She bit her trembling lip and blinked to fight back the tears. A man at a nearby table openly watched her, and she lowered her gaze, blinking rapidly against the tears flooding her eyes. When her blurry vision cleared, her eyes focused on the card he’d left behind.
Simple and white with black letters, it listed his name, address, and cell phone number. She stared at it for a long time. She didn’t know how long she stood there, lost in her own world, remembering how every birthday came and went. Christmas came and went. Every holiday, every summer, every single day, passed, and she never heard from her father.
Maybe if she hadn’t known how wonderful having him in her life could be it wouldn’t have hurt so much. But she’d been eight years old when he disappeared, and she still remembered all the fun times they’d had. He’d taken her fishing, and he even took her down to the work sites with him and put a hard hat on her head so she could safely walk through the buildings he renovated. She’d been a daddy’s girl for sure.
Then he disappeared, as if he’d fallen off the edge of the world. When he’d divorced her mother, he’d divorced her, too. He hadn’t broken one heart. He’d broken two.
She picked up the card and tore it into tiny pieces. Then she took the pieces and walked over to the trash receptacle and tossed them in. Nothing had changed, and she’d turned out fine. She didn’t need him then and she certainly didn’t need him now.
Chapter Eleven
One of the drawbacks to his position in life was the number of events Cyrus had to attend. Political functions, charity functions, fundraisers, and all manner of social engagements. The list seemed endless. He’d cut back in recent years, but he still showed up to quite a few on a regular basis. At least this event was different. His sister was happy and getting married.
The majority of people at the engagement party were family and Ivy’s friends, which meant he didn’t have to suffer through pitches to invest in the next hot business idea, mothers practically throwing their daughters at him—despite the fact that he wore his ring and was still married—nor be forced to make conversation, because most everyone here knew small talk wasn’t his forte.
Situated on Lake Union, the grounds of Cyrus’s mother’s estate had been transformed into a colorful display in celebration of Ivy and Lucas’s engagement. Bright colors dominated the decorations, and tulips—his mother and Ivy’s favorite flower—had been imported from the Netherlands and adorned the white-linen covered tables in bright reds, oranges, and purples. Upon entering, guests received white note cards with Advice for the Bride & Groom engraved in gold letters, with the expectation they would write their advice on the lines below and drop them in a glass box sitting on a table by itself.
Plenty of squealing and hugging took place as guests arrived to celebrate with the future bride and groom. Lucas didn’t have any family members in attendance because he didn’t know his family, but everyone at the party took the opportunity to get to know him and make him feel welcomed.
In addition to chairs and tables set up on the grass, there were stations laden down with more than enough food and beverages. One table had heavy hors d’oeuvres and another was piled high with cakes and cookies. A Bloody Mary station allowed guests to build their own unique version of the drink, and the family’s Full Moon beer was available in abundance. For nondrinkers like Cyrus, one station offered nonalcoholic beverages.