Acceptable Risks Read Free Page B

should. You were closer to Jason than I was.” She’d been so focused on her father, she hadn’t thought about that before. “You’ve done so much. I shouldn’t—”
Caitlyn waved her down, her smile wan. “The distraction helped. I’m a doer. That’s why I have this job in the first place.” She looked around at the now-clean living room. The cleaning staff had been discreet but quick, wiping down surfaces and whisking away debris. Sounds of swishing water and clinking glassware drifted out from the kitchen. “They should be done soon. Are you staying long?”
“Just another couple of days. I can’t miss more work than that, not right now.” Ralph, Lark’s boss, hadn’t even wanted to give her that much, but her fellowship trip to Indonesia had brought Botanical Medicality enough promising new source material to keep them in R&D funding for years. That gave her a little clout. But Ralph suspected she was working on some things on her own, they’d fought about it, and he hadn’t been in the mood to be generous when she requested time off. Her compound was developed from plants she’d obtained before going to work for BotMed, which fell outside the terms of her contract. She’d also sold it and wasn’t officially working on it now. Bottom line, though, was that she couldn’t afford to take extra time.
She looked up as her father entered, his shirt untucked and tie missing, hair mussed and the lines around his eyes strained. Guilt twisted her insides. He needed her. How could she leave him?
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize anyone else was still here. Caitlyn, thank you for everything.”
“It’s nothing. The least I could do.” She looked dissatisfied by the clichéd words.
“It’s a lot. And appreciated.” He looked at his watch. “You go on home. We’ll finish up here, and I’ll see you in the office on Monday.” As he walked her out, Lark thought maybe the time alone had helped him. His step seemed lighter, more natural. She started to follow, but held back when her phone rang. She checked the display—it was Carl.
“Hey, babe,” he said when she answered. “How you holding up?”
She sank onto the soft brown suede sofa, her legs and back aching. “All right. Better than my father.” Her feet had swelled inside the heels she rarely wore, and rejoiced when she toed them off. She barely held back a groan of pleasure.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t come down with you.”
“It’s really okay.” She’d never expected him to even offer. They’d only been dating a few months, and their relationship wasn’t that deep. “I wouldn’t have had much time for you, anyway. There were so many people.” They talked for a couple of minutes about the funeral and the work that had kept Carl from flying down from Boston with her. Lark quickly wrapped up the conversation when her father came back into the room.
Whatever lightness she’d thought she’d seen had disappeared, replaced by murky despair. He settled into one of the matching armchairs as if uncertain he’d be able to rise again. “I’m sorry I left you to deal with everyone,” he said.
“It’s all right.” She pushed to her feet and went to sit on the arm of the chair. “Do you want anything to eat? There’s still plenty of food.” She smoothed his hair and frowned when he felt warm to the touch. “Maybe some fruit, at least?”
“Not right now.”
She bit her tongue. Nagging wouldn’t force him to take care of himself. She’d have to be sneaky about it. But even then, she couldn’t force him to eat or sleep, and she was only going to be here a couple more days. Maybe she could talk him into coming up to visit her in Boston. A change of scene had to be good, and being away might make it easier for him to pull out of himself.
“Who was that on the phone?” he asked.
Lark chewed her lip, taken off guard. “Just a guy from my building.”
For the first time all day, her father looked straight at her. “Oh, yeah?” His