Roses

Chapter 6

Adam

I follow Manny and my father out of the store, leaving Zoey with a confused expression on her face. I expected nothing else, after hearing my father's parting words to her.

I catch up to them in the parking lot.

"What are you doing out of the house?" I ask my father. Dr. Peterson and I can barely get him to spend some time in our front lawn, and now suddenly he wants to visit the grocery store?

"I thought I'd tag along with Manny on his grocery run. Getting some fresh air can only be good, right?" He asks with a grin. A fucking grin.

I know it's because of her. He hasn't grinned in.... forever.

But I'll still check Manny's bags when we get home in case my father convinced him to buy whiskey. After his last stroke, Dr. Peterson only allowed red wine in his diet and lord knows that stuff is like water to the man. He tries every chance he gets to get his hands on something stronger.

I don't bother giving him an answer and gesture Manny to go to his car as I head towards mine.

I had a meeting with the staff at one of my stores this morning and then some free time before I headed out of town for a fundraiser. On any other day I would have missed the happenings of this afternoon entirely.

I had just gotten done with my meeting and was considering dropping by the pizza joint I owned for a surprise visit when I'd spotted Zoey walking into the grocery store. Something had compelled me to follow her even though I hadn't come up with a plan yet. I'd kept a safe distance from her but was so engrossed in watching her that I was utterly surprised when I found my father and Manny mere feet away from her.

Fate has to be involved in how the events lined up to offer me the perfect opportunity to set things right with Zoey.

And set things right I did. I'm no expert on body language but I know our interaction had ended positively. Can't say the same thing about my father though.

My thoughts keep me company as I follow Manny home. It's not that I don't trust him, something in his eyes makes me trust him with my life ever since I saw him hiding behind a dumpster with his family four years ago in Chicago. It's my blood relation sitting beside him I don't trust.

Once we get home, I decide to have lunch with them now that I am here, scrapping the pizza joint visit.

"I never expected that girl to return," my father muses. I had listened to his conversation with Zoey before I'd stepped in. He had pretended not to know exactly who she was. Why? "But I'm glad she did."

"Why?" I decide to voice a different question.

"I think she was running away from her past the last time. You can't be happy like that."

Bullshit.

He could be telling the truth right now but it wasn't the answer to my question. He just wants a goddamn connection to her. But I know he'll never say so. He thinks I have no idea. If only he did....

"Hmm." I don't look his way, making it seem like counting the number of peas on my plate was more important.

"You seemed to already know her." I feel his gaze on my face. I should know he's not going to stop asking about her. He has found something he cares about after so many years.

"I ran into her the night she came here."

"Where is she staying?"

"Kirby House, I suppose." The sound of cutlery dropping makes me look up. Both my father's fists are closed tightly and his body has gone so rigid, if it wasn't for the fierce expression on his face I would think he was having another stroke.