“Important, huh?” The old man stared at him, his dark eyes hardening to steel. “You must be Adam.”

“Yes,” he said, offering his hand.

Her dad only glared at Adam’s outstretched hand. “Like I said, she’s not available.”

Adam dropped his hand as frustration coursed through him. Perfect. Preslee had apparently already told her dad what he’d done. Just what he needed right now. To deal with an angry father who was covering for his daughter so she wouldn’t have to face him. “Preslee?” Adam called out, turning in circles. “Please come out. We need to talk.”

Something that looked an awful lot like amusement flashed in her dad’s eyes. “Like I said, she’s not available right now.”

Fury spiraled through Adam. “I think we both know that isn’t true.”

Her father shrugged unapologetically. “Maybe.”

“And if I come back tomorrow?”

“Chances are good that she won’t be available then either,” the man said with a soft chuckle, clearly enjoying himself. “It’s really up to her.”

“Fine,” Adam said, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “Could you at least give her a message?”

Her dad nodded. “Sure.”

Knowing that Preslee was probably listening from wherever she was hiding, Adam spoke loud enough for her to hear every word. “Tell her that I’m sorry. That I never meant to hurt her. That I’m willing to do anything I have to in order to fix things between us because she means the world to me.” He hesitated, hoping she would be tempted to come out and talk to him after hearing that. But when she didn’t, he breathed out hard and said with a sigh, “Damn it. I’m in love with you.”

Her dad grinned with mirth. “You love me?”

Adam realized that he had stopped referring to Preslee as if she wasn’t standing right there and had started talking to her directly…whether she could hear him or not. “No, not you,” Adam said in annoyance. Here he was pouring his heart out to the man’s daughter, who was hiding somewhere in the building and refusing to come out, and her old man kept jacking with him. “I’m talking about your daughter, sir. I’m in love with her.”

Her dad nodded. “Then that’s something you should probably tell her yourself.”

“I agree,” Adam said, his gut clenching with the knowledge that Preslee hadn’t come out to talk to him even when he’d said he loved her. Was it already too late? Had she written him off for good? “But she isn’t speaking to me right now and apparently isn’t willing to listen to anything I have to say.”

Her father grinned. “I see.”