She shrugged. “I don’t know if we can repair the damage done or deal with being the center of what everyone has made into some ridiculous scandal. Our family is always on display. We’re everywhere and everyone knows us. This was something private, Daddy. Not because we were hiding or ashamed, but because a relationship is personal. The way you acted that night—”
“I shouldn’t have done that. Your uncle came to me and I overreacted.”
“Ya think?” She shook her head. “You acted like a maniac. And you embarrassed me.”
His head lowered. “I’m sorry.”
Skylar swallowed, accepting his apology as genuine. “I want to try to make it work with him, and I want you to support my decision.”
He sighed. “When did you get so grown up?”
“I probably just look mature, because you’re still running around punching people.”
“Not my best moment.”
She rolled her eyes. “No kidding.”
“Okay,” he finally agreed. “I’ll back off and let you figure this out, but if I catch wind of this guy doing anything disrespectful to you, I’m coming for him. That’s not an age thing. That’s a father thing. I reserve the right to vet any man my daughters date. And you won’t find a single relative who disagrees with me on that.”
She grinned. “Thank you.”
24
Christmas Day
* * *
“Have you decided how you want to spend your money?” Gran asked as Skylar helped her set out the desserts.
The majority of the family was exchanging the white elephant gifts in the den, so they had the kitchen to themselves for a brief moment.
“I, um, I’m going to invest it.”
“Oh, good. On what, dear?”
She laughed, because no matter how much her grandmother wanted to show unbiased support, her nature was to micromanage. But she was showing excellent restraint.
“There’s a room in the rec center that can be rented long-term. It’s nothing fancy, but the price is good and it has a sink and a closet and two bathrooms. I want to make it a pre-K classroom.”
She smiled, the expression full of sincere joy. “Well, I think that’s a lovely idea.”
It was a plan she’d always harbored, and one she’d researched some time ago. A pipe dream that needed a lot of seed money, which she now had.
She believed through all their little talks about nothing, her grandmother was actually listening and heard the dream in Skylar’s heart. And that was more meaningful to Skylar than the actual ten thousand dollars.
She smiled at the woman who, no matter how busy and overrun by family her life had become, still made time to talk with each grandchild. And also, because Skylar stuck with the suspicion that she might be a favorite.
“I don’t know how successful it will be,” she explained. “But I’m legally allowed to have five students—ten if I have an assistant. And if I can manage that, I can bring in enough tuition to afford the curriculum supplies and possibly finance my future education.”
“It sounds like you’ve thought of everything.”
She thought so. The only drawback was that this meant she wouldn’t be returning to Rhett’s. But she believed if she opened a school, Addison would be among the first enrolled.
Gran set out serving spoons with the desserts. “And who knows? Maybe down the line you’ll have an entire faculty working for you and you’ll need a bigger building—a whole preschool.”
Skylar grinned. “That’s the goal.”
“Well, I think it’s a lovely dream to have.”
They announced the desserts were ready and a stampede of children raced through the house. The parents paused from the white elephant exchange to refill coffee and cocktails.
Skylar stepped outside for some air and that was when he found her. “Mind if I join you?”
She glanced over her shoulder at her Uncle Colin, but kept her expression blank. “It’s a free country.”
He approached the porch railing and rested his elbows beside hers. “I guess you’re pretty mad at me.”
“Do you blame me?”
“I was trying to protect you, Skylar. I didn’t think your dad would storm the mayor’s mansion and lay him out.”
She gave him a skeptical look.
“Okay, I guess I figured it was a possibility, but I was hoping for a more civilized reaction.”
“Since when does anyone in this family behave civilly?”
“I should have stayed out of it.”
“Yes, you should have.”
He was silent for several minutes. “I don’t want you to ever think you can’t come to me if you need something, Skylar. It was a mistake for me to go to your parents. I should have trusted you and waited to see how things progressed.”
“And what if he broke my heart, Colin? What then?”
His jaw twitched. “You know we’re a protective bunch.”
She shook her head. “You know, I see other girls with normal families and I often wonder what that’s like.”
“I hear it’s boring.”
She scoffed. “Again, I wonder what that’s like.”
He turned to her. “I’m really sorry, Sky. I hate feeling this distance between us.”