"Good afternoon" Nick McCullers greeted Emily before sitting down with her in their prescribed booth. She waited outside that restaurant for an hour before he showed up. Apparently the lunchtime appointment was delayed by some meeting and he was in a rush to pick up their food and go so they had to postpone their meeting for a little while. Emily begged him not to make her wait another day so Mr McCullers agreed to meet her later that day, in the restaurant of her new hotel.
She'd not intended to stay in California long so she hadn't made arrangements in any hotel, but one night in that flea-ridden motel had her scrambling to book a hotel room. She managed to get a relatively cheap room at the Clarion hotel. It wasn't the best hotel around, but it did offer a pool and free breakfast and wifi. Emily considered the pool to be a symbol of good fortune. After all, it was swimming that brought her and Paige together in the first place. She loaded her bags in the rental car and moved across to her new room, unceremoniously dumping her belongings on her bed before hurrying to meet Paige's dad, half an hour before their arranged time.
"Good afternoon, Mr McCullers." Emily answered anxiously.
"I trust your stay has been fine."
"It has." Emily answered, frustrated. They were not getting anywhere like this and she was dying to know so she asked "Can we skip the formalities? Please? I just need to know she's okay."
"She is fine. Don't worry about her. She wouldn't want you to worry" the older man answered as he cast his eyes down trying to evade the girl's piercing gaze, pretending to read the menu.
"Then why wont she talk to me?" Emily beseeched him. "Why is she hiding out here and why did she flee Rosewood?"
"I think the answer to at least one of those questions should be obvious. As for the rest, it's not up to me to discuss that with you."
"Then help me get in touch with her, please!"
"You know how stubborn my girl is. If I let you in she'd have my head. I can't do that."
"Please, help me" Emily begged, frustrated, almost to the point of crying.
"I can't." Nick McCullers sighed, before shifting around and fishing something out of his pocket.
"Look," she began "I know you haven't been my biggest fan, and I know that it's my fault, and that I haven't given you a reason to trust me, but I swear, I love your daughter and if you let me, I know I can make her happy. I want to make things up to her. I will beg on my knees if I have to. I will do whatever it takes not to have to spend another moment without her."
"I think it's a little too late for that. But I would appreciate you trying." he smiled a half-hearted smile. The man looked exhausted and it took him several moments to come to his decision. He had to weigh his options carefully.
It's no surprise that after all the times she hurt his daughter, Nick McCullers pretty much hated Emily. He thought his daughter falling in love with her was some cruel trick. An unimaginable twist of faith. He had honestly panicked when his daughter came out, and not just because of what it meant for her, but also because he realized that with her being this way, now more than ever, she needed so much more protection. He hoped whoever she dated would help her out. That there would be some strength in numbers and somebody standing by her side when life threw digs at her, but Emily more than anything was the cause of Paige's turmoil.
He hated the thought that felt so intensely about the other girl because he knew that would only lead to trouble. His daughter had been reserved up 'til now and never really let other people in. She had her friends but never invested too much of herself but she dove head-first into this relationship and it scared him. High School relationships never last.
When Emily dumped Paige, she tried to act tough but he could tell that inside, his daughter was breaking. He knew all-too-well how it stung, having been rejected and dumped in his youth by other girls, but he also knew that when it came down to it, these girls were a dime a dozen. For Paige it would not be this way. There was maybe a dozen chances for her in their entire town for Paige. A dozen options. And when she exhausted them? Would she have to move town or hope and wait for the next batch of teens to out themselves? He knew that she couldn't just pick herself up and go out there and find another girl.
And Emily... she was so in love with Emily. While he did not like her herself, he loved the effect she had on his daughter. She would smile, giddily, just from thinking about her. She would ask them questions about love and how they got together and stay up with him planning beautiful romantic dates. She even promised to restore his sister's cabin if she let her use it to throw Emily a birthday bash. She spent a week stripping the exterior paint off the walls, repainting them, fixing loose tiles and repairing water damage and even cleaning the oven for good measure, just so she could make Emily happy.
If Emily even worked half as hard for Paige she would have won his approval. But the thing is, she never did. She was always so preoccupied with things. He knew now it was some stalker that was threatening her friends and her, but at the time he thought that she didn't respect his daughter enough. That she didn't care. But here she was, vowing to be there. To be present. Swearing that she loves his daughter. How can a man stand in the way of what may be his daughter's true love? Even if she expressly told him not only to curtail visitors but to also completely prevent Emily from ever seeing her. He had to do what was right by her, even if it was not what she wanted. He begrudgingly dropped his shopping list on the table, along with his spare set of keys. They would've been Paige's but she never leaves the house these days.
"She'll want these before bed. She's been binge watching some tv series before bed and that ice cream is part of her nightly routine." he said, pointing to the corresponding item on the list. "I've already bought the house necessities like the bread and milk, just pick up the ice cream from the garage on North California Street in Stockton. And grab her some jelly beans too while you're out there. She can never turn jelly beans down."
Emily wanted to hug the man but knew she'd be pushing her luck. She thanked him, tearfully as she basically ran out. He sighed, hoping he did the right thing, before calling his wife and inviting her out for dinner. He would play interference, granting Paige and Emily all the privacy they'd need. He just hoped it would be enough to get her out of her funk.
