“Your dad never threatened me. Having said that, he certainly doesn’t like me or anyone on Lily’s side of the family. If we all did fall off the edges of the planet, he would rejoice. Or be as happy as he allows himself to be on any given day. Damn, I’ve never seen a man so determined to be miserable as your father. Money didn’t make him happy. Power or love? Nope, that wouldn’t do it. I don’t remember ever seeing him smile. How sad is that? I feel sorry for him, honestly. What a way to live your life.”
Tate had few occasions to remember where his dad had smiled, but he didn’t think they were from genuine happiness. Mark had made a valid point this morning. Joel Winslow wasn’t a happy man.
And that was sad, indeed, but not something Tate could do anything about. His father seemed determined to live life avoiding anything that might make him feel any strong emotion.
Except maybe anger or disgust. Joel didn’t seem to mind those.
“Mark, you’re obviously trying not to talk about where you’ve been.”
“I have no problem telling you where I’ve been,” Mark replied. “Mostly, I’ve been in the UK, but I’ve also spent some time in the Caribbean to get a break from the cold and rain.”
“Okay, that’s one question down, let’s go for a second. Why haven’t you contacted any of us? You seemed to just disappear into thin air.”
“I know, and I should have done better. I kept telling myself that tomorrow I would call, but when tomorrow came…”
“You didn’t,” Tate finished. “Why? Why did you say you were keeping a safe distance if Dad didn’t threaten you?”
“The safe distance was from you. You and your siblings.”
Us? That doesn’t make any sense.
“Are we dangerous in some way?”
Mark drained his glass and placed it back on the bar.
“Yes, but not in the way you think. You’re emotionally dangerous, and I wasn’t ready to deal with your grief. I was far too deep into my own, especially those first few years. I could barely get out of bed in the morning, and I was drinking way too much. I certainly couldn’t help you kids deal with it. I know it sounds selfish and awful, and it is. I’m a self-centered asshole who only thinks about himself. Unfortunately, Lily had more than one of those in her life. I wanted to be there for you and your brothers and sisters, but I didn’t know how. Honestly, I’m still not sure what to do.”
Tate glanced at the now-empty glass.
“Are you sober now?”
“Two years and three months. And yes, I should have called you once I was on the wagon. But at that point, I figured it was too late. I assumed you were angry with me, and I didn’t blame you. I stayed out of your life because I thought it was what you wanted.”
“What got you sober? What changed?”
“I met someone,” Mark revealed. “He gave me an ultimatum. It was the booze or him. I chose him.”
“I thought Dad threatened you,” Tate said. “I thought that’s why you stayed away. That’s what we all thought.”
“Your father doesn’t have that kind of power. I know he’s a big deal here in town, but he’s just another rich and greedy guy in the rest of the world. We have plenty of assholes like that. He’s not special. No, it was my own demons that kept me away, and I’m sorry about that. Lily would not be proud of me, that’s for sure.”
“But you’re here now.”
“I am. I got wind that you had a private investigator sniffing around me. I figured there had to be a reason.”
“I guess he wasn’t being unobtrusive.”
“He did a good job, but let’s face it, I know when someone is watching me. I made a few inquiries, and it came up that it was you.”
Mark made it sound like one of Cooper’s mystery novels.
“Who did you think it was?” Tate joked. “Do you have people following you all the time?”
“My partner was kind of famous at one point. He’s retired now.”
“That sounds deliberately vague, but I’m going to let you have this one. Did he come with you? Do we get to meet him?”
“No, he’s back home taking care of the dogs. Maybe next time. Or you can visit us? We’d love to have you. Now, why don’tyou tell me why you were looking for me? There has to be a reason after all of these years.”
