Trained By Her Daddy by Shelly Douglas
Chapter 17
“Thanks for agreeing to watch a thriller tonight instead of a ghost story, Daddy. Although this series has three seasons…”
“Well, I was thinking we could binge several episodes at a time and finish up with the last season on Halloween. Hey, I hope you don’t mind that I invited Jake to join us.”
“Of course not. You know he’s always welcome,” I said, opening the front door. “Especially when he brings my favorite dinner.”
Jake strutted into the house carrying a paper bag filled with the heavenly aroma of an Asian restaurant. “Are you guys craving wonton soup, spicy chicken with broccoli, shrimp with string beans, Mongolian beef and pork fried rice?”
“I just hope you reminded the restaurant to include chopsticks, because Daddy had a fit the last time they were left out of the bag.”
“Yep. I remembered. Hey, why don’t you take this off my hands, Daddy.” Jake’s grin was mischievous as he handed John the large paper bag and then watched him disappear into the kitchen. “Didn’t you want to watch something on Prime Video tonight, kitten? If you tell me which series you were thinking of, I’ll download it while you’re setting the table.”
“For your information, your dad doesn’t call me kitten…”
“That’s right. I call her princess,” John shouted into the expansive living area. “And I haven’t searched the premise of the series you want to watch yet. Naturally, I’ll need to check out the type of thriller you had in mind.”
There was no way to hide the trepidation in my voice. “It’s called The Fall.”
After downloading the first episode, Jake paused it and made himself comfortable at the table next to me. “Are you sure this thriller isn’t going to give you nightmares, Lori? The lead character is a good-looking Ted Bundy type of serial killer who strangles women in Belfast.”
“No way, kiddo. I’m not at all comfortable with that type of show. Let’s choose something from the Disney channel,” John firmly directed as he served the soup. “I’ll bet Jake hasn’t seen Zombies 2 yet.”
Lowering his spoon into the bowl, Jake cut into a wonton as he smiled. “No, I haven’t had the pleasure, but it sounds delightfully intriguing. What is the age rating for that movie, Dad? Don’t you think watching any type of show with zombies in it will be too scary for her?”
“For your information, Jake, I’ve already seen the movie and the suggested viewing age is eight years old and over. Zombies 2 is a sweet teen romance that offers positive messages about values with the nasty idea of bigotry thrown in from different points of view. The main plotline involves a zombie who had previously suffered prejudice by humans, but this time that character is one of the main perpetrators of the injustice, which shows how harmful discrimination can be. In the end, I’d call it a musical teen romp with mild scares, and the reviews claim it’s more entertaining than scary,” I rambled, knowing it would be in my best interest to quickly circle back to my original series request. “But my new crime fiction novel is set around the city of Belfast, so I was hoping The Fall could help me research accurate locations. Wait a minute, how did you know about my nasty dreams? I thought all information between a patient and her therapist is confidential.”
“Relax, Lori. You of all people should know my father doesn’t talk about personal information that’s been shared with him. I’m only assuming that all little girls have nightmares.”
John’s forehead furrowed. “Just so we’re clear, adults have bad dreams, too.”
“Okay, okay. Sorry, Jake. I guess I’m a bit edgy today,” I said quietly.
Stacking the empty soup bowls, Jake threw a glance my way. “No problem. We’re all entitled to a mood swing now and then. And thanks for the invitation tonight—it means a lot to me to be included in your lives. So, on a lighter note, what’s on the agenda for Halloween?”
John’s eyes glittered as he swerved his neck to face me. “I was thinking that when the kids come to our house for their treats, they’d enjoy seeing us dressed up. What do you think?”
“Sure, I’m game, Daddy. But what kind of costumes did you have in mind?”
Returning from the kitchen, Jake sauntered in with four containers of food, three sets of chopsticks and several large serving spoons. “Hey, how about dressing like a famous couple? I’ll bet Disney has plenty of pairs for you to choose from. Let’s see—there’s Mickey and Minnie, Anna and Kristoff, Cinderella and her prince… but wait… I don’t think there are any Daddy/Little girl duos yet.”
“That’s enough, Jake,” John admonished, casting a stern stare toward his son.
“Come on, Dad. I was just teasing her.”
John’s expression didn’t waver. “Did your mother call me Daddy on occasion?”
“She did. But…”
“In many ways, I was a Daddy to her too. And you know that….”
Turning to me, Jake spoke in an apologetic tone. “I’m sorry for teasing you, Lori. My dad is clearly the head of your house like he was head of the house I grew up in. Wait a minute. Maybe I’m viewing you as the sister I never had. What do you think, Dad?”
“Well, as an only child—you certainly didn’t have anyone to tease.”
As I handed my plate to John for a generous serving of chicken and broccoli, it seemed like a good time to change the channel and close the deal on our entertainment for the evening. “Let’s hurry and finish the rest of our dinner so we can watch the first episode of The Fall. I mean, Jake downloaded it, so it would be such a waste of time if we didn’t see it…”
John exhaled a heavy sigh, and then his slow, deliberate words were delivered with a deep familiar tone that made my core constrict. “Maybe I didn’t make myself clear. You will not be watching that series at all. There are other ways to research locations around Belfast, Ireland.”
As my pleading eyes darted to Jake for help, his arched eyebrow confirmed what I already knew—the time had come to drop the conversation. Because like a baseball umpire, John’s ruling was always his final decision. So, let it be written, so let it be done.