“Where did you go for dinner? Harry’s or another of your favorite spots?”
“We ate in. I thought Noah would have told you.”
“When?”
“When you called this afternoon. I came downstairs just as he was hanging up.”
She opened her mouth but closed it without saying anything. Noah had lied to him. Apparently Daniel had caught the tail end of a telephone conversation, and Noah had pretended it was she. Damn him!
“Maybe he did mention it and I forgot.”
“Not surprising,” he said, seeming to have missed the anger in her voice. “You’ve got a lot on your mind. How’s the book coming?”
“Great, actually. The story is really percolating now. It’s amazing to watch how the writer’s mind works. I’ve never been this involved with the creative process, and it’s fascinating.”
“I can tell that you’re enjoying it.”
“Immensely.”
“And the author? Still the curmudgeon?”
“Either he’s mellowing or I’m becoming accustomed to him. I don’t know which.”
“Probably a little of both.”
“Probably.”
Maris sensed him hesitating. Then he said, “I’m glad you heeded your instincts and went back to work with him.”
“So am I, Dad. It was the right decision. I’m positive of that.”
“You’re happy there? With the work? With everything?”
“Yes. Very,” she said quietly.
“Good. You deserve to be, Maris.”
To anyone listening, the conversation sounded innocent enough. But given the one they’d had directly before her departure from New York, she knew that her father was conveying more than he was saying.
He knew she’d been unhappy with Noah and their marriage. It wouldn’t surprise her if he knew about Noah’s infidelity. Daniel Matherly was known for his ability to ferret out secrets. During her last visit with him, she had hardly kept secret her feelings for Parker. Without naming him, she had talked about him nonstop with the uncontainable excitement of someone falling in love.
This roundabout conversation was her
dad’s way of letting her know that he sanctioned it.
She swallowed a knot of emotion. “I needed to hear your voice, Dad.”
“It’s good to hear yours, too.”
“I’m sorry I disturbed you so late.”
“You could never disturb me, but in any case, I wasn’t asleep.”
“I’ll call you again tomorrow. No, wait.”
Considering the lies Noah had told today, the thought of him being with her father like the faithful son-in-law for the remainder of the weekend turned her stomach. He probably had in mind to get chummy, to get on Daniel’s good side. Maybe he planned to make a tearful confession and plead his case with Daniel before Maris told him about their separation.
Not if she could help it.