Emma reachedfor her towel and wrapped it around her like a cloak. She didn’tsee what his daughter wanting a Vegas wedding had to do with hisneed to retaliate for her simple mistake. “That’s nice.”
His lipstwitched at the sarcasm in her voice. “It’s a long story.”
“I don’t needto hear it.” Emma picked up her novel and checked that her room keycard and the photo were still nestled between the pages. She sighedwith relief as her fingers curled around them. “I apologised for mymistake yesterday, Mr Spencer. I don’t know why you felt the needto try and humiliate me in the same manner but I’m glad you changedyour mind. I hope the wedding goes well. Just like I hope we don’thave the misfortune of bumping into each other again.”
“Dad?Dad.” Sarah’s voice interrupted Lachlan’s memory of the wayEmma had stormed away from him at the pool yesterday.
The plain blackswimsuit she’d worn had shown every curve of her body, not tomention miles of tanned legs, before she’d wrapped the towel aroundher.
Lachlan blinkedand offered his daughter a smile. “Sorry, honey.”
“I’m theone getting married. I should the nervous one.”
Lachlan pattedSarah’s hand as they continued their practice walk down the aisle.In the ballroom, rows of chairs were set up on both sides of theaisle, all decorated with wide satin ribbons. The staff wereworking in different areas of the room, setting up elegant podiumswhere flower arrangements would add even more elegance on the day.With the help of the hotel’s event planner, Lachlan had managed toorganise a few extra surprises for Sarah, at the hotel’s expense.The wedding would be nothing short of spectacular.
He couldn’tbelieve how quickly the day had come. Gene, Sarah’s beau, was agood guy. Gene was mature for his age and studying for a businessdegree. He didn’t ride a motorbike or smoke weed. He didn’t havekids from a prior relationship. But in Lachlan’s eyes, no man wouldever be good enough for his baby girl.
“Dad!”
“Sorry, sorry.I’m here.” He shook off his thoughts and gave Sarah his fullattention.
She stoppedmid-aisle and peered at him. “We’re not going any further until youtell me what’s going on. I haven’t seen you this distractedsince…well, ever.”
Lachlan haddated once or twice after his divorce but never for long. It washard enough raising a daughter and working fourteen-hour days tokeep a roof over their heads and food on the table. It wasn’t fairto a woman that he barely had enough energy to focus on her.
Having nodegree to his name had limited Lachlan’s chances for a decentpaying job. He took night shifts so he could be at home with Sarahwhen she got home from school. His memory of those first few yearsafter Daphne left were hazy at best. Sometimes it seemed as thoughhe’d sleep-walked through most of Sarah’s childhood.
The least hecould do was give his daughter all of his attention now.
“Is it thatwoman?”
“Whatwoman?”
“The fruitcake. The one who mistook you for a thief?”
“It’s nothing.I’m just—”
“It’s notnothing, Dad.” Sarah’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you letting thataffect you? You never have to see her again.”
He should haveknown he couldn’t hide anything from Sarah. She was too astute, oneof the reasons she was going to make the best social worker theworld had ever seen. No one was going to pull the wool over hereyes.
“I didsomething foolish. Something I’m not proud of.”
Sarah’s eyeswidened as he relayed what he’d done at the pool, but she remainedsilent.
“I know. It waspetty and spiteful and I’m totally ashamed of myself.”
“What did shesay?”
“When?”
“When youreturned her things and apologised.”
“How do youknow I apologised?”
Sarah blinkedat him and Lachlan laughed. She knew him too well.
“She told meshe hoped the wedding goes well, and that she hoped we’d never seeeach other again.”
“Ouch.”
Yeah. Thatrankled. He hadn’t had a serious relationship since Daphne, butbeing told a woman never wanted to see him again? That cut deeperthan he wanted to admit.
“You shouldinvite her to the wedding.”
“What? Honey,did you miss the part about her never wanting to see me again?”
“You need toshow her that you’re a normal, decent, hard-working guy who’d doanything for his daughter.”
“I don’t needto show her any such thing.”
Sarah cocked aneyebrow. “Yeah, Dad. You do.”
She was right.Emma had wormed herself beneath his skin like an itch he couldn’tscratch. Why? Why did it matter what she thought? If she was thekind of woman who leapt to conclusions, she probably wasn’t thekind of woman he’d be interested in.
But then hepictured her doe eyes, the sadness lurking in their depths, hershoulder length, silky brown hair that he could sink his handsinto, and Lachlan admitted defeat. She was exactly the kind ofwoman he was interested in.
Still, hehedged. “Well, maybe not the wedding. I was thinking more along thelines of dinner.”
“I think youshould ask her to dinner tonight.” Sarah tugged on his arm and theyresumed their walk along the aisle.
“The rehearsaldinner? Kinda short notice, don’t you think?”
“Or, I couldhave a chat with her and invite her to the wedding myself. Shecouldn’t turn me down, right? I am the bride.”
Sweat beaded onLachlan’s temple at the thought of Emma meeting his entire family.His mother would have him married off in no time. “No, Sarah, wait.Jeez, I don’t need my daughter to set me up on a date.”
“You sure?”Sarah’s eyes twinkled.
He squeezed herhand. “I’m old and maybe a little out of practice, honey. I’m notdead.”
CHAPTERSEVEN
Emma tried to putyesterday’s scene with Lachlan out of her head. She’d apologisedfor her mistake and instead he’d chosen—rather pettily, she mightadd—to retaliate. Why couldn’t he have accepted her apology? Well,it probably didn’t matter. She was unlikely to see him again.
She’d had arestless night, coupled with the fact that she was going to breakinto her sister’s photo shoot this morning and try and talk toMichelle. Yesterday, before Lachlan had stolen her things and takenfive years off her life, Emma had scoped out the pool area. It wasa gorgeous setting for a photo shoot, especially for the world’smost popular and in demand swim-wear model. So, Emma set her alarmfor five AM and crept down to the pool
