He listens patiently, never interrupting or offering suggestions, and when I get to the part about Banks firing me, he’s apoplectic.
“Are you shitting me right now? He turned Ollie away and then he had the audacity to fire you? At the hospital?”
His eyes look like they’re about to bug out of his head, but it’s probably not the best time to mention it, so I offer him a wry grin instead. “Evidently, he’s not receptive to feedback.”
“This is wrong on so, so many levels. I’m going to call Jonathan myself and—”
“There’s more.” I square my shoulders. “Banks saw us kissing in the parking lot a few weeks ago. He said that if I didn’t leave quietly, he’d let everyone know that I’d broken my contract byfraternizing with a player. As luck would have it, my father walked out just in time to hear the part about us sleeping together.”
“Fuck.” He shoves his fingers through his hair. “Did you tell him we’re serious about each other? Surely it would make a difference. It has to.”
I shake my head. “I didn’t get the chance. He said he couldn’t deal with me and that the team needed him.”
Knox stills, and the color drains from his face. “He said that to you?”
“Yes. And then he turned his back on me and walked away.”
“I’m sure he didn’t mean it. He was upset. There was so much going on with Ollie and emotions were running high.”
“It doesn’t matter, I—”
“Ava, it absolutely fucking matters. You matter. You’re his daughter. You should come first.”
A bitter laugh spills from my lips. “Try telling him that.”
“I’m going to fix this,” he says resolutely. The color returns to his face, a swath of crimson cutting a path across his cheeks and nose. “You’re going to get your job back, and I am going to fix things with your father, and then I’m going to fucking destroy Banks.”
My heart skips a beat, the fierceness in his tone doing unholy things to my body.
I push my plate aside and take his hand in mine. “I love that you want to defend me, but maybe this is for the best. Working for the Gliders has been a dream come true, and I know the progress we’ve made is just the beginning, but I can’t go back to work for Banks. Not after the things he’s said and done.”
He nods slowly. “Okay, that’s fair, but we can’t let him get away with this.”
I throw up my hands. “There’s not much I can do. It’s his word against mine, and I’m not about to drag Ollie into the middle of this shitshow.”
Knox closes his eyes, thinking.
Or, maybe he’s counting to ten to calm himself down. It could be either.
When he opens his eyes, the warmth has returned. “Okay, let’s put Banks and your job aside for a minute. What about your dad? I think we should go see him today and talk this out. The longer we let it fester, the worse it’ll be.”
I spent a long time thinking about this last night, and Knox is right, the longer it drags on, the more likely it is to leave permanent scars, but the thing is, I don’t care.
No, that’s not right.
I care, and I still want to have a relationship with my father. It’s why I moved to Atlanta. But I’m tired, and I’m done chasing people and things that weren’t meant for me.
I’ve done everything I can to cultivate a relationship with my father, and at the first sign of trouble, he bailed.
He’s the one who wouldn’t hear me out. He’s the one who walked away.
Now, the puck is in his rink.
“You’re welcome to go see Adam, but I won’t be joining you.”
Knox’s face goes slack. “Why not?”
“He knows where to find me if he wants to talk.”