“Yes. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t watching you.”

“Were you?”

“Of course I was. Did I ever miss a game?”

She sighed. “Okay. So you need to tell her.”

“It’ll disappoint her.”

“She thinks you’re having an affair, for god’s sake! Telling her you got back into the real estate business will not disappoint her.” She refilled her wine glass. “But why, Dad? I thought you had both pretty much burned out on it.”

“We had. And we needed to get away from it. But honestly, I was losing my mind being up here and not working. I felt like I was wasting my life.”

“Why didn’t you tell her?”

“Because she was happy not working. She enjoys tending to this big house and she has all of her projects outside. And she’s made friends with our neighbors so in the summer when they’re here, she has outings with the ladies, and they take turns having lunch. She was happy.”

“But you were not.”

“I was bored, to be honest. And I found myself taking it out on her.”

She smiled. “So to save your marriage in Dallas, you quit the business. And to save it now, you got back into it?”

“Exactly. But it’s different here. Not nearly as stressful. Not the cutthroat business like when I was dealing commercial properties. This is almost relaxing.”

“Okay. Daughter to father advice—after you confess to her, that is—is not to keep odd hours, don’t go overboard with it again, and bring her flowers on occasion. Oh, and take her out to dinner more often.”

He added a splash more scotch to his glass as well. “Do you think she’ll be mad?”

“I know I would be,” she said bluntly. “Not that you’ve gotten back into the business, but that you didn’t tell me.” She softened her words. “She was really hurt, Dad.”

He nodded. “I think I knew she was getting suspicious. You’re right. I should have told her.”

She smiled at him. “Okay. So that’s one drama averted. Now if we can just make it through without me and Holly coming to blows, it’ll be a success.”

Chapter Twenty-five

Nic closed the door to their bedroom and leaned back against it with a sigh. “That was actually tolerable. Much better than last night’s dinner.”

“She was quite subdued tonight, wasn’t she?”

She pushed off the door, going to the drawers where she’d put her clothes. “I feel sorry for your brother.”

“Why? He has free will.”

“You think so? She seems to snap her fingers and he jumps.” She took out her sleep shirt. “There’s no way they’re in love with each other. They both look miserable.”