Chapter 14 #2
I laughed bitterly. “Not just hate. He’s made it his mission to send them to hell, his words.”
“I already can’t stand your father.”
I took another bite of food. “Take a number. That’s why I’m not currently speaking to him.”
“And I don’t blame you. So, what happened last night and don’t tell me it was a typical skating event. I know you too well already.”
“Well, I did meet someone.” I knew she wouldn’t let the subject die one way or the other. Why was my face on fire? Why?
“Ooh-la-la. A hockey player?”
“Oh, hell, no. If I’d met a hockey player, I would have beaten him upside the head with a hockey stick.” Every drop of wildfire heat was replaced with an icy chill.
“Okay, confess. Why do you hate hockey players so much? Did you date one at some point?”
“Are you kidding me? Not a chance.” The real truth wasn’t much prettier.
“Okay, then what?”
Leaning forward, I scanned the lounge to ensure no one was paying any attention to us. “My sister was once engaged to a hockey player from the Jacksonville Jets.”
“Is she married? You never told me much about her.”
I laughed, suddenly losing my appetite. “That’s because my sister and I are like oil and water. She’s been engaged to six guys. Six. Every sexy guy in the world wants to be with her so she’s very… picky. Even after breaking their hearts, she kept all six rings.”
“Wow. I don’t know what to say.”
“She felt she was owed. Now you know why we don’t get along very well.” Had I been jealous of her growing up? Yes, but not for the reason of all the boyfriends she had from the time she hit puberty.
“I think I get it. What happened with this hockey player?”
“The dude came onto me one night, trying to pretend that he thought I was Delaney. It was a big mess. She blamed me. His team had a field day making fun of the situation.”
Her mouth was slightly open. “Ouch. Do you even talk to your sister any longer?”
“Not if I can help it. However, she got her just dues. It wasn’t two months and he was found in bed with a chick.”
“Oh, I remember reading about that. The dude was kicked off the team, wasn’t he? Didn’t he beat some guy nearly to death?”
“Yes, but that’s not why he was axed. My father is a very powerful man who has no qualms about getting what he wants, no matter the lengths he’s required to go to. Ruined the guy’s career. I think he’d flipping burgers somewhere now.”
“Wow. Your father sounds like a piece of work.”
“He is happiest when tormenting someone.”
She took a sip of her drink. “But not all hockey players are bad news.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll reserve judgment. Every player I’ve met is nothing but an arrogant bastard. And no, the guy I met drives the Zamboni machine. He’d talented in both the machinery and on the ice.”
“Oh, wow. Okay. What happened? Don’t you dare leave anything out.”
I tried to concentrate on my salad, only providing her with a brief answer.
Maybe I was embarrassed. “I taught him how to skate. He won a bet, so I had to go out with him and one thing led to another. We had a nice evening. It’s over.
Nothing more.” I glanced at my watch. “I better get back to class.”
“Oh, no, you don’t. What happened? Since your face is the color of my crimson blouse, you can’t lie to me. I’ll know it.”
“Let’s just say I took you up on your suggestion. Leave it there.”
“Oh, my God. You slept with him.”
Oh, how awesome. There wasn’t a teacher inside the lounge who hadn’t heard her exclamation. “No, I did not.” I was a terrible liar mostly because my face had already turned beet red and there was no doubt the shade covering my skin was extra crispy.
She winked and both of us giggled as if we were kids. “You did. You little wench.”
“Well, you did tell me to let go and enjoy an adventure.”
“I did indeed. Good girl. How was it?”
I rested my chin on my hand as I thought about him. “Well, at first since he ran over my flowers at my house, I was ready to rip him a new one.”
“What? Oh, this had to be good. Every detail. Come on.”
“Let’s just say I sprayed him with water, which prompted mud.
Then we wrestled, which turned into mud wrestling and one hot kiss.
Then he left and I thought I’d never see him again only for the Zamboni driver to use the big piece of machinery to try a little figure skating.
Then I fainted and he scooped me up in his arms. We argued when I realized who he was.
Then he demanded I go out with him, which prompted me to slap him, which then caused him to call his mother so she’d tell me that he wasn’t a bad guy and that she could tell he was sweet on me.
So then we went for a drink, which didn’t last long before we came back to my place. ”
She took a sip of her drink and the can almost slipped from her fingers. “Wow. That’s amazing. Why did you faint?”
“Yep, and I was just a little hot. No biggie.”
She squeezed my hand. “Are you sure that’s all it was?”
“Of course. Stop worrying.” I was doing enough of that for the both of us.
“O-kay. If you say so. How many times did you… You know?”
“Several.”
“Wow. Does that mean you’re going to see him again?”
“No. Just a one-time thing.”
“You’re a brat. And after all that? Come on. What’s his name?” With the wicked smile on her face, I could tell she was way too happy.
“Why, so you can contact him?” I tossed out.
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not like that. Just curious.”
“Danny. Danny Wright.”
Why did my phone need to ring right now?
“Well, maybe you’ll change your mind. He sounds like he’s willing to do anything to get your attention.”
As soon as I yanked the phone into my hand, I groaned. Nothing could stop the agonizing sound.
“What is it?” Tawny asked.
“My mother to ruin my decent mood. I better take this, or she’ll hound me all day long.” I took a deep breath before bothering to answer. I couldn’t remember the last time we’d had more than a fifteen-second conversation and I wasn’t in the mood to break the streak. “Yes, Mother.”
I figured she’d call since I didn’t answer the phone when my father had.
“Christine. You don’t need to talk to me that way, young lady.”
“Mother. I’m working. I’m at my job. Some of us need to work instead of shopping all day long.
” Both my mother and father came from money.
They’d both been born with silver spoons in their mouths.
That didn’t make them better people than everyone else, although they certainly thought of themselves that way.
“You know you don’t need to work. If you’d just…”
While I bristled, she didn’t bother finishing her sentence. If she had, I would have ended the call, refusing to talk to her again for another four months or longer. That was the way of our relationship and would never change. She and Delaney were exactly alike and very close.
I was the bastard child my mother wished had been born into another family.
Fine by me.
“Well, it’s neither here nor there. I’m calling to let you know what time dinner is on Friday.”
“Dinner?” I laughed. “Mother, you do realize I no longer live in Jacksonville and have my own life now in Tampa.” There were more days than not I’d wished I’d taken a job across the country.
“Your father was supposed to call you.”
“He tried but didn’t leave a message as usual.” Not that my father would. We were definitely oil and water, our beliefs completely different. “And I’m busy just like he is.”
“This is important family business. You must attend.”
I almost hung up. “What family business?”
“For one thing, your sister is engaged.”
I burst into laughter. “What is this, the seventh time?”
As expected, my mother was annoyed. “You have no right to make fun of your sister! Besides, she assures us this one is the right one and we’re already planning the wedding. So this is a celebration of her upcoming nuptials.”
“What else?” I could tell she was hiding the real reason.
“Your father has an important announcement and he deserves to have your presence every once in a while. Besides, your father’s birthday is on Sunday.”
“If you think I’d stay through the weekend, you’re wrong. I have a life.”
“Doing what? Grading papers for delinquent, vagrant children?”
I sucked in my breath to keep from telling my mother off.
Tawny could obviously hear my mother’s loud voice.
I bit my tongue until I tasted blood. “Mother, the children I teach are our future leaders. They are highly intelligent, extremely talented kids who just happen to come from normal families. Not like the plastic version I grew up in. So don’t you dare get on your high horse.
I’d rather spend time with my kids than some trumped-up people with lots of money but no class. ”
Tawny sucked in her breath and I couldn’t help but tell I suddenly had an audience. Fantastic. Just what I needed. “You go, girl,” she said quietly, pumping her fist in admiration.
I rubbed my hand through my hair, shaking from anger. The sudden silence on the other end of the phone likely meant my mother was ready to explode. Go for it. I hadn’t enjoyed a knock-down drag-out fight with my family in months. I was long overdue.
“Please come to dinner, Christine.” Hearing the change in my mother’s tone knocked the wind from my sails. “It would mean the world to Delaney and to me as well. You’re part of the family. I know we haven’t always gotten along and I want to change that.”
Uh-huh.
While she sounded sincere, I couldn’t say anything. At least at first. Not until I’d counted to ten. “Why?”
“Because I need my daughter here. Both daughters. We’ve grown apart and I don’t like how we ended our last conversation. Because I worry about you. Because I’d like to see you. Do I really need a reason?”
With my eyes narrowed, I pulled the phone away from my face, staring at the screen. Had I just walked into an alternate universe? I must have for my mother to be begging. “Is there something going on I should know about?”