Adam contemplated going back into the house but couldn’t face it. Maybe he’d take Spot out for a ride and come back when everyone had gone to bed. He let out a frustrated breath. There he went again. Running away from everything. He really was pathetic.
“Adam? You in here?”
He straightened up as his father’s bellow reached him at the bottom of the barn where Spot’s stall was located. Gathering up the grooming tools, he made sure the lock was secured, and stepped out into the glare of the overhead lights.
“I’m here.” Ignoring his dad’s piercing stare, Adam walked up to the tack room and put everything away in its correct place. Unfortunately, his father followed him and blocked his exit through the door. It was also obvious that he was still spitting mad.
“Did you really think your mother was doing the dirty on me?”
Adam winced. “Do we have to talk about that? I’ve already admitted I made a mistake.”
“No, you haven’t. You just walked away like you usually do whenever anything gets hard. How about apologizing to your mother? How about that?”
Adam made himself meet his dad’s irate gaze. “I’ll apologize to her when I come back in, okay?”
“Which will be when—tomorrow? Or will you put it off until she’s gone again?”
Adam set his jaw. “I’ll come back in right now and apologize if you’ll just get off my back, okay?”
“You do that.” His father scowled at him. “Don’t you think I would’ve known if your mother was seeing someone else? I’m not stupid. Whatever else happened between us, she never needed to look to another guy for sex.”
“Thanks for that visual,” Adam muttered. “Way to go, Dad.”
“It’s the truth. People have needs, Adam. Even you.”
“I do know that.” Adam raised an eyebrow. “How about this? I’ll walk back to the house and apologize to the whole family for being a dick if you just promise to shut up about your sex life?”
“Jealous, son?” His father winked at him, his good humor apparently restored.
“Yeah, that’s it.” Adam snapped off the light and followed his father out.
“You’ve got to move on, Adam.”
Jeez, his dad was still talking.
“I’m trying to.”
“Lizzie is a wonderful girl. Don’t mess this up, okay?”
“Too late. I already have,” Adam muttered.
“Then fix it!” His dad punched his arm. “Don’t be a jerk! If I can sort this stuff out with Leanne after all these years, then you can definitely make things right with Lizzie. She’s a lot less argumentative than your mother.”
“You’d be surprised. She can hold her ground with the best of them.”
“Which is why she’s the ideal person for a stubborn man like you,” his dad replied.
Adam glanced down at his father as they walked back to the house. “Is this supposed to be some kind of helpful pep talk? Because, man, you really suck at it.”
“Leanne wanted to come out, but I told her I’d handle it this time.”
“You should’ve listened to her,” Adam said.
“No.” His dad stopped walking and looked up at him. “You’re a stubborn ass, like me. I understand you. I know how hard it is for you to admit a fault and sort your life out.” He jabbed Adam in the chest to emphasize every word. “Don’t make the same mistakes I did and waste years of your life hating on someone who didn’t deserve it. Got it?”
“I hear you, Dad.” Adam rubbed his chest.
“Good. Now, come on in and make things right with your mother.”
* * *
Three days after she went back to work. Lizzie finally received a text from Adam asking if she’d be willing to talk to him. She deleted it without replying, her focus on her new responsibilities and Roman’s upcoming return. He didn’t text again and she wasn’t sure if that made her happy or sad. In fact, she was determined not to even think about him.
Of course the next day he came into the café with his mother and Daisy. She realized she was so not over him that she couldn’t even look at him let alone serve him. Heading out into the kitchen, she grabbed hold of Angelo.