Serena knew she probably should mind her own business and keep her thoughts to herself, but she knew what it was like to lose a parent—a parent that she had unresolved issues with.
“I understand that it’s tough for you, but talking as someone who recently lost a parent, I have regrets. There are so many things that I wish I had told my father. He may have annoyed me and he may not have been the perfect parent, but he was the one that was always there for me. While my mother was off moving from one younger man to the next, my father was home every night. He cared about what I did. I didn’t always agree with him—okay, I rarely agreed with him—but I believe that everything he did, he did because he loved me. He just didn’t know how to tell me. As a result, I never got to thank him or tell him...” Her voice cracked with emotion. She cleared her throat. “Tell him that through it all... I loved him, too. That chance was stolen away when he had a massive heart attack. Now, all I’m left with are memories and regrets.”
Jackson wrapped his arm over her shoulders and pulled her close. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Neither of us have had an easy time when it comes to family. But I’m sure your father knew that you loved him.”
“Just as your mother knows that each check is your way of saying that you love her?”
“Something like that.”
Serena felt as though she was finally getting through to him. She shifted so that she could look into his eyes. “Tell her. Tell your mother how you feel before it’s too late.”
He shook his head. “It is too late. Anything that was between us ended a long time ago.”
“A parent and child’s love is forever.”
“Maybe in some cases. But not in ours. I’m just a reminder of how her life went wrong.”
“Will you at least think about it?” She knew she had no right to ask it of him, but she didn’t want him to end up with nothing but remorse. And when he did realize the error of his ways, she didn’t want him to talk to a cold tombstone that couldn’t talk back.
“I will, if you’ll agree to that interview.”
Her lips pressed together into a firm line. One thing had nothing to do with the other. Nothing at all.
“Listen,” Jackson said, “I know you don’t like hiding who you are. I think the real you is pretty special. Don’t let people steal that away from you. Stand up for who you are and what you’ve created.”
He made a good point. It had felt so good washing out that temporary red dye from her hair, even if it all didn’t come ou
t. But was what he was asking of her the right move? Could she trust him to do the right thing? She’d heard him talking on his phone when he didn’t think she was around, and he was hungry for a big story to propel his career even higher.
The only way to know was to ask. She worried her lip. If he was on the up-and-up, he would take her question as a sign of doubt in him. And if he was stringing her along for a big story, he’d never admit it. So where did that leave her?
Her heart said to trust him. He’d never hurt her. But her mind said to be cautious. She’d been burned before by people that she thought she could trust. She wished there was an easy way to figure out whom she could trust and whom she couldn’t. If her past was any indication, she wasn’t a good judge of character.
Jackson’s gaze met hers. “I can see that you’re struggling with the decision. What if we do the interview and I give you the decision of whether to air it or not?”
In his gaze, she found honesty and so much more. Her heart pounded out its decision, overruling her mind. Sometimes she overthought things.
She pulled off her glove and held out her hand. “You have a deal.”
He removed his glove and wrapped his warm hand around hers. “It’s a date. Tomorrow evening after my last day of filming, I’ll have the crew stop by and film it for us.”
“And they won’t mind? You know, staying late and doing this?”
He smiled. “When they find out who I’ll be interviewing, they’ll be falling all over themselves to help out.”
“But they won’t tell anyone?”
“Not if you don’t want them to. I’ve worked with this crew for a long time. They are a good bunch.”
Serena thought about it for a moment. “If they could just keep it quiet until after the New Year that would be good.”
He lifted her hand to his lips. “It’s a deal.”
He kissed the back of her hand. And then he leaned over, pressing his lips to hers. She approved of the way he sealed deals. They might have to do a lot more negotiating in the future.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
IN A STRANGE twist of fate, that car accident had been a blessing.