Page 64 of Line of Resistance
“I know that.” She really did. Surprisingly, guilt wasn’t one of the difficult emotions she struggled with when it came to losing her dad.
Regret? Definitely. Loss? For sure. Sadness? You bet.
“He was never the kind to put himself first. It wouldn’t have mattered if I was moving or if I’d never left, he would have put that doctor’s appointment off.” She glanced at Nate, considering holding back the rest. But she’d been carrying this weight for so long. The burden she’d put on herself. One founded on insecurity and the desire to be accepted at any cost.
It was time to let it go.
“I always felt like he was the only person who really understood me. He was the only one I was really myself around. And when he was gone, it felt like that part of me had to be gone too.” Being raised by a man like her father made her many things. Independent. Self-sufficient. Capable and prepared.
It also made her a little more blunt. A little more cynical. A little less like the sweet and bubbly little girls around her at school. And it was impossible not to notice the difference in how they were treated. Nice girls seemed to finish first in just about every way she thought mattered.
So she learned to put on an act around other people. To make them think she was sweet and bubbly too.
Everyone except her dad. He loved her occasionally bitchy, sarcastic personality just as it was.
“I hate to have to be the one to tell you this, but that’s what happens when someone you love dies. They take a piece of you with them.” Reggie met her eyes across the table. “Happened to me too.” Her thin lips curved at the edges. “I used to be a total sweetheart.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
NATE
NATE FROWNED ACROSS the table at where Reggie sat with a shit-eating grin on her face. “I think you might be a cheater.”
Reggie cackled as she started clearing away the fifth board game she’d kicked both their asses at. “You only think that because you’re a sore loser.”
They’d spent the day getting to know their host a little better and, after more than a few hours in Reggie’s presence, one thing had become abundantly clear.
The old woman was lonely as shit.
She talked a good game, and acted like she preferred solitude, but when it came right down to it, she was absolutely fucking delighted to have them there. Thrilled to fall into a grandmotherly role.
Minus the part where she gleefully obliterated them at everything from Monopoly to Sorry.
“I’ve got more experience than you. I used to play these games all the time.” She boxed up her most recent conquest and slid it onto one of the shelves stacked with every game imaginable. “My grandchildren used to come spend the summers here, but now they’re all older and off enjoying their own lives.”
“Didn’t you say one of them comes to visit you sometimes?” Eloise’s brows pinched together as her lips flattened. She was obviously bothered by the thought of Reggie sitting home alone for months on end. It was unsurprising since Eloise had one hell of a soft spot for the forgotten and unloved.
“She comes about once a year. Flies up from her fancy-schmancy job in California and spends a couple weeks decompressing.” Reggie gave Nate a sly smile. “Usually brings a man to help with the decompression part.”
Nate grinned back at her. “I’m assuming you sneak in while they’re showering too.”
“Don’t act all butthurt. Your clothes are warm and dry, aren’t they?” Reggie turned back to the stack of games, frowning at the selection. “I think we’ve played just about everything.”
Nate took advantage of the lull in activity and went to the window, peering out into the snowy darkness for what might be the millionth time. He couldn’t stop himself from looking for any sign someone was closing in.
But, like every other time he stood in this spot, the scene outside was calm and peaceful. The most recent snowfall was heavy and solid, obscuring their tracks completely and hiding any hint of their location. Making it less and less likely they would be found.
For now.
They couldn’t just stay here forever. Eventually he would have to venture out. Get to a spot with service so he could make contact with Heidi and the rest of Intel.
But tonight was not that night. The storm had calmed down but, based on the information coming through Reggie’s antiquated radio, there was another wave of snow and frigid temperatures on the way.
“Do you see anything?” Eloise moved in beside him, her body tucking into his side as she gazed out the window.
“I think we’re good for now.” Nate pulled his eyes from the mountains and fixed them on Eloise. Her normally bright eyes were dull and shadowed. “Tired?”
She huffed out a soft laugh. “Exhausted.” She wiggled her elbow into his ribs. “Some dude made me sleep outside last night and walk for miles through the snow up a mountain. Both ways.”