Page 93 of Summer At Willow Tree Farm

She grabbed her pumps, slipped them on.

He tucked the basket under his arm. ‘I’ll head back,’ he said. ‘And drop the basket off for you.’

‘Art, wait,’ she said, still frantically tying her laces as he stalked off.

She caught up with him on the path, breathless now and battling to keep her own emotions in check. ‘What the hell is wrong with you?’

He shrugged off her hand. ‘Nothing, I’ll talk to Toto when she gets back from Salisbury, tell her not to involve you again.’

‘Don’t you dare do that,’ she said, starting to lose the grip on her temper.

‘I’ll dare what I goddamn like, she’s my daughter.’ And there it was again, the slap, but she couldn’t let herself care about that. This wasn’t about her, or him, it was about Toto and her feelings. ‘She should have come to me.’

‘She was scared, Art, scared that you’d freak out about her becoming a woman.’

‘Why the hell would I freak out about that?’

‘Maybe because that’s exactly what you’re doing.’

‘No, I’m not.’

‘Yes, you are. You’re even freaking out about me talking to her about it.’

‘Because she should have come to me,’ he said again, as if this were a parental pissing contest.

‘Why would she come to you? She needed sanitary products, you weren’t likely to have any, now were you? I bet you’ve never even spoken to her about menstruation either, have you?’

She could tell she had him there from the stubborn look on his face.

‘I didn’t need to, they handled it at school,’ he said, finally. ‘She told me all about it. The tampon in the water glass totally freaked her out.’

Ellie had to bite back a smile, the disgruntled tone making her temper fade. ‘Yes, she mentioned that to me too. We decided she didn’t need any tampons yet.’

‘I can get her what she needs,’ he said, his face not softening one iota. ‘That’s my job.’

‘She’s a practical kid,’ Ellie said, grasping for reason and practicality in the face of his intransigence. ‘She figured you wouldn’t have any. That’s all.’

‘I suppose…’ He hesitated. ‘She still seems like a little kid.’

She saw it then, the flicker of dismay and vulnerability, that he was trying so hard not to show her.

Why had she never figured it out before? Even if Art had been a single parent for a lot longer than she had, he had insecurities too. This wasn’t about her, about them, it was just about Art’s relationship with his daughter.

She placed a hand on his arm, touched by his concern, and felt the muscles tense beneath her fingers. ‘And she’s still a little kid in every way that counts.’

He dragged his hand through his hair, sending the still damp strands into furrows. He drew in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. ‘Thanks for handling it. I’m not great with this stuff.’

‘You’re better than you think.’

He shook his head. ‘No, I’m not. I try my best, but I can’t be her mother.’

She heard the regret in his voice. ‘From what you told me about Alicia, Toto’s better off without her.’

‘Maybe. But I sometimes wonder whether…’

‘Don’t. You’re doing a good job. Toto’s a wonderful child, confident and secure and well adjusted. She’s been wonderful to Josh this summer. Her friendship has meant so much to him, and to me.’

He nodded, his gaze thoughtful, but he looked away before he said, ‘Kind of ironic, when you think how we used to fight when we were kids.’