38

[Patrick]

I smirked at Kat and mouthed, "Totally called that one." She rolled her eyes at me and coughed into her hand.

Walter caught our little exchange and made a disapproving sound. "This is worse than I thought. Ms. Verona…"

Rachel broke in, "Please call me Rachel."

He shifted his weight uncomfortably. "Fine. Rachel, I can't believe any responsible adult would accept what is going on here."

Rachel and I were both free spirits, and she hated confrontation. "But I do, Walter."

I hid my smile at the way she eschewed his title.

He sniffed imperiously and raised a brow. "Really? You condone them sleeping together?"

She looked between me and Kat with a calm smile. "This isn't about you or me, Walter. It's about this wonderful relationship growing between them. And like any relationship, it needs care and nurturing for it to flower."

I swear I saw steam blowing out of Wally's ears. "That is complete bull. This boy has been nothing but a bad influence on my daughter. Kat lies all the time, and sneaks around behind my back. She even took this trip under false premises. Instead of heading out with the junior class, Kat took an unauthorized joy ride with this man-boy."

Rachel sighed. "I don't blame her, not even a little bit." Ignoring Walter's huff of disbelief, she continued, "I would do the same thing in her shoes."

Walter gave her the once over. "That doesn't surprise me."

I felt an unexpected charge of outrage. "Hey, watch it."

It was almost a relief to see the pointing finger come out to play. "Don't even start with me, son."

"Are you kidding me? My Mom opened her home to you, the least you can do is treat her with respect."

You could have heard a pin drop in that room. Rachel's hands flew to her cheeks and Walter and Kat's mouth formed identical O's as they stared at me.

Walter broke the stunned silence. "Is this true? I thought she was your aunt."

Kat chose that moment to step in. "So did we all, until the big reveal."

He looked only slightly mollified. "Is this what you meant by helping a friend in need?"

She nodded. "I told you it was complicated."

Walter looked over at me. "So why did you really drag my daughter up here?"

The simplest answer was closest to the truth. "I needed a ride."

"You couldn't have taken the bus?"

I smirked. "And get mauled by a horde of red hats? Not a chance."

He nodded slightly. "I suppose flying was out too."

"I'm broke." No need to mention my trust fund just yet.

Walter's next statement floored me. "You could have asked me for help."

Kat was equally nonplussed. "Why would he do that, Dad? You haven't exactly been supportive of our relationship."

"And why do you think that is, when I catch you skipping school to hang out on the beach?"

"We've been over that already, and I told you I don't want to sneak around anymore."

"Lip service," Walter said harshly. "What do you call this little trip?"

He did have a point, but I wasn't about to defend him.

"Dad, look, we made a mistake. It won't happen again."

"Damned straight it won't. Pack your bags. We're leaving."

I swear to God, if Kat could have gotten away with stamping her foot down and throwing a tantrum, she would have.

"No, Dad, we're not. I am a guest here, and I'm not leaving until Saturday."

"Kat, I am your father, and while you still live under my roof, you will obey the rules."

Rachel's alto tones cut through Wally's bluster. "Excuse me, but this is my roof, and I make the rules here."

"Do you? Didn't know there were any," Wally said flippantly.

This was going nowhere fast, so I decided to nip it in the bud. "You can't force Kat to leave."

"Can't I? Watch me." He started grabbing up Kat's clothes and tossing them on the bed.

Kat ran over and touched his arm. "Be reasonable, Dad. We can discuss this in the morning, when everyone has clearer heads and a good night's sleep."

"OK, you want reasonable? Pack your things and come with me, and maybe we can swing by tomorrow to chat."

"Dad," she protested. "Please try to understand…"

"I do understand, which is why we're going back to the hotel for the evening."

There really was no way out of this. Kat threw me a frustrated look, and I said, "It's OK. I'm not going anywhere."

She sighed, realizing we had to get Wally on board with us before we could move forward. "Are you sure?"

"Totally. Don't sweat it." I leaned over and kissed her forehead, ignoring Wally's irritated glance.

When she ran into the bathroom, he pointed to his eyes and back at me. "I'm not done with you either, Patrick."

I smirked in response, and laughed at the scowl imprinted on his face, practically glowing like a neon sign as he stalked out into the night with a reluctant Kat in tow. She looked back once and I waved.

Rachel bid me good night, but I was far from sleep at the moment, so I made my way to my favorite hammock. I watched the stars until the moon rose and dimmed the celestial display.

As lunar light washed across me, I suddenly realized Wally had used my first name.

It could be nothing, but maybe Wally realized that for better or worse, I was part of his daughter's life now.