“He loves you, Rainey. He’s just looking out for you,” Dad says.
“Yeah. He loves me so much I’m sure his first call was to Jack. To get him all worked up and pissed off at Lucas.” I curl my hands around the granite counter’s edge.
Dad shakes his head. “You had to know this relationship would come with… complications. But not from me.”
“No?”
“As far as I’m concerned, Lucas grew up. Changed. Became a decent man. Everyone has a past. It’s what you do going forward that matters.”
I let out a relieved breath. “I knew it,” I say out loud.
Dad rises to his feet. “You mentioned some other things. Like party issues? And Adamthreatening you?” His voice rises with that last one.
Oh damn. I rambled on so much about Lucas, I revealed things I meant to keep to myself. I put my hand on his arm. “Dad, it’s all being handled.” Not that I think mere words will calm him down.
“By you. And you want to be independent and take care of things yourself,” he says, repeating words I’ve used with him before.
“Not just by me. By me and Lucas. Like I said, he’s handled Adam and you know he had the broken window replaced for me. And the other stuff involves some missing merchandise and swag, but I’m making things work. It’s going to be a great party. I promise.”
He runs a hand through his hair and groans. “Is that what you think I’m worried about?”
“Yes?”
“No! I’m worried about you!” he yells, just as the door sensor beeps and my mother walks through the side door by the kitchen, grocery bags in hand.
“What is going on? I can hear you yelling outside!”
Dad paces the floor and turns to Mom. “My daughter just let it slip that she’s having issues with that jackass Adam again, and with missing merchandise and orders. On top of the brick through her window that was never resolved. And she thinks I’m worried about the party. I’m worried about her!”
Mom places the grocery bags on the counter and walks over to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Ian, take a deep breath and calm down.”
To the surprise of no one who knows the effect my mother has on her husband, he listens. He draws a deep breath and lets it out. There’s a reason we call her theIan Whisperer.
“Good.” She looks at me and winks. “I’m sure Rainey has things under control. Right, Rainey?”
I nod. “Right. I told him Lucas and I are handling things.” If Dad knows about Lucas, I have no doubt he told Mom, who pretended she didn’t already know.
“See? They’re handling things,” Mom says. She glances at the table and narrows her gaze. “You’re drinking coffee, Ian? Is it regular or decaf?”
“I made it and it’s regular. Why would Dad need decaf?” I ask, suddenly worried about my father.
Dad shakes his head. “Riley, we agreed to keep that quiet!”
Mom winces. “Sorry. I slipped. Your father has high blood pressure, but he’s on medication and he’s fine. But he’s calmer without the caffeine.”
“Dad! We need to know these things. Do my brothers know?” I ask.
“No!” my parents say at the same time.
Well, that’s good. At least I’m not the only one in the dark. “Dad, no more caffeine for you.” I pick up his mug, walk to the sink, and dump out the contents, then rinse it with water.
Dad looks at me, a small smile on his face, then turns and gives Mom the same half grin. “You two. My head is spinning. And, Riley, you didn’t react to the news about Adam, which means… you knew.”
“I knew,” she admits. “But this is why we didn’t tell you. You’re upset and we didn’t want you to…”
“Get all protective,” I say. “I knew you’d be angry that I’m dealing with him, but the museum exhibit for the team is an amazing idea, so it was the right thing to do. It’s not my fault Adam is the curator. Besides, Lucas was the go-between. Everything’s fine. I might have gotten Adam fired for being a disrespectful, rude jerk, but other than that, it’s all good.” I spread my hands out in front of me. “See? Handled.”
Dad turns to my mother. “Why did we have so many children?”
