I sigh and shake my head. “I’m not coming home to live, Dad. I’ll come visit if you and Mom want me to, but I won’t be living in Salem again.”

“This is ridiculous,” he mutters on the other end. “You have responsibilities here, young lady. I expect you to take over my company someday.”

“No, you expect me to marry someone to take over your company one day, Dad. Because I’m just a woman, and running a multi-million-dollar enterprise isn’t appropriate. But I can tell you right now, that’s never going to happen.”

“Troy is not the bad man you’ve made him out to be,” he insists. “In fact, he’s a good man, and you need to come here and apologize to him. You need to make things right with him and do your duty to our family.”

I sit up straight and stare at my phone. He’s lost his damn mind. “I don’t think you heard me. I won’t apologize to Troy, today or any day. I’m not marrying him. If you love him so much, you marry him, Dad.”

“I didn’t raise you to speak to me that way.”

“You didn’t raise me at all!” I laugh at the absurdity of it. “Nannies raised me. And this is who I am.”

“What? A lowly barmaid who barely makes minimum wage in some bumpkin town in Washington?”

“I’m an independent, hardworking, good person in a lovely small community in Washington. You can take it or leave it.”

“I’m incredibly disappointed in you, Isabella Marie.”

“Likewise. I can tell by your tone that you’re going to leave it. And that’s fine. You have my number if you need me, but don’t use it if you’re only going to hound me about marrying an abusive, cheating man just because it fits your needs. Goodbye.”

I hang up and toss my phone into my purse.

“I’m so sorry, love.”

“I’m not.” I shake my head and turn to Keegan. “I’m not sorry at all. It’s way past time I stood up to that man. Speak up for myself. He can’t bully me into doing what he wants anymore, and it’s driving him crazy. But I don’t care. He’ll learn to live with it. I’m not going back there. I love my life here.”

“Good.” He leans over to kiss my lips. “It’s glad I am that you’re happy here.”

“I’ll be happier if you get your oatmeal.”

“On our way.” He pulls away from the deli and circles the block to park in front of the diner. “Are you having oatmeal, as well?”

“Hell no, I’m having pancakes.”