyes.
I rest a hand gently on her knee as my own guilt pulsates within me. When something happens with her mother, usually caused by promises unkept, Opal ends up like this. All I have to do is give her room to open up. “But what if I want to talk?”
She squeezes her eyes shut. “About what?” she says over a sob, head bowed.
My girl, trying to be strong when she doesn’t need to be. “I’m not mad at you,” I murmur, “so if you’ve convinced yourself I am, trust me. Sylvie and I are not angry about what you did last night, and as a matter of fact, I would say we kind of get along better now.”
Tears slide down Opal’s red cheeks as she opens her eyes, but instead of sadness and fear, there’s curiosity flickering in them. “You do?”
I nod once, which almost feels like a lie, especially with how we left things. “Yeah,” I mutter. “I was driving her home last night when we realised she couldn’t get to her house. For some reason, they blocked access to her road. That’s why she stayed here last night.”
“You guys didn’t fight at all?” Opal asks incredulously, brow quirked.
I chuckle at that. “We did,” I admit. “But we sorted out our differences.”
“Then why did she leave with Uncle Link?”
I stiffen. “Because I asked her to. So, I could talk to you.”
Opal releases a shaky breath. “Dad, I just—” She cuts herself off with a shake of her head. “Mom is leaving again. This time she’s going with her new girlfriend to Paris. She knows how badly I want to go, and she isn’t taking me. That’s why I’m sad.”
I don’t know whether I should feel disappointed on her behalf or pissed that her mother is hurting her once again. “I’m so sorry, baby girl.”
Opal shakes her head, another sob making her body rattle.
I get off the ground and join her on the bed, taking her in my arms, and I let her cry it out.
All her pain and disappointment come pouring out of her until there’s nothing but her silent tears.
There’s nothing I can really do. I can’t promise her a trip to Paris, not on my salary, not when my savings just went to the fundraiser.
And there’s nothing I can say or do to make her feel better.
“Did you at least kiss Sylvie?” Opal asks suddenly.
I stiffen. “What?”
Opal pulls away enough to look up at me. “I mean, come on, Dad. I’m not blind. She was wearing your clothes, and you were watching a Christmas movie. You hate those. I just hope she doesn’t hate you for kicking her out over me.”
“I didn’t—”
My daughter is a lot more observant than I give her credit for. “I’m used to Mom disappointing me now and not thinking about me. But I like Sylvie. A lot. And I don’t want to come between you. Especially if she isn’t staying.”
My chest tightens with worry, not just for my daughter, but over the future of my relationship with a woman who has every reason to leave. Who could walk away at any moment.
“Please don’t give her a reason to leave, too, Dad,” Opal whispers. “Especially if you love her.”
A harsh breath falls from my lips before I can stop it. “Love her?” I ask, surprised.
Opal looks up at me with bloodshot eyes. “You wouldn’t have brought her home if you didn’t.”
I blink hard, looking away. The realisation, the truth, slams into me.
In some way, I do love Sylvie. Maybe it’s selfish. Maybe it’s too soon. But care isn’t a strong enough word to describe how I feel towards her, and love…
I can’t deny it when it feels right.
“We should go find her,” Opal declares. “Like right now.”
“We?” I question as she shoves out of my embrace and stands.
“Yes, we. I like her too much for you to mess this up.” Opal grabs her coat and holds out her hand. “And I think I’ve already made it clear I want you two together. Unless forcing you to spend all that money wasn’t obvious enough.”
I chuckle and rise. “Got it.” Taking her hand, I give her fingers a squeeze. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. We still have a girlfriend to find!”