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He reached out and tapped her nose with a finger. “Whatever you want, Mags, it’s yours.”
Trevor let go of Allie’s knee and watched her face. She gazed at Mags and Nigel with a longing he didn’t understand. What was she thinking? Clearly, she didn’t find them as a
As di
Trevor was about to squeeze her knee again when Arnold stepped into the room. “Miss Campbell, your sister has just arrived.”
Allie jumped from her seat. “What? My sister’s here?” She threw her napkin on the table and hurried toward the dining room door.
Trevor stood as well. “Which sister?”
“A very young girl, brown hair.” Arnold glanced at Allie. “She had a suitcase with her.”
Allie all but ran to the foyer, Trevor close on her heels.
Bry
Allie grasped her by the shoulders. “Oh my God, what’s wrong? How did you get here? Is Dad okay? What’s wrong?” The words tumbled out of her, falling one on top of the other.
“I’m okay. I took a cab.”
“Does Dad know you’re here?”
“No.” Bry
Trevor moved forward. “Why don’t we take her to the salon upstairs? Arnold, would you be so good as to have Frances prepare a room and perhaps bring a tray of sandwiches?”
“Very good, sir.”
Allie threw her arm around the girl’s shoulders and followed him up the stairs. Trevor looked back and gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “I hear you had to join a school club? Ghastly, being a joiner.” He shuddered. “So, what did you finally settle on?”
Bry
“I’d like to see them sometime.” Timid, she would be at home behind the camera, watching everyone around her, observing but never participating. Perhaps Allison was correct, Bry
Bry
Allie guided Bry
Trevor stood with his back against the door, his arms crossed. He’d known Allie would be difficult, knew she came with a full set of family baggage. Well, this was what he got for his trouble—little sister turning up unexpectedly. But she wasn’t so bad, really, this little girl. Could hardly be more of a pain in the ass than his own parents.
And Allie was very gentle with her, very loving. Allison Campbell was a good person. A great lay but a good person.
“I’m leaving home. I just want to be with you, Al.” With her eyes cast to the floor, the poor girl looked miserable.
“Bry
Bry
“But?”
“Dad’s dating.”
Allie let out a little laugh. “Bry
“He’s seeing my guidance counselor, Ms. Castor. I overheard them talking on the phone last night. He was laughing, and he called her Karen.”
“I’m sure you misunderstood. Maybe they were discussing you.”
Bry
Allie glanced up at Trevor, her face ashen.
He pushed off the door and walked forward, taking a seat across from them. “You’re welcome to stay here, Bry
Bry
Allie gave her a wry look. “Yeah, I bet you don’t.”
“Are you mad?”
“No, but promise me you’ll never leave home like this again. We already have one runaway in the family. Nobody likes a copycat, Bry
He suddenly felt de trop. Standing, he made his way to the door. What possessed him to offer up his home to Bry
He stood in the hallway and impatiently waited for Allie and her sister. Eventually, they emerged. Bry
“Bry
Pressing her lips together, Bry
“Why don’t you go ring your father? He must be worried sick.” He grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together, leading her toward her room.
“I can’t believe he’s dating again. It’s surreal, you know. We just lost my mom and he’s ready to move on.”
“Men tend to get over these things faster, plus, your mother was sick for a long time.” The words were out of his mouth before he could pull them back.
Allie stopped in the middle of the hall. With a sigh, Trevor turned and faced her. “I’m terribly sorry. That was a callous thing to say.”
She gazed up at him in the dim hall light. “Yeah, it was.”
He lifted her hand, kissing the back of it. “I’m sure he loved your mother very much.”
She glanced up at the ceiling and flattened her lips. “Sorry I yelled at you today. It wasn’t your fault. I was frustrated, and I took it out on you.” She sighed and shifted her focus to him.
Trevor lifted one shoulder. “No harm done.” He leaned forward and placed a small kiss on the corner of her lips. “Go call him. I’ll be in the office if you need me.”
***
Taking a deep breath, Allie willed herself to calm down. She’d already flown off the handle with one family member today—better not make the same mistake twice.
She grabbed her cell and called home. When no one picked up, she tried his phone. He answered on the third ring. Allie could hear loud voices and laughter in the background. “Hello?”
“Dad, it’s Allie. Where are you?”
“Hey, Al, I’m kind of in the middle of something. Can I call you back?”
“Bry
What the hell was going on? Her father wasn’t worried sick. He didn’t even know Bry
She had done her best to take care of her family—she’d failed miserably, but at least she tried. What had her dad been doing? He’d left everything to Allie and lost the business. Didn’t he give a damn about all that Allie had sacrificed for her sisters? For him?
It hurt like hell, feeling used.