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He drained his scotch and called the bartender over for another. “Today, for the first time in a long time, I saw my daughter’s smile not as bright as it usually is. I saw her mope through meetings and eat lunch at her desk instead of going out with her colleagues. That’s not her. That’s the result of this.” His finger traced the air between us. “Prior to today, I’d never seen her happier. Hell, I thought it was her job that was giving her that smile.” He paused. “Now, I know it was you.”

I was silent for a few moments before I said, “I won’t hurt her.” I halted and then added, “You need to know that Jo’s safe with me.”

That was a promise I’d never intended on making, one I’d never even contemplated before.

But I could say those words to Walter and mean them.

“You bet your ass you won’t hurt her.” He gripped his cup like it was a gun. “I’ll hang you by the fucking balls if you do.”

I took a breath. “Walter, you can trust me. I know that’s easy to say from this end, and given what you