“No.” She shakes her head. “She definitely didn’t know. Did we know?”
“I figured it out in high school, I think,” I admit to her. “We were so…” I snap my fingers to think of the word.
“Manipulated,” she offers and I shake my head.
“Brainwashed,” I correct and she shrugs. “Gaslighted is another word.”
“Why are we talking about this?” she asks me. “We all got out from under him.”
“Because he died,” I snap.
“What difference does it make?” she questions me. “She met him six months after Dad died. She was lonely and Dad did everything for her, so she had no idea what the fuck she was doing. I love her, but she was a bit of a space cadet. Meeting Mac, she changed to make him happy, and along the way we changed also. The good news is, we all got out of it. Why are you bringing all this up again?”
I can’t even begin to understand it. The last thing I want to do is tell her for the last week my head was all over the place, thinking about Lexi and wondering when she became who she is. Why she was so nervous when Trent was around and thinking about her reactions after he called her at the baby shower. “I don’t know, maybe it’s being home and shit.” I get up. “It’s fucking with my head.”
“Well, don’t come over here and yuck my yum.” She takes a sip of her coffee. “It took me a year to come to terms with the fact that it’s okay to cry when you aren’t feeling well.”
“I’m sorry, I should have?—”
“You had no idea either. We grew up that way. I guess it was sort of cult-like. Worshipping him and making sure we never triggered him and always did what he said.”
“Probably is,” I agree. “I’m going to meet with the kids and then I have a meeting with the fundraising committee. Want to have dinner with me at my house?”
“Yes, I would like that very much.”
“Love you,” I tell her and she smiles.
“I love you more.” I turn and make my way toward the pediatric wing. Spending an hour with them, I take a couple of pictures, less than last time, which is what I like. I get to color with one of the girls. My phone buzzes in my back pocket, telling me my meeting is going to start in five minutes.
When I walk out of the pediatric wing, I stop when I see Lexi’s husband standing with a woman. He smiles at her, unlike the way he was smiling with his wife. The two of them share a laugh, and she turns her head to the side bashfully. “I only speak the truth,” he says to her and then he looks up and spots me. His smile goes tight and he gives me a short nod, and I totally look the other way going to the elevator.
I press the button, waiting for the elevator to get there. “You seem to be all over this place,” a grating voice says and I turn to the side, seeing him standing there, his hands in the pockets of his white jacket. I see his name stitched on the side of it, Dr. Trent Yoder.
“I don’t know about that, Trent.” I use his name, knowing he probably wants me to call him Dr. Yoder. “I’m just here for the summer. In a couple of months, it’ll be time for me to head back to LA.”
He doesn’t say anything else as we both get into the elevator. He’s a touch shorter than me, and where I’m buff and toned, he’s lean. I press the second-floor button while he presses the first. Neither of us says anything to each other until the doors open, and I’m taking a step out. “Say hello to my wife for me.”
I turn and smile at him with a little smirk. “Oh, I will,” I assure him, fucking with him. His eyes go into slits before the doors close. “Asshole.”
I make my way over to the conference rooms, seeing a couple of guys lingering outside. I introduce myself to them and they are all athletes also. There are four golfers, which is normal for this area. Two guys play for the NFL, and two are tennis players. I’m the only hockey guy here, again making me wonder why Lexi’s family isn’t more involved.
I look over and see Cheryl walking with Lexi at her side, the two of them talking about something. Cheryl looks over and sees us standing here. “Now if this isn’t the hottest bachelor auction, I don’t know what is.”
My eyes go to Lexi, who walks over to a couple of the golfers. “Hi,” she says, kissing one on his cheek. “How are you? How is your sister, Bernetta, and the kids?”
“Good,” he replies. “How is Trent? I haven’t seen him at the club in the last couple of weeks.”
“He’s so busy,” she praises him, and I almost roll my eyes. “He was in New York at a medical conference last week.”
“Busy man,” he says.
“Shall we get started?” Cheryl urges us inside the conference room. “I know how limited your time is.”
I wait for the other guys to head in and then I follow, stopping next to Lexi. “Your husband says hello, by the way.” I look at her and her mouth opens and, fuck, if she’s not the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. If there was someone who would ask me who the perfect woman is, I would say her. “I saw him in the elevator on the way down.”
“Oh,” she says, “thanks.” I nod at her and walk into the conference room, sitting in one of the empty chairs closest to the door. Cheryl sits in the chair beside me while Lexi walks to the other end of the table. “Thank you all for coming, we won’t take up much of your time.” She smiles and sits down right when there is a knock at the door.
Trent sticks his head in. “Sorry to interrupt,” he says with a smile, and seeing a couple of the golfers he gives them a chin up as hello. “I need to borrow my wife. I forgot an important file at home and I’m about to do rounds, so I was hoping she could go home and get it.”
