Letters from Peaceful Lane (New Americana 3)

“Like you’ve manipulated my dad into giving you anything you want?”

“That’s not what we were talking about.” Allison refused to be baited. “I’m just telling you to be careful. I don’t want to see you or your father get hurt.”

“You’ve already hurt us! We were happy, Daddy and I, before he married you.” Brianna thrust her spoon upright into her ice cream and rose from her chair. “And I won’t have you talking about Garrett that way! He’s a good person! He’s trying to save the theater, which is more than you’re doing!”

Turning away, she stalked out of the cafeteria.

Let her go. Allison resolved to stay at the table and finish her meal. Running after the girl would only create more drama. Brianna had no place to go except back to her father, who might be able to talk some sense into her. The information about the Edgeway Group was Burke’s to share. Whether he chose to share it with his daughter would be up to him.

* * *

Burke had finished a painful and frustratingly slow trip up and down the hall. Leaning on a walker and trailed by the nurse with his saline drip hanging from a wheeled pole, he’d felt every step like a knife stab in his back. Despite the pain, he’d welcomed the chance to be on his feet, but his slow progress was maddening. Damn it, he wanted his life back!

He was seated in a cushioned armchair, waiting for his lunch, when Brianna burst into the room. Burke could tell from the glint in her eyes and the set of her jaw that she was upset.

“Daddy, you’ve got to do something about her! She’s trying to run my life!”

Burke had heard it all before. He’d hoped his bride and his daughter would become close, but Brianna had resented Allison from the first time she’d set foot in the house.

“Give it a rest, honey,” he said. “Allison’s been under a strain since the accident. We all have, even you. Emotions are pretty raw right now. You have to understand that.”

She took a seat on the side of the bed, close to his chair. “Well, I don’t care what Allison thinks of me. I’ve long since gotten past that. But when she starts picking on my friend—”

“What friend?” Burke should’ve known better than to ask.

“Garrett. She told me I shouldn’t trust him. She said that he’s trying to manipulate me. That’s ridiculous!”

Burke stifled a groan as the nurse brought in his tray and set it in front of him. He remembered the happy little girl his daughter had once been, content to be his best pal and fishing buddy. At times like this, he couldn’t help missing that little girl, and wishing he’d been around to spend more time with her.

“I’ll tell you what,” he said. “Let’s stop bickering and enjoy our time together. Where’s Allison, by the way?”

“I left her in the cafeteria. She didn’t say when she’d be coming back. You need to eat, Daddy.”

Burke lifted the cover off his plate and eyed the meatloaf with creamed corn. He hadn’t been hungry since the accident, but he knew he needed to eat. With his fork, he cut off a corner of the meatloaf and forced himself to eat it. Not wonderful, but not bad. He took another bite, chewed and swallowed it.

“I know you need to get back to school,” he said to his daughter. “When’s your return flight?”

“Not till Sunday—if I decide to go.”

“No ifs. You need to be on that plane. You’re already missing too much school.”

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “While I’m here I can do my assignments on my laptop.”

Burke forced a laugh. “Amazing. We didn’t have things like that in my school days.”

“Your school days were a long time ago, Daddy.” Her dimpled smile gave him a glimpse of Kate that swiftly faded as she continued s

peaking. “Are you really going to go ahead and buy me a new car?”

“Sure, why not?” Burke forced himself to eat a spoonful of creamed corn, bracing himself for what was sure to be a challenge.

“It’s a red BMW convertible. I fell in love as soon as I saw it. The dealer’s holding it for a few days, but you’ll need to call him by the end of the week to arrange payment.”

Burke knew better than to ask the price. Even if he could talk the dealer down, it would be more than he could afford right now. Maybe it was time to sell his beloved boat, or apply the insurance payment from the wrecked Porsche to the deposit. A lease, if Brianna would settle for that, would be easier to arrange than a financed purchase, and less consequential if everything went south and he couldn’t make the payments.

She’d caught his hesitation. “Is everything all right, Daddy?”

“Don’t worry, we’ll work it out.”