Olivia's POV
A minute ticks by, but I'm still staring at Nick after he said that he's romantically interested in me. The same guy, who fled from our first date, thinking I was crazy. He and Dad are both staring back at me, looking like they expect me to respond, but all that exists inside my brain is a big muddled mess.
I mean, I never thought that Nick... That he might... That he...
"That little piece of shit."
The curse doesn't come from Dad but from Samuel. This finally reminds me of his towering presence right beside me. Almost hesitantly, I turn my head to the side and find him glaring at his other charge. I open my mouth to ask him what's wrong, but then remember our audience and quickly turn back to Nick and my dad.
"I'll..." Nick clears his throat and averts his eyes. "I'll leave you to talk to your father, but call me the second something happens. Okay?"
"She doesn't need you." Samuel wraps his arm around my waist and tugs me so close to him that our hips brush against each other.
"I promise." I ignore Samuel and assure Nick.
With a quick nod at my dad, Nick steps away from us and a few steps later rounds the corner onto the main street, disappearing out of our sight.
"That was," Dad clears his throat, "unexpected."
"Let's just go into the café." I shake my head to clear my thoughts and ignore the accelerated thumps of my heart; especially because I'm not sure what the reaction is connected toâNick's confession or the way Samuel pulled me close to him.
"The boy doesn't seem too bad," Dad says as we make our way to the café's front entrance. "He looks like a stand-up guy. I bet you two would make a good couple."
Before I can open my mouth to reply, Dad suddenly loses his balance. He isn't quick enough to catch himself, so he ends up with his face pressed against the sidewalk. I snap my eyes back to see what he tripped on, only to find Samuel with his foot extended and hooked around my dad's foot.
"What are you doing?" I glare at him.
"What?" Samuel shrugs and pulls his foot back. "He deserved it. To even think of you and Nick as a couple? That's absurd."
I roll my eyes at his petty behavior and help Dad back to his feet.
"I must be more tired than I thought if I managed to trip on even ground." Dad shakes his head and dusts off the white particles coating his black pants.
"Don't worry." I link my arm around his and pull him back into the direction of the café's front entrance. "It wasn't your fault."
The bell announces our entrance and I lead us over to an empty table close to the window-covered wall facing the main street. I sit onto the chair facing toward the rest of the café, Dad slumps into the chair across the table from me, and Samuel chooses the chair in between the two of us. He doesn't seem satisfied with its position, though, because he immediately begins to edge his chair closer to my side of the table. Luckily Dad is too preoccupied with taking off his shoes to notice the loud scraping Samuel is causing.
"Watch it," I hiss at Samuel when he stops moving his chair.
"What?" Dad looks up from his now shoeless feet.
"I wasn't talking to you." I wave him off.
"Who else would you be talking to?"
"Olivia?" I'm spared from answering when Hugo meanders to our table. "Why are you back?"
"I'm here as a customer with my father, Peyton."
Hugo nods in greeting and then waits for us to make our orders before he drifts back to the counter. The moment he's far enough I turn back to Dad.
"What are you doing here, Dad? And what did you mean by watching me while I was working? Have you been following me?"
"I don't know where I should start."
"Start with when you got back from your business trip."
Dad leans his back against the chair and lets out a loud sigh. "I returned to Portland two weeks agoâat least I think it was two weeks, but it could be more. I tried to call you to find out if you managed to help the Davis', but the machine kept telling me that the number I was calling didn't exist."
"My phone got destroyed," I explain. "But you could have reached me on our home phone."
"I know that." Dad shifts his eyes away from me to somewhere just above my head.
"Let me guess. You didn't call our home phone because you thought Mom would pick up."
"You caught me." He sheepishly scratches the back of his head.
"So, instead of calling me," I try to connect the information swirling inside my brain. "You've been watching me while I work?"
"Not only at work." Dad shakes his head. "I've been stalking you as much as I could ever since I returned from my business trip. I heard about your accident and wanted to see if you're okay."
"Why didn't you come to me, and you know, ask me how I'm doing? It's what normal fathers would do."
"I know, but I was afraid Mina would flip out if I came anywhere near you."
"Mom?" I'm surprised he mentioned her by name. "Why? Did she say something to you?"
"No, but I know she blames me for the accident. She's also probably going to prohibit me from ever coming close to you again."
"Why would she blame you for the accident?"
"Because I'm the one who asked you to deliver that medication. I'm the reason you were in that part of town."
"Did you drive the car that hit me?"
"What?" Dad blinks at me and then vigorously shakes his head. "Of course not. I wasn't even in Portland back then."
"Then you're not responsible for the accident. You only knew that your friend needed help and because you weren't there, you asked me to help. End of story."
"I'm happy to hear you think this way, but what about Mina? Has she said anything to you?"
"Mom doesn't know that it was you who asked me to go to that part of town." I rest my elbows on the table. "But you still haven't explained why you've been stalking me even when Mom wasn't around."
"I thought you were blaming me as well." Dad shrugs.
"If he's the one who's been stalking you," Samuel speaks for the first time since we sat at the table, "is he the one who pushed you onto the road?"
"Don't be absurd." I snort but then pause. I clearly remember feeling like someone was watching me right before someone pushed me onto the road, and if Dad has been the one stalking me this entire time... Can it be?
"What are you looking at?" Dad turns his eyes to the chair Samuel is sitting on, but like everybody else, he obliviously skips over him until he focuses back on me.
"Are you the one who pushed me onto the road?" I ask.
"What?" Dad blinks and then shakes his head so jarringly that for a second I'm afraid his neck might snap. "No! God, no. I mean, I was there that night, but I wasn't the one who pushed you. I actually tried to run after her, but she was too quick. And then the cop also ran after her, andâ"
"Her?" Samuel and I ask at the same time.
"Yes." Dad nods. "I didn't get a good look at her, but I'm sure it was a woman."
I turn to my left and find Samuel already looking at me. Without saying anything I know we're thinking the same thing. If it was a woman, then chances were it was the same woman who attacked me at the bus stopâthe driver from the night of the accident.
"Here you go." Hugo chooses right this moment to finally bring us our order.
"I see why your grandmother keeps muttering about how lazy you are." I smile up at him, but the smile is forced. I'm still too shaken by the new information of what the woman, the driver, has been involved in.
"Be happy I didn't make you come to the counter." Hugo shrugs and leaves without a backward glance.
"Excuse me for a moment." Dad stands up and heads for the bathroom.
The moment I catch the bright yellow socks peeking from underneath his black pants the tension vanishes and a short giggle bursts out of my mouth. Leave it to Dad to forget to put on his shoes.
"I forgot what a spectacle your father is." Samuel shakes his head at my dad. "I'm lucky you take mostly after your mother."
"What do you mean mostly?"
"Have you heard yourself speak? You say everything that comes to your mind, just like your father."
"I do not." I disagree, but without any real feeling. I'm already too focused on something else. "At least I don't have to worry about anyone stalking me anymore. All we now have to do is find out who the woman is, and then I can finally put all of this behind me."
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- E