My hand itched to slap him which was surprising seeing as, outside of shoving Damon, I’d never acted out my anger physically on another human being but I managed to hold myself in check.

“Go.”

“You’re repeating a pattern, Nina, as your father –”

But at his words and their implication, I was again seeing red and I shrieked, “How… bloody… dare you!”

Dad leaned slightly toward me and returned, “I’m being honest for your own good.”

“You’re talking about Max, a man you don’t even bloody know.”

“Yes, but I know you.”

“No you don’t!” I shouted.

“Think about this, Nina. Your life, what you’d be throwing away.”

“Go,” I snapped.

“This is,” his hand, palm up, gestured around, “unseemly. May I remind you, you’re engaged.”

“I’m not, I broke up with Niles.”

“You were engaged to him less than a week ago and you’re standing in your nightwear, a bruise on your cheek with a strange man in attendance.”

It was my turn to lean into him and I did, sneering and liberally lacing my words with grave emphasis. “Firstly, Max isn’t a ‘strange man in attendance’ considering this is his house. Secondly, are you serious? You are lecturing me about what’s seemly?”

“Nina –”

“Sorry, but wasn’t it you who was f**king around on Mom when she was pregnant with me?”

“Nina, for God’s sake, that’s hardly the point here.”

“Yes? So, it’s okay for you to sleep with another woman when your wife is pregnant then leave her and your child all alone weeks after I was born?”

“You grew up with your mother, hearing her side of things.”

I slammed the door and crossed my arms on my chest, putting out a foot and inviting, “Well, I expect this will be interesting. Do share, Dad, how is it okay that you cheat on Mom when she’s pregnant, leave us both when I’m a newborn and we never hear one word from you for seven years? Tell me, how is that okay?”

“Nina –”

“And, also,” I cut in, “enlighten me about how that’s okay and me breaking up with Niles and living my life, which is none of you bloody business I might add, something you can’t declare ignorance of since I told you to your face at Charlie’s funeral I never wanted to lay eyes on you again in my life, tell me, how this is not okay?”

“I’m glad you brought up Charlie,” Dad said.

“Yes, pray tell, Dad, why are you glad I brought up Charlie?”

“Think, Nina.” He did that sweeping gesture with his hand taking in specifically Max, and then his eyes locked on me, his voice filled with obvious derision now. “Think about what Charlie would say about this.”

I didn’t think, my mind was blank, my fury so immense, I took two, long strides to him and slapped him with all my might across his smoothly shaven cheek.

His head whipped to the side but suddenly I found my wrists imprisoned, pulled down and crossed in front of me, my back was pressed to Max and Max was pulling us both away.

“Out,” Max growled.

“You dare,” I whispered to my father over Max’s growl.

“Get out,” Max repeated.

“Nina –” my father began, his hand to his cheek, his face filled with shock.

“If Claire wasn’t such a good woman, I’d wonder if Charlie was switched at birth and Charlie would have wondered too,” I declared.

I watched my father’s eyes narrow. “He was my son.”

“You forgot that when his legs were blown off!” I shouted.

“Get out,” Max ordered. “Now, before I put you out.”

Dad ignored Max and glared at me. “Charlie would –”

But I interrupted him. “You have no idea what Charlie would or wouldn’t. Charlie was good to the core. You have no idea what it means to be that way. Don’t you dare tell me what Charlie would do.”

Dad opened his mouth to speak but Max got there before him. “I’m not gonna say it again.”

At this threat, Dad looked over my shoulder then back at me and he declared, “I’m staying at the hotel in town, Nina. This isn’t done. We need to talk, calmly, if you can manage that.”

Max let me go but pulled me back and stepped around me, moving toward Dad. Dad’s glance shot toward him briefly then he walked swiftly to the door.

He opened it, stopped in it and looked at me. “I’ll be at the hotel.”

“Enjoy your stay,” I snapped nastily.

Dad’s gaze rested on me a moment, then he walked out the door.

I didn’t watch him go, I stomped to the kitchen. When I made it there I snatched up my phone from the counter and hit the button to turn it on.

“Nina,” Max said from close and I knew he was close because I felt his hand sliding along the small of my back.

I didn’t look up, just lifted a hand, one finger pointed skyward and with the other hand went to my contacts, found Niles and hit the button to connect.

“Honey, don’t you think you should calm down first?” Max suggested and I could feel the reassuring heat of his body but I was focused on the fireplace across the room, staring at it like I could ignite a fire in its grate with my eyes.

I didn’t answer Max. I didn’t want to calm down. I wanted this to be done and to do it I wanted what I had to say to be said.

I heard the phone ring once then twice and on the third ring Niles answered.

“Hello.”

“Dad was just here.”

“Nina?”

Nina? Was he mad?

“Yes, Nina!” I shouted into the phone. “What other American would call, informing you with barely controlled, therefore unmistakable fury that her father just paid her a visit?”

“Listen, I can hear you’re perturbed but –”

“Yes, I’m perturbed, Niles, I’m very perturbed and if you tell me you have to go into a meeting, I swear –”

“Not a meeting but I have a client waiting –”

“Whatever!” I yelled. “A client is not more important than you listening to me, and Niles I want you, for once in your life, to listen to me. We’re over. Do you understand? Over!”