Recap of Chapter 27: Scorned, Martin headed toward the Lucky Penny, but along the way, going home sounded much more appealing. He could lick his wounds in the privacy and comfort of his own lakeside cabin and no one would be the wiser. The decision made, he made a U-turn in the Lucky Penny parking lot, hoping to go unnoticed. What he didn’t know is that Jesse saw him and reported back to Penny.
Martin ignored the calls from his daughter. Two calls before he ever made it to the airport. He’d made up his mind to hightail it home and didn’t need her trying to change his mind. Then he shut the phone off to board the plane. He lucked out again with Barney in the seat next to him. The perks of taking a red eye. He’d be home for the sunrise or close to it. And he couldn’t wait. Being drenched in his own life surrounded by the things that bring him peace and tranquility is just what he needed. He would not be coming back any time soon. He’d had enough travel for a while.
“Damn it!” Penny exclaimed when her dad’s phone went to voicemail again. “What the hell is going on?” How could he come all the way to her town and not come see her? It made no sense. Thinking it might have something to do with Chloe, she phoned and got her voicemail too. Completely frustrated, she shut out the light in her office and stomped into the bar where Jesse was just finishing cleaning up for the night. She poured herself a glass of wine. It was filled to just below the level she could safely navigate the stairs to her apartment without spilling. “Are you sure it was him?” she asked him yet again.
“Pretty sure,” he said. “Like I told you, I got a pretty good look at him. Either he and Barney both have a Doppelgänger or he was here.” He watched as she took a long sip. “I’m all done here, Boss. If you don’t need anything else, I’m going home.” She nodded. “Of course. See you tomorrow. Thanks, Jesse.” He let himself out.
Penny gulped the wine and poured herself another. It would be the only way to quiet her mind and emotions and get some sleep. Regardless of the people around her, she still had obligations and a business to run. Damn them! She trudged upstairs to her apartment.
Never mind sleep, Martin made coffee and walked out onto the little pier stretching from the shoreline onto the lake. He eyed the kayak he had been taking out for exercise. It was more than that, though. The tranquility of the early morning paddles on the lake was unbeatable. He only had a couple weeks, maybe less, before he had to pull it from the water for the season. For some reason, this morning his mind was traveling back to what started his frequent visits to his daughter. It was the 5-year anniversary of the unsolved murder of her ex-husband and his lover. He was so involved when it all went down. He was right by her side through all of it. And he saw how it hurt her and reduced her to a shell of herself. But then, in her new town, he saw her shake it off of her shoulders—saw her evolve into a carefree woman who embraced love and joy in her life. It was worth it—even all the secrets he kept from her—to see her now was to see real healing. Thinking back to that time, he decided to call his friend, Fred. He whistled for Barney and headed back to the cabin.
“Well if it isn’t Marty!” Fred said. His familiar voice made Martin instantly relax. “How the hell are you?”
“Oh, I think old age has gotten the better of me,” he admitted, giving him the rundown. “Long story short, I made a fool of myself with a woman who was way too young for me and limped on home with my tail between my legs. And pissed off my daughter to boot. So here I am licking my wounds, feeling sorry for myself, and calling you.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, old man.”
“Leave it to you to rub salt in the wound, Fred.”
“Yeah, yeah. With friends like me, who needs enemies?” They laughed and traded good-natured barbs on being old and the foolishness of chasing women who are too young in the comfortable banter they had developed over decades of friendship.
“All kidding aside, Fred, you’ve always had my back. That’s probably why I wanted to hear your voice today. You were there when I lost my wife; there when my daughter had been wronged. You’ve been there for me no matter what.”
“Speaking of your girl, how is our Lucky Penny?”
“Pissed off at me. I went to town and left without stopping. I think she knows. I’d be pissed if I was her too. I ignored her calls coming back. I just wasn’t ready to get chewed out or convinced to stick around, ya know?”
“Yeah, I get that. But, she’s only after you because she loves you. You know that. You also know that I’d do anything to have a daughter like her. I Iove her as my own. So, you make it right with her. She’ll understand. You’re all each other’s got.”
Martin rubbed his face. “You’re right, damn you.” And they both laughed. “My next call will be to her. I guess I just needed to hear it.” They signed off with promises of visiting soon. “Love you, brother.”
He made himself some breakfast—two eggs and some bacon, and poured the grease on Barney’s kibble. He needed fortification to make that call. Fred was right, they only had each other to call family and the last thing he wanted was a rift between them. He took a deep breath and dialed Penny’s number.
After hearing the whole story, Penny felt bad for her dad. She felt bad, but still hadn’t forgiven him for not allowing her to take him under her nurturing wing. Isn’t that what family is for? She told him as much but they finished the call on good terms. After they hung up, she turned her anger toward Chloe. Not for being a young, independent woman, free to make her own choices, but for making her dad feel so low and embarrassed.
Chloe saw that Penny had phoned the night before, but she wasn’t in any hurry to call her back. If she’d heard the story from her dad, it could be a very uncomfortable conversation. The last thing she wanted was bad blood between herself and Penny, whom she’d grown close with. She needed to do something to smooth this over. She made the decision to swing by the Bread Lounge, pick up some breakfast goodies, and knock on Penny’s door. It may not be enough to make it right, but it was a start. With that plan in mind, she sighed and trudged upstairs to get dressed.
“He took a deep breath and dialed Penny’s number.”
