Page 91 of The Sunken Truth

He leaned in and kissed her softly.

“It would be worth it,” he whispered against her lips.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Callingand arranging to meet the superintendent might have been a good idea but that would give him the option of ignoring Flynn. Also, the way Flynn had left the pub without saying anything left a bad taste in his mouth. Lily was right – this was their home and if anyone should have left the pub, it should really have been the superintendent.

He took a deep breath before pulling on the brass doorhandles and stepping into the Mermaid Inn. When there was no sign of the superintendent at the bar, Flynn’s eyes trailed around the room.

“He’s not here,” Seren called across the bar, while continuing to pull a pint. She set it in front of an old guy, then wandered over to Flynn.

“When did he leave?”

Seren shrugged. “Not long after you and Lily. We had a minor disagreement and he wasn’t very happy when he left.”

“A minor disagreement about what?” Flynn asked.

“About whether he could continue drinking here.”

Flynn’s chest expanded. “You refused to serve him?”

“Of course I refused to serve him. No one gets to sit andtalk about our police officers like that. I’d have kicked him out while you were still here, but I was enjoying watching Lily tear strips off him too much to intervene.”

Flynn’s lips pulled upwards. “She was pretty great.”

“I don’t know where the superintendent went.” Seren gave his arm a squeeze. “But the guy is clearly an idiot. I’d just stay out of his way if I were you.”

“I would, except he’s also my dad, and possibly my only chance at being able to stay here longer.”

Seren’s eyes widened. “He’s your dad?”

“Don’t look at me like that,” Flynn warned. “I’ve had all the sympathetic looks I can take from Lily.”

“Fine, but you’re having a hug whether you like it or not!”

Flynn chuckled when she flung her arms around him. It was a far cry from when he’d first arrived on the island and all she could do was scowl at him.

“You’re going to extend your stay?” she asked, releasing him.

“I want to,” he told her. “So far, it’s not looking likely.”

“But if your dad pulled strings to get you over here, maybe he could pull more to get you to stay…”

“That’s what I’m hoping.”

She tilted her head and got a dreamy look in her eyes. “Then you can get together with Lily and live happily ever after.”

“That’s the plan,” he said, then laughed at her surprise. “First, I have to find the superintendent and convince him to let me stay.”

“I’m keeping everything crossed,” she said, then wished him luck before he walked out of the pub.

The thought of his dad being kicked out of the Mermaid Inn kept Flynn amused as he wandered through Hugh Town. On the downside, it meant he was likely to be in a worse moodthan usual, but Flynn didn’t have the time to wait for his mood to be right.

There was a possibility his dad would have headed over to the Old Town Inn to continue drinking there, but Flynn thought it more likely he’d have opted for the hotel bar.

He was right. In the entrance to the underground bar, he hesitated, watching his dad stare vacantly at the opposite wall with a beer on the table in front of him.

He didn’t react when Flynn took the seat opposite him, nor when he ordered himself a beer from the passing waiter. Only when Flynn’s drink had arrived did he finally speak.