A girl can dream, right?
Right now, though, I’m reminded of how self-absorbed my parents are. Doubt swirls inside me, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to create the big reunion I’ve been wishing for. I let out a sigh. “I have to go, Mom.”
“Okay. I really wish you’d told me you’d be away. I hate cancelling with the Beauforts.”
“I did tell you. Multiple times.”
“Goodbye, honey.” The phone clicks, and I close my eyes.
My parents are infuriating. They’re self-centered, and they’ve been too wealthy for too long. They have inflated egos and warped values.
But they’re my parents. I still want to bring Sawyer and Lucy back together with them. I want to at least try to have a relationship with them. I want a family. Parents included.
But first, I have to take care of Lucy and Sawyer. I need my brother and sister beside me.
My eyes drift over to the small bouquet of roses Nadia gave me, and my resolve strengthens. I’ll go out with Nadia tonight. If anything, it’ll be a good place to get more information on Sawyer’s whereabouts.
If Benji shows up, who cares? I don’t owe him anything, and I’m sure as hell not going to tiptoe around his overinflated ego.
I need to keep my focus on what’s important: my family.
5
Benji
When I walk into the Blue Cat bar, I almost turn around and walk right back out again.
She’s here.
Invading my turf. Turning my world upside down. Storming the castle gates and making herself at home, looking like a goddess while she does it.
I wish she wasn’t so beautiful. It would be easier to hate her if her smile didn’t light up the room.
Rae’s eyes are drawn to mine. We stare at each other across the bar, tension rippling through the air like pulsing sound waves. Her smile fades, and her eyes harden.
I can’t blame her. I didn’t exactly give her a warm welcome.
Why would I?
She bought out the one place I’ve been able to call home. Stole my career plans right out from under my nose.
I take a seat at the bar, staring straight ahead. I refuse to look at her, even if she’s sitting with Nadia and a few other people, all fawning over her. She’s holding court, regaling them with whatever bullshit happens to be coming out of her mouth. They might fall for her rich-girl charm, but I won’t.
I’m here to get some answers from the guy who sold out. The man I used to think of as a father figure.
I down a beer in four gulps, nodding for another.
A hand claps me on the shoulder. Harold slides onto the bar stool next to mine, nodding to my empty glass. “Slow down, Benny-boy. Life isn’t that bad.”
Harold has a new haircut and a crisp shirt. I look him up and down, frowning. “What if it is?”
“You never know when an angel will drop out of the sky to make it better.”
I grunt, accepting another beer from the bartender. Harold orders his own. He glances at me, and I can’t quite meet his eyes. He lets out a sigh. “I’m sorry, Benji. I am.”
“Don’t be. Everyone has a price.”
Harold winces, and I regret my words.
“I know we talked about you taking over,” he says softly. “That doesn’t have to change. You can still run the garage, even if the Montgomery girl owns it.”
“We didn’t talk about me running the garage, Harold,” I say, keeping my eyes on my drink. “We talked about me buying you out.”
“Use your money on something better.”
“What’s better than owning my own business?”
“Lots of things are better than an old garage, Benji. Do something you want to do. You’ve saved money. You’ve worked for it. Use it for something else.”
I didn’t work for all of my money, I almost say. There’s a million bucks in an account with my name on it, and even though it sickens me to use it, I always thought I’d give it to Harold. It felt right to take money from my sorry excuse of a father and give it to the man who’s always treated me like a son.
I won’t get to do that now.
I finally turn to stare at Harold, with his clean fingernails and fresh haircut. Sadness covers him like a blanket, and he puts a hand on my shoulder. “Louise died four years ago, Benji. Four years I’ve been living in a dream, getting out of bed just to chase the grief away. I lost my wife, but I can’t lose everything. I can’t lose my own life. I need to get out of this town. I bought an RV. I’m going to drive until the road ends.”
“What if the road ends here?”
“Well, then I’ll be back.” He smiles. “But I doubt it.” He stares into my eyes, gulping. “Forgive me, Benji. I didn’t do this to hurt you.”
“How much did they give you?” My words are hard. Eyes are harder. I don’t care. The dark part of me wants to hurt him, because he’s abandoning me just like everyone else. He’s leaving me behind for greener pastures, not caring that I loved him with all my heart. He gave me hope that I could have a better life, and that there were people out there with integrity.
He was a father to me. He and Louise—they were everything. They took Sarah and me under their wing when our drugged-out mother skipped town. Harold and Louise gave us things we thought we’d never have.
Hope. A family. Love. A future.
Now, he’s snatching it away again in the name of a fucking RV.
I take another gulp of beer, loving the bitterness of it as it coats my mouth. It suits me.
“Mr. Gilles?”
We both turn to see Rae standing behind us. She shines there, in all her glory. Long, brown hair down to her waist. Thick, black lashes. Lips I’d love to destroy.
That open, honest
