The Doctor Who Has No Chance (Soulless 11)

I shook my head. “I don’t need it. I said goodbye to that money when she sued me, so…I don’t think I should take it back.”

“Anything else happen?”

I didn’t usually kiss and tell, but this was a special circumstance, so I just shared. “She tried to kiss me. I asked her to leave.”

His fingers rested on the rim of the glass, and he stared at me, hardly blinking.

“She wants to get back together, but I told her it’s not going to happen.”

“Ever?”

I shook my head.

Dad lifted the glass to his lips and took a drink, clearly relieved. “What about Sicily?”

I didn’t mention Daisy at all since the purpose of this conversation was to get his mind off that. I didn’t really want to sit there and air out all my problems, but it was the best way to get my dad to move on from the incident. “I talked to her, tried to get things going again… She said she needed to think about it.” My eyes moved away from his, taking a look at everyone having a good time. I stilled when I recognized someone I’d never expected to see again.

Mason.

And he saw me too, his eyes locked on mine as he took a drink.

I quickly looked away because I didn’t want to give him any reason to talk to me, especially with my dad there. I brought the beer to my lips and took a drink.

Dad didn’t seem to notice. “She’ll come around.”

“Fuck, I hope so.” I dug my fingers into the front of my hair and rubbed my scalp. “I gave it my best shot and told her the truth.”

“Which is?”

“That I’m not in love with Catherine anymore…that she’s the one I really want.” I drank from my beer again. “I told her Derek and Emerson weren’t always the happy couple they are now, you and Mom too. I apologized for the train wreck that I’ve been, but I wanted to give it my all…if she’ll have me.”

“You’d be surprised how strong a woman’s heart is. If she loves you, there’s nothing that’s gonna stop her from loving you.”

Fuck.

Mason was coming over here.

Dad continued, having no idea. “She loves you the way your mother loves me, so I wouldn’t lose hope just yet.”

Why the fuck is he coming over here?

Mason came to the table, holding his beer, his eyes on me. “Hey, I didn’t want to do the whole thing where I pretend not to see you, you pretend not to see me. It’s just kinda stupid if you ask me.”

Dad shifted his gaze to him, his fingers on the top of his glass.

I inhaled a deep breath and tried to keep calm. Otherwise, my dad might figure out who he was. “Yeah, totally. Glad to see you’re doing well.” I patted him on the arm to make him think everything was fucking sunshine between us even though I wanted to give him a black eye. But it was more important to get him the fuck out of there before Dad figured out he was the asshole who broke his daughter’s heart. “See you around.”

Instead of just walking away, Mason turned to Dad. “Derek, right?”

Ahh, shit.

“Daisy told me you’re this super-genius, rocket-scientist guy. Pretty cool.” Mason was in his dark jeans and an olive V-neck, handsome, confident, a little arrogant…like always. “Well, see you around.”

Dad’s eyes drilled into him viciously, the dark-brown color turning into shots of espresso. He hadn’t made a single movement, but the tension in the cords of his neck showed the way his entire body tightened. His eyes narrowed with a promise of violence, and his jawline stiffened like he might chip his teeth because he was clenching them together so tightly. With Mason’s back turned, Dad spoke. “No.” He didn’t raise his voice, but it was so clipped, his tone so deep, it was like he was screaming at the top of his lungs. “I’m her father.” He rose to his feet, coming to his full height, and watched Mason turn around and regard him, realizing his mistake.

I got up too. “Dad, just let it go…”

Mason stared at him for a few seconds before he turned away again, this time having the humility to look uncomfortable by his mistake, a mistake a lot of people made, not just because Derek and Dad looked similar, but because Dad still looked like a man in his late thirties rather than his sixties.

Dad went after him.

Oh my fucking god. “Dad, no.” I put myself between him and Mason and placed my hands against his chest. “Just forget it. Daisy wouldn’t want you—”

Dad shoved me aside, got to Mason, and grabbed him by the back of his shirt and slammed him to the floor.

The patrons in the bar backed up, everyone releasing a loud gasp in shock when the fight broke out.