Cecily jogged through the town square toward the park.

Dark storm clouds were forming overhead and the scent of rain filled the air.

She had been halfway through her meal when Kirk whispered to her that Solo needed her to meet him as quickly as possible at the little park where they’d stopped on the way in. He’d told her to meet Solo under the weeping willow.

Cecily tried to imagine what Solo could possibly want. As far as she could figure it he either wanted to break up, to mate, or to try and convince her one last time to confront her father.

None of those options appealed to her.

For all that men accused women of being drama queens, in Cecily’s experience, women were pretty laid back. It was men who were always declaring their intentions, demanding answers and summoning a person to a strange meeting place when all she wanted was to eat her soup and sandwich in peace.

She reached the park and headed over to the willow. As a child she had loved hiding under its branches.

She entered that shaded space but Solo wasn’t there.

A piece of paper rustled against the trunk of the tree.

Cecily grabbed it.

Dear Cecily,

If I hadn’t seen the vision of you as a child I wouldn’t have understood how much you needed to know more about your father. I did not mean to take that memory from you, but I did. And I can’t unsee what I saw.

You deserve to know your father.

And, Cecily, I think he deserves to know you too.

I haven’t told him who you are to him. But by the time you read this, he will be waiting at the park bench.

Whether or not you go to him will be your choice.

Yes, I have deceived you again and I know what that means. I am going back to Stargazer to turn myself in to the lab. You won’t have to see me again.

If this meeting brings you peace, it will have been worth it.

I will always love you, Cecily.

Yours,

Solo

Cecily tucked the letter into her pocket.

He was out there. For better or worse, her father was out there.

She took a deep breath and stepped out of the protective shade of the willow.

“Agnes?” someone called out brokenly.

She turned, surprised to hear her mother’s name, and saw Dirk Malcolm sitting on the bench, right where Solo had said he would be. The sunlight brought out the rusty highlights in his hair.

“Sorry, you look like someone I know,” he said.

She studied him a moment, trying to decide.

“Wait.” His eyes lit up. “I do know you. Cecily Page, right? Beatrix Li’s friend, the special-effects guru. What are you doing here?”

It was easier than she’d expected to go to him.

“This is my home town,” she explained.

“Wow,” he said. “That’s crazy.”

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I was trying to right an old wrong,” he told her.

“Maybe I can help,” she said. “Let’s sit down.”

He sat on the bench and patted the seat beside him.

Cecily’s heart lurched as she thought about the many times she would have loved to have had him there to do that, back when she was small. She marveled at how many little wounds a parent’s love could heal.

“My mother lived here,” she told him. “And so did I, until after I graduated.”

“Wait,” Dirk said. “Wait… Are you… Agnes’s daughter?”

Cecily nodded, noticing the constellation of freckles across his nose and wondering how long it would take him to notice hers.

“Of course you are. You look like her,” he said. “I thought you were her just now. Isn’t that funny? Of course, I knew her when she was very young. She was a wonderful woman.”

“She was a wonderful mom,” Cecily agreed.

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” he told her.

Cecily swallowed down the lump that suddenly formed in her throat.

“What was her life like?” Dirk asked. “Was she happy?”

Cecily smiled. “Yes, she was happy. She had a good life. She worked at her sister’s salon. Everyone in town loved her. I loved her.”

“I loved her too,” Dirk said.

“I know,” Cecily said.

“Is your dad still around?” Dirk asked.

“She never got married,” Cecily said carefully.

“She didn’t?” Dirk asked, eyebrows raised.

“There was someone she loved once, I think, a long time ago,” Cecily said. “She always said I looked just like him, though most people say I look like her.”

His eyes widened and she saw the exact second when he noticed her freckles, his hand moving up to his face to trace his own.

“Are you…?” he couldn’t finish the question.

“We can stand up, walk away, and pretend this never happened,” Cecily offered.

But Dirk’s face had gone pink and he was holding his arms out to her, his eyes bright with tears.

Cecily was surprised to find that she did want to hug him. She went into his arms, wondering at the scent of his retro aftershave. He smelled like she’d always imagined a TV dad would smell.

He pressed a tender kiss on the top of her head and she could feel hot tears falling in her hair.

Cecily found herself crying too, then sobbing into his chest.

“Thank you,” he whispered through his tears. “Thank you so much for telling me. I’m so glad about this, and I hope… I hope you have a place in your life for me. I’ll try not to embarrass you in front of your friends, or wreck your life or anything.”

Cecily found herself laughing. She pulled away.

Dirk let her go, but kept hold of her hand as he dug in his pocket and pulled out a tissue.

“Thanks,” Cecily said, taking it.

“Why didn’t she tell me?” Dirk asked.

“She knew you were a good guy,” Cecily sniffed. “She could see your career was taking off.”

“I would have given anything, everything…” he said, shaking his head. “I would have loved for the three of us to be together.”

“She was trying to protect you,” Cecily told him. “That’s why she didn’t tell you.”

“So your aunt told you I was here?” he asked.

“No,” Cecily said. “Well, yes, after I confronted her… But I still wouldn’t have told you. I’m only here because of Solo. He helped me figure out that you were my father. And then he tricked me into this meeting. He thought I needed to meet you. He was convinced that I would feel better if I did.”

“And do you?” Dirk asked.

“Well… yeah,” she said, realizing that she felt more than better. She felt excited, happy even.

“You’re lucky to be in a loving relationship with someone like him,” Dirk said.

“I’m not in a relationship,” Cecily admitted.

“Why not?” Dirk asked.

“I told him I would break up with him if he tried to trick me into anything,” Cecily said. “The note he left me here in the park says he knows I’m breaking up with him for this, and so he’s leaving.”

“Do you want to know what I think of this guy?” Dirk asked.

Cecily nodded.

“I think you’re lucky to have someone in your life who loves you so much they are willing to sacrifice their own happiness for yours,” he said.

“It wasn’t going to work out anyway,” Cecily said.

“Why wouldn’t it?”

“You know how the show biz life is. It’s nothing but traveling, a new city every week or every month,” Cecily said. “And I love it. I can’t picture myself doing anything else.”

Her father was suddenly on his knees at her feet.

“Cecily,” he said, with tears in his eyes for the second time. “Please don’t make the same mistake I did. I know I don’t have the right to advise you as your dad, but I’m begging you as someone who cares about you. If you love him, you can’t let him go. Don’t wind up like me.”

“Oh my god,” she said, the clouds in her mind suddenly parting to reveal the truth. “Oh my god, I have to go find him!”

“Yes, you do,” Dirk sprang to his feet. “Come on, my car’s across the street. Where would he be?”