Chapter 15
Stunned when he saw the woman, Daniel was speechless for a moment. Recovering quickly, he’d told her he was there to pick up his daughter. She invited him inside, but he refused.
Once he and Holly had thanked the woman for her help, and they were inside his truck, he let loose. “You are not to take the bus home. I will pick you up or send someone to get you, is that understood?”
Holly cowered in the backseat like a frightened animal. “Yes.”
He drove slowly because he wanted to talk to her. “You will not go to Miss Carol’s or Roxie’s, is that understood?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Is that all you have to say?” He was very angry.
“Yes,” she said again, only this time she added just a tinge of snottiness to her one-word answer.
“That woman probably thought you were crazy, or, at the very least, thinks I’m crazy, a rotten father. Don’t you ever think before you act?” He held his right hand in the air and kept his left hand tightly on the steering wheel. “Of course you don’t, or I wouldn’t have to hunt you down like some wild-ass animal.”
“I’m not an animal! But you treat me like one!” Holly shouted. Since she was in trouble, she might as well make the most of it.
“What did you say?” Daniel Greenwood asked in a low, menacing tone.
“You said I acted like an animal, and I said you treat me like one, all caged up! I cannot believe how mean you are! I wish you had died instead of Mom!” Holly screamed as loudly as she could. And then she began to cry loudly, and she did not care. At that moment, she hated her dad with all of her heart and soul, and he probably hated her, too.
Daniel took a calming breath. He wanted to teach her a lesson, but this was not the right way. It was never the right way with this kid. “As soon as you get home, I want you to shower and go to bed. I do not want to hear the slightest sound out of you. Do you understand that, Holly? You’re almost twelve years old, and I think it’s time you grew up a bit. Tomorrow you will spend the entire day studying your math.”
In the backseat, Holly continued to cry, but she nodded that she had understood him. It was times like this that he almost hated Laura for leaving him behind with this responsibility.
As soon as he pulled into the driveway, he’d barely come to a complete stop before Holly jumped out of the car. She raced in through the front door, which he’d left unlocked. Careless, but there was not much crime in Pine City. Still, he should have known better. He pulled his truck into the garage.
Inside, he could hear the shower running in Holly’s bathroom. At least she was following his orders. Not sure how long that would last, he grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator and headed for his den. He’d spent the day going over a new set of plans for the second phase of the new condos that were scheduled for groundbreaking next spring. While his part would not happen until the building was almost complete, the design, ordering, and general planning on such a large scale took time. They were calling the new condos The Bright Side. He liked it, and it made sense, given that most of the residents were at least fifty-five. He had his eye on a condo, but he did not meet the age requirement yet. He liked The Upside, liked the people he worked with, and was happiest when he was working. Home was totally different.
Every day, Holly looked more and more like her mother. She was thin like Laura. Her gold hair hung down to her waist, just like her mother’s had. She was a good kid, and he knew he was hard on her, but he had his reasons. When she was older, she would thank him, he had convinced himself. For now, he’d be lucky if she even spoke to him.
Did she really wish he’d died instead of her mother? He knew she was upset and did not really mean that, but it hurt to think that she even had the thought. He knew he’d been harsh with her, but it’s what fathers do. How else would she learn to get by in the world? Look what had happened to her mother. One minute she was on the brink of an exciting career; then, without warning, she died a very tragic death.
Daniel would do everything in his power to prevent his daughter from making the same mistake. No matter how mistaken or misguided he might be, he was doing the best he could, but sometimes, he thought, it was not good enough.
He’d allowed her to have dinner with Roxie, and she had taken advantage of not only her friends, but him, too. She had to learn that actions have consequences. He would make sure she spent the entire weekend studying. In the kitchen, where he could keep an eye on her. If left alone in her room, who knew what she would try?
Holly was lucky the woman had been nice enough to let her use the telephone. Crime was pretty nonexistent in the area, but still, he had to teach Holly to be cautious and not take unnecessary chances. Otherwise she would end up just like her mother. In spite of what Holly thought, she was his daughter, and he truly wanted what was best for her.
Tomorrow he’d call Miss Carol and explain whatever involvement Holly had in The Upside’s annual Christmas musical was not going to happen. She was a kid, she could sing pretty well, but he felt sure they would find some other talent to take its place. Holly knew how he felt about Christmas, and about music, and she had gone behind his back, anyway. He really should ground her for the remainder of the school year. He could keep an eye on her then. She could read and watch TV and study her math. He wanted straight A’s next semester, would accept nothing less.
As soon as he heard her turn off the water, he tossed back the rest of his beer and turned the lights out. He would stop by her room before she went to sleep.
* * *
He saw the light beneath her door and knocked. He waited for her reply, but did not get one. “Holly?” he asked, and tapped on the door again.
“Come in.”
He pushed the door aside and saw she was curled up in the fetal position on her twin bed, her back to the wall. Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying. She rolled over so that her back faced him.
“Holly, turn around and look at me when I speak to you.” He took a deep breath. He was tired and did not feel like playing games.
“Holly,” he said again, this time in his sternest voice.
She rolled over, but refused to look at him.
Daniel sat down on the edge of her bed. She pulled her knees closer to her chest. “I’m not going to hurt you, so stop acting like this.” He pointed to the way she was curled up and shoved against the wall, so she was as far away from him as she could get without actually leaving the room.
She sighed, but didn’t say anything. He could not force her to talk, but he could force her to listen. “Look at me when I speak to you,” he said again.
Holly opened her eyes, and he saw they were brimming with tears.
“You cannot go behind my back and do whatever you want. Do you get that?”
She nodded.
“Then explain tonight. I was humiliated going to a stranger’s house to find you there, acting like I was the bad guy. I allowed you to miss the study time I’d mandated the night before. I know you like to hang out with Roxie and Kayla, and I gave you permission to stay for pizza and to study. Jen Pellegrino was worried sick when she could not find you. Not only are you in trouble, but your friends are grounded, too. Do you get what I’m saying?”
He was frustrated. She stared right through him, and he was not sure if even a single word was getting through to her. “Answer me, Holly.”
She pushed herself into a sitting position, pulling the blankets up to her chin. “Yes, I get it. I am not stupid, like you think. I am sorry, okay?”
Daniel shook his head and stood up. “I’m responsible for you, Holly. You have to follow the rules. Life is full of rules, and if you are not taught when you’re young, you’ll never amount to a hill of beans. It’s important that you do exactly as I say. Do you think you can follow the rules? Do I have to hire a babysitter to stay with you when I’m gone?”
“I would love a babysitter. At least I’d have someone to talk to. Living in a house with only you is like living in a house with no one else. Dad.”
“I can arrange it, if that is what you want.”
“Do whatever you want, I don’t care anymore. You don’t care what I want, so why should I bother to care what you want?” Holly said, her voice thick with unshed tears.
“You had better get some sleep. Study time comes early,” Daniel said as he stood up and stretched.
“Tomorrow is Saturday.”
“I’m quite aware of that. Now get some rest. I’ll see you first thing in the morning. Set your alarm just like it’s a school day.” And on that note, totally oblivious to the effect his bullheadedness was having on his daughter, he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
He felt like the meanest man alive, and he was sure Holly thought he was, too. But she was all he had. If something happened to her, he would simply go mad.