Bennett flushed. His father had said that to him before and he’d dismissed it then. After all, he rarely dated so what was the likelihood of his father walking in on anything inappropriate? However, he knew his father was referring to the fact that he was dating Katie now.
Considering how they sometimes were all over each other in the middle of the day, his father’s comments were actually wiser than he knew.
“Well, I was just about to have coffee if you’d like some.”
Bennett went back to the kitchen, aware of his father trailing behind him. He busied himself pouring the coffee into two mugs. When he turned around, his father stood on the other side of the kitchen counter
watching him closely.
Bennett sighed. “What is it? You might as well just say what you came here to say.”
Mark accepted the mug with a little smile. “Just wanted to check on my boy. You haven’t been yourself this past week.”
He should have expected this. His parents liked to pretend that they gave him privacy, but they paid close attention to everything that happened. Katie’s absence the past week would not have gone unnoticed.
“Katie is back together with her ex. At least I think she is. I’m … well, I’m dealing with it.” Bennett figured there was no point in keeping it a secret. In a town this small, everyone always knew your business anyway.
“I thought it might be something like that. But what do you mean you think she’s back together with her ex? You don’t know for sure?”
Bennett squirmed slightly under his father’s pointed stare. The man hadn’t raised four boys into men without the ability to make them feel like he could see straight through to all their sins.
“Well, I went to her house one morning and he was there. He told me they were back together and she didn’t need this job anymore. Didn’t need to work for the town weirdo anymore. So I left.”
Repeating the scenario out loud was even more embarrassing than it had been when it happened. But unlike last time, Bennett also felt himself get angry. Angry at Donald Mason for being a complete tool, yes, but also angry at himself for allowing himself to be influenced by someone who had a history of being untrustworthy.
When he looked up, he knew without even a word being spoken that his father felt the same way.
“You took his word without even talking to Katie? That’s not like you, son.” He sighed and there was a world of disappointment in the sound.
It settled over Bennett like a blanket, covering him in regret. There was nothing worse than feeling like he’d let down his father in some way. Well, maybe there was. Because spending the last week alone, without Katie around to lighten up the day, had been pretty miserable. The research he loved before seemed stifling without her cheerful interjections. Maybe it would have been better to stay in the dark about how it felt to be a part of a couple. He was happier before he knew.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Dad.”
Mark frowned. “You've never disappointed me. But I worry about you.”
“Why? I'm doing so well. That's what everyone tells me.” Bennett could hear the bitterness in his own voice.
Apparently Mark could hear it too because he put his coffee mug down and clapped a hand on Bennett’s shoulder. “I'm not concerned about your brain. I'm concerned about your heart. The greatest fear of every parent is their child not being happy. I can't teach you that.”
“You taught me everything that matters.”
Mark nodded and clapped Bennett on the shoulder again, noticeably moved by the words. “I hope so. I’m certainly not perfect.”
Being the oldest, Bennett had always felt that he’d been the most in tune with his father over the years. He’d watched as his dad had grown and changed into the man his brothers knew but he remembered a time when his father had been a little more hot-tempered than he was now. He’d like to think that his father could confide in him also if he needed a shoulder to lean on.
“Is everything okay, Dad?”
Mark coughed. “I worry that you haven’t always seen a good example in me. I’ve made so many mistakes with my family. Your mother and I have worked so hard to correct them but there are so many things I’d do differently if I had them to do over again.”
This was news to Bennett, who’d expected to hear about some health concerns or about some problem with the farm.
“Such as?”
His father let out a heavy sigh. “This feud with your Uncle Stewart for starters.”
Bennett didn’t speak, hoping his father would continue. Over the years, they’d all had their own theories as to why the brothers no longer spoke to each other. But he’d never heard it from his father’s perspective.
Mark glanced at him sheepishly before continuing. “We’ve always been competitive. When you’re young, you do things impulsively that hurt others. All the guys wanted Julia and she chose me. I didn’t care that Stew had carried a torch for her for years. Didn’t think about how that made Stew feel.”