Chapter 4 #2
I wanted to kick him, even as she nodded without returning the sentiment.
As soon as I heard his car start, I picked up the cake and threw it in the garbage.
“Sophia…”
“Don’t start, Mom. I’ll never forgive him for the way he treated us.”
“Honey, he had every right to pursue his happiness.”
I walked away, too angry to argue.
She saw what he did as pursuing his dreams, which, in a way, was what he’d done. But it was how he’d done it—the way he’d used me as a bargaining chip to get more of the company from my mom—that earned my hate.
And why had he wanted the company? All because he wanted to look good to pursue some old-money woman for her connections.
Because that’s who my dad was. A user. Through and through.
He used Mom’s skills to build a successful business, then pulled the rug out from under her feet and used custody of me to manipulate her into giving him more of the company than she should have.
He hadn’t shown up to congratulate me. He’d shown up because he thought he could use me again in some way. How?
I swore under my breath as I realized his angle. He knew I was working at Steele Corporation.
Emerging from my bedroom, I grabbed my purse and one of the sandwiches.
“Make sure you eat,” I said. Then I stopped when I realized how I sounded. When I turned to face Mom, she was watching me with sad eyes.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like that.”
“I know.”
“You’re nicer than I am, Mom. If it were me, I would never forgive him.”
“It was exhausting to hold on to the anger. I didn’t forgive; I let go of the hurt so I could find peace. I hope you can do the same, too, not for him, but for you.”
I nodded and left, not any calmer.
I let go of the hurt…
Yet, I’d seen it in her eyes when he’d mentioned a family dinner. He’d broken Mom in so many ways. I wouldn’t let him break her further.
To stop him from showing up at the house, I needed to find out what he wanted. And to do that, I’d need to go to his dumb family dinner.
In a mood, I parked, slammed my car door, and almost broke the time clock when clocking in at the club. Uncle Jay did a double-take when I stepped behind the bar to help him.
“What happened?”
“He showed up at the house. The house, Uncle Jay. And in front of Mom, he said he wanted a family dinner with me to introduce me to her.”
“Soph…I’m sorry. I never thought he’d go to your house.”
I paused, tying on my apron, and looked at Uncle Jay.
“You knew he was trying to find me, didn’t you? That’s why you suddenly have someone at the door.”
Uncle Jay cringed. “He called, asking for your new number. I said I didn’t have it because I knew you didn’t want to talk to him.”
I briefly closed my eyes and sighed. Uncle Jay hadn’t done anything wrong. Like me, he’d believed Dad would leave Mom alone. After all, she had nothing left to offer him. However, we’d both underestimated my father’s callousness in pursuit of what he wanted. I shouldn’t have. I knew how he worked.
“Did he say why he suddenly wants contact?” I asked.
Uncle Jay shook his head.
I held out my hand to him. Understanding what I wanted, he surrendered his phone and went back to mixing drinks while I scrolled through his contacts.
After my parents’ divorce, I deleted Dad from my phone and got a new number. He’d never once tried to contact me. If he had, I would have known the same way I knew now. Removing him had been symbolic of cutting him out of my life the way he’d cut us.
Unfortunately, he was like a cancer that wouldn’t die.
I found his number, entered his contact info into my phone under ‘sperm donor,’ and sent him a text.
Me: Don’t come to the house again. If you need something, this is my number. Text, don’t call.
I waited, staring at my phone. A minute passed, and I hated myself for thinking he’d bother to answer. Pocketing the phone, I looked up to see who needed a drink next and met Konni’s observant gaze.
He beckoned me closer, and I moved before questioning why or when he’d gotten there.
“You look upset,” he said. “Want to talk about it?”
My frustration collided with how much I really wanted to lean in and kiss Konni in a way that would end with both of us in bed, breathing heavily.
“I’m having Daddy issues. Want to help me with that?”
I watched the big man’s eyes dilate, and I would have sworn the temperature around him spiked hot enough that the air around him moved like there were heat waves.
Whether my perception of his interest in me was real or fake didn’t matter.
All that mattered was my interest in him and my need to forget my life for a few hot minutes. Or, if I were really lucky, an hour.
“It could be fun,” I said. “You could spank me and tell me I’ve been a bad girl.”
He blinked. Slow. Sensual. It wasn’t a “come get me,” though. It was more like “I’m under her spell,” which couldn’t be right.
He had to have women tripping over themselves to fall into his arms.
“Yes or no?” I pressed.
“I’m not sure if I’m supposed to take what you’re saying seriously,” he said after a moment. “You seem angry. Did someone offend you?”
“You were supposed to say, ‘Any time. Any place. I’m yours.’”
“I was weighing the odds of that resulting in a slap. The odds weren’t in my favor.”
I grinned, unable to help myself.
“You’re pretty smart, but it might have gone the other way.”
He sighed. “That seems to be my luck. If you ever reissue the invitation, I’ll be sure to answer correctly.”
“You’re a smart man. Why can’t they all be like you?”
“It would be too dangerous for women everywhere.”
I laughed, and he grinned.
“What can I get for you tonight?”
“Whatever you feel like making.”
“Something sweet for a sweet guy,” I said before making him a tequila sunrise.
He accepted it with a smile and handed over a twenty without me asking.
“You do know I’ve been overcharging you for drinks, right?”
“It’s not an overcharge,” he said. “I value your time.”
He was so smooth that my insides were melting dangerously.
“Only twenty?” I managed to ask.
“I feel like this is another test where I’d get slapped if I offer more for more time.”
Flirting with Konni would pull me under if I kept going. Under him. And I wasn’t sure I would only want one night. The magnetic pull I felt for him was dangerous. Too dangerous.
He was dangerous. And so damn tempting.
Turning away from him, I put the money in the till and went to fill the next drink order.
He stayed longer than usual, nursing his drink and meeting my gaze every time I glanced his way. He was waiting. For what, I didn’t know. And I knew better than to allow my curiosity to find out.
He disappeared with the thinning crowd, leaving another twenty, which I pocketed with zero guilt. The note he’d written on a napkin made my heart beat just a little faster.
I’ll see you tomorrow.
~K
Despite knowing he would spell nothing but trouble for me, I was looking forward to it.
The vibrations from my watch woke me at nine, much earlier than I usually set it after working until close. However, I had plans for my Saturday morning, which included a much-needed shopping excursion downtown.
I sat up and looked at the deposit bag filled with my tips on my nightstand. Three-quarters would go toward my student loan payment for the month, and the rest would be spending money.
Excited by the prospect of a new top for work, I got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. On the way, I heard paper shuffling from the kitchen and a sound I hadn’t heard Mom make since the divorce—a sigh full of both despair and resignation.
Concerned, I veered and went to the kitchen.
Mom sat at the table, her back toward the hallway, as she flipped through papers and entered numbers into an old-fashioned calculator.
Bills. Several of them had “Over Due” in bold at the top.
The amount showing in the calculator was concerning when she finally stopped entering numbers. But not as concerning as the notice sitting next to the calculator.
I reached around her and picked up the past-due mortgage letter.
Mom yelped and slapped a hand over her heart as she twisted to look up at me.
“I didn’t know you were awake,” she said.
“And I didn’t know we were in this much trouble.”
“We aren’t,” she said. “I just fell a little behind when I lost my last job. This one’s stable, though, and I already have a plan in place to catch up.”
“In seven days?” I asked, pointing to the deadline on the paper. Then I pointed to the calculator. “All of it? Are you selling a kidney or something?”
She sighed and motioned for me to sit.
“I’m not trying to pay it all in seven days. I’m just trying not to lose the house.”