Chapter 5
5
Margot
“ M argot! Margot! It’s one in the morning. Wake up!” Liam’s frantic voice entered her subconscious, bouncing around her muddled head. She hadn’t even drunk that much and yet her head felt like it was splitting in half.
Margot groaned, lifting her palm to her head. “What?”
The bed of the truck shifted and creaked with Liam’s movements. “It’s after one in the morning.”
“So?” She muttered with irritation.
“Your dad said you have to be back by midnight.”
She gave him a dark look. “I’m an adult. I don’t have a curfew anymore.”
Liam didn’t look convinced.
“Seriously, we’re fine. You can take me home if you want, but there’s nothing he’s going to do.”
The drive was short and quiet. She was really starting to regret that she’d slipped that rum into her cup when her lemon water was gone. It had been a knee-jerk reaction to even purchase the stuff, but she’d done it, and now she got to suffer the consequences.
Margot pressed her face against the cool glass of her window for relief. It worked nicely until they drove over gutters or other bumps in the road. When they reached her house, Liam jumped out of the truck and ran around the front. He opened her door, and she snorted at him as she waved him off. “You don’t have to do this. It wasn’t a date.”
For a moment he appeared to be crestfallen. But then a sort of determination crossed his features, and he took her hand in his. “I’m walking you to the door. Just deal with it.”
She wanted to laugh, but she knew if she did, her head would pound that much harder. It was just going to be easier for her to go along with him. His steps were quick, and it was hard for her to keep up with her limp and her migraine, but they made it without mishap.
Almost.
The door swung open, revealing a disheveled and irritated-looking Rhett Bennet. His eyes locked onto Liam. “Where have you been?”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why you care so much. This wasn’t even a real date.”
Liam shifted uncomfortably beside her. “We lost track of time.”
“You don’t have to make excuses. It’s fine.” That last word came out more inebriated than she’d planned, causing her father’s wrath to shift to her.
Oops.
“Are you drunk ?” he demanded.
“It was one drink, Dad. It’s not a big deal.” As she said the words, her father’s face burst into full color.
“Get inside. Now .”
She rolled her eyes once more. “I’ll see you later, Liam.” She brushed past her father, only hearing snippets of his angry whisper as she headed up the stairs to her room. Whatever he was upset about, he’d get over it. He always did. She’d infuriate him in some new way, and he’d shift his focus to that instead.
Margot made it to her room and collapsed on her bed. The soft, cool comforter was a boon to her flushed face. She’d have to make sure to apologize to Liam in the morning when she went to see Prada. He wouldn’t be happy that she bailed on him to deal with her father.
She spread her hands across the comforter and crawled toward her pillows. Her head hadn’t hit the pillow for more than two minutes when the pounding on her door began.
“Margot! Margot Ashely Bennet! You open this door, or I’ll break it down.”
She groaned, placing the pillow over her head. If she’d locked the door, it had been intentional. The last thing she wanted to do was get up and open that door, but based on the fury in her father’s voice, she knew better than to test the limits.
Margot peered through the open doorway and gave her father a sheepish smile. “You really didn’t have to stay up late for me. Liam is a perfectly respectable man.”
Her father glowered at her. “Mr. Keagan is the furthest thing from respectable there is if he thought it was okay to get you drunk.”
Margot’s head reared back, and she gaped at him. “He didn’t get me drunk?—”
“I don’t know what’s gotten into you. What happened to the young woman I raised to be respectable? Where is the woman that was well on her way to being a contributing member of society? What would your mother think if she saw what you’ve become?”
She flinched at that last one. Already, she knew the answer. Her mother wouldn’t have wanted to see the Margot of today. Looking away, she braced herself for the continued onslaught.
“You’ve been here for over a week and still haven’t gotten a job. You haven’t made any plans for your future. I’m tired of being your safety net. You can’t continue to lean on me. It’s not healthy.”
She looked up at him. “What are you saying? You’re going to cut me off? You can’t do that. I have my trust. It’s mine.”
“You’re right. You have your trust. But it will get depleted in no time, given how much it costs to take care of that horse of yours. Mr. Callahan’s services aren’t cheap.” He crossed his arms, a weariness mingling with his rage. “As of now, I’ll stop paying for Prada’s care. I’ve already called Zeke. He’s aware of the situation, and he’ll give you until the end of today to find a new place to put her.”
“What? You can’t do that.”
“It’s not my horse. You were right. I might not be able to follow through with selling her, but I don’t have to continue feeding and caring for her. That’s your responsibility. We’ll see how far you get without a job.” He spun around and headed down the stairs, leaving her in stunned silence.
This was probably the only time Margot would get permission to drive one of her father’s cars. He’d offered to get her one when she started working for him, but that never happened. The interior was all leather and pristine. She wasn’t even sure it had been driven before. The smell alone made it feel like she’d driven it right off the factory floor.
She couldn’t bring herself to exit the vehicle to go speak to Zeke. He scared her just like her father did—probably because she hadn’t been the best influence on his daughters in high school. While she and Grace had been friends, she’d never managed to get Grace to do anything that was inherently bad. Grace was good through and through.
That didn’t stop Zeke from passing judgment. Margot wasn’t good enough to befriend his daughters, and she wasn’t good enough to live under the same roof as her father.
The more time she spent seated in the car, the more she realized that she wasn’t going to get anywhere by sulking. Her father had laid down the law. It hadn’t taken him long to do so, and honestly, she shouldn’t have been surprised.
Maybe she’d be able to convince Zeke to keep Prada for a couple weeks while she looked for a job.
No, she knew better than that. Margot wasn’t going to go job hunting any time soon. She still needed to wrap her head around the fact that she would never dance again. She glanced down at her ankle and rotated it around a few times. It ached, but no more than usual.
Heaving a sigh, she climbed out of the car and headed for the front door of the house. It was still early, but there were vehicles parked out by the barn. People were up and working. She wouldn’t be waking anyone.
If Zeke wasn’t in the house, someone would be able to tell her where he was. She’d made it halfway when she realized she hadn’t even checked the mirror to make sure she was presentable. Oh well, it was too late now.
Margot lifted her hand to knock, but before her hand made contact with the wood door, it opened, revealing the oldest Callahan daughter. She was several years older than Margot and probably the most like her father.
She seemed surprised at first, then glanced over her shoulder. “If you’re looking for my dad, he’s not here.”
“I was actually.”
“You might try the barn.” There was something in her tone that rubbed Margot the wrong way. She should have just let it roll off her back, but something inside her snapped.
“You don’t have to talk to me like that. You’re not perfect yourself, you know. I heard all about that pregnancy scare.”
Adeline’s brows shot up and her cheeks flushed. It had been years ago, but Margot had heard the whispers. The people in town had made their assumptions—albeit quiet as they were. Adeline folded her arms over her chest and her eyes narrowed. “I beg your pardon?”
“I can hear the judgment in your tone. You’re not little miss perfect either. We all have skeletons in our closets.” She could have brought up the stories she’d heard about Brielle, too. The second in the Callahan line had her own problems. But thankfully, Margot’s tongue behaved. “I’m just going to ask for an extension for my horse, then I’ll be out of your hair.” She turned in search of Zeke, but Adeline’s voice caught her attention.
“You’re not going to get it,” Adeline snapped. “We don’t do that kind of charity.”
Margot froze. She didn’t know what Adeline had heard via Zeke. The temptation to turn around and fling insults roared within her. Internally, she didn’t feel like she measured up, but she refused to let anyone see that weakness.
She spun around and lifted her chin. Her eyes sparked with fury, and she opened her mouth, but a hand grasped her wrist and tugged her a few steps away.
“Margot, what are you doing here?” Liam’s eyes darted up to meet Adeline’s, then swiftly returned to Margot. “You said you were coming to see Prada, not instigate a war.” That last sentence was whispered. She could almost imagine him blaming her, asking what had gotten into her. Instead, he wheeled her away, offering a smile to the woman who had refused to help.
“She’s being a brat,” Margot said with a huff. “She’s trying to say that I can’t keep Prada here for a few extra weeks until I get things figured out.”
Liam frowned. “I thought your dad pays for her care.”
Margot looked away.
“What happened last night?” he asked. “Is everything okay?”
She shook her head, feeling the burning emotion rise up in her throat. “Nothing is okay.”
He glanced around. “So, you have to find another place to take Prada?”
Margot nodded. “I don’t suppose you know of anyone who would be willing to help?”
Liam pressed his lips together firmly, then gave a sharp nod. “I have an idea.”
Relief washed over her, and she lifted her moist eyes to him. “Really? Who?” She didn’t dare hope that it was a sure thing. All she needed was a few weeks to get her head on straight. Any little bit of help would be appreciated.
“Do you have a trailer? Or do we need to borrow one?”
The look she gave him must have been enough. He nodded again, then grasped her elbow and propelled her toward where the horses were being boarded.
“It’s going to take me a few minutes to get the trailer hooked up to my truck. I’ll let Zeke know that I’m taking Prada somewhere else. You go get in your car and follow me out. Think you can manage that?”
She nodded soundlessly. Once again, Liam had come to her rescue. This was the kind of guy girls swooned over—not because of his muscles or his chiseled features, but because of his heart. A fleeting thought popped into her head as she wandered to her car. Liam could be a guy she could fall for—if he wasn’t so out of her league.