“I don’t think so, Dad,” Logan said, shaking his head. “I need to be here.”
“You don’t trust me with your girl?”
“No, I don’t. I don’t trust what you’re going to say to her.”
“I’ll be good,” he wheezed. “I promise.”
I didn’t want to be here at all. I wanted to be at work, and then I wanted to be at home, with my mother, who was going to put together a Christmas puzzle with me. The puzzle was of five cats in Christmas clothes.
I was also looking forward to the annual O’Donnell Christmas Monster Cookie Decorating Contest.
It would be at my aunt Debbie’s, as usual. It was another tradition. Other, normal, families baked sugar cookie reindeer, wreaths, stockings, and Santas, but not us. We baked and iced Christmas cookies that looked like monsters, then voted on our favorite. The person who won was crowned Monster Cookie Winner for the year. Plus, they earned bragging rights.
“It’s okay, Logan,” I said. “It’s three minutes.”
Logan looked back and forth between his father and me, wary and suspicious. “Dad. I’m going to tell you right now. You are not to say anything that would be evenslightlyoffensive to Bellini.”
“I won’t. Out you go.”
Logan didn’t want to leave. He has a stubborn streak, which I highly admire. “Go,” I said. “It’s fine. He’s on oxygen. If I have to, I can outrun him.”
Logan reluctantly left. I heard the back door open and shut, his footsteps swift.
When he was gone, Drake removed the oxygen mask and stared at me with his beady eyes. He was exhausted. Sick. Half in the grave. “You kept our deal.”
“There was no deal,” I told him.
“Yes, there was. I told you to stay away from Logan so he could have the future he deserved.”
“You told me more than that.” Rage surged through me while pain emanated from deep in my soul and spread throughout my body, as if I were being hit by splintering metal. I tried not to hate him, because I shouldn’t hate anyone, but it was hard.
“I did. I wanted him to go to that college on the East Coast. He worked hard. He endured a lot because of me. He lost his mother. He deserved to go.”
“He did endure a lot because of you. You were way too tough on him. You’re an alcoholic, and a mean one at that. After Laina died, everything got worse for Logan. She wasn’t here anymore to run interference or protect him from you.”
He hung his head. “You’re right. I won’t deny that Bellini.”
“There’s more, Drake. Why don’t you admit it? Have you conveniently forgotten?”
“No, I haven’t.” He closed his eyes before opening them, saying, in a trembling voice, so weak, but still loud somehow, “Itold you that if you married Logan, I would sell the land to a builder who would build condos on it.”
“That’s right. You did.” My voice was laced with disdain. “This is his mother’s land, not yours, and you had no right to threaten to take it away from Logan and sell it. You threatened me. You broke Logan and me up. You had no right to do that either.”
“He does love it, but I couldn’t have an O’Donnell marrying him and taking our land, which is what your family has done to Hamiltons for years, including the land my father left me.”
“Our families fought, years ago, about land and water rights. In the past. However, we didn’t take your land, Drake. One of your relatives lost his parcel because he was arrested for multiple assaults and went to jail and had to sell the land. My family bought it. Another one of your upstanding relatives went bankrupt from gambling debts and sold another piece of land to us. Your own father sold fifty acres to my grandfather because he wanted to buy an expensive sports car he’d seen in a movie, which he promptly crashed. We didn’t steal your land.”
“That is not what happened.” He sucked in oxygen. “Your family took advantage of mine. Took the land for a cheap price when we were down and out and desperate. And you went to court for my water rights.”
I waved my hand. “They were our rights, which is why the judges always ruled in our favor. Drake, I’m not here to listen to this.”
His shoulders slumped as the flames in the fireplace danced. I couldn’t wait to leave. I stood, and he waved a hand as in,Sit down.
“Please, Bellini. Sit. Indulge an old and dying man.”
I sat. Surely Logan would be back soon.
“I’m curious, Bellini. You never told Logan that I told you I would sell the land if he married you. Why?”
