I was a fool to think that she could let those old feuds go. Hell, I was a fool to think that we had anything.
Harper stalks up to me, bristling. Her finger slams into my chest. “I don’t believe for one second that you did this to get our store away from us. She doesn’t really believe it deep down in her heart. But your father was pretty damn convincing and she doesn’t trust herself enough to know he was full of shit.”
She tosses her head, her hair flying into my face. “You need to get this fixed with your dad and then with Fee. Because we both know that you two are in love with each other.”
Her eyes soften and there’s something sad and lonely hidden in the depths that are so damn like Fee’s that my heart clenches.
“Don’t let someone else fuck up your fairytale, Monroe Stephens. I understand he’s your father but there’s something that’s eating him up from the inside and he’s slowly losing it. I’m not sure anybody can help him. “
“But you don’t need him to destroy your life a second time. I know that he messed you and your brother up…”. She holds up a hand when I open my mouth. Closing it, I wave my hand.
“Go find your dad and get that whole shitshow taken care of . And then find my sister and make this up to her before I lose my patience and go find my bat.”
She turns on her heel and flops down at a bar stool behind the counter. “I’m gonna stay here and watch the store. If youwant me to keep an eye on yours, I will. But I think that you might as well leave it closed for now.”
Nodding my head, I pull my phone out and call Fee but she doesn’t answer. Glancing over at Harper, she makes a face. “Yeah. You’re not gonna get off that easy.”
Turning on my heel, I stalk out the door. I don’t know what that old bastard’s doing out of the hospital. But I know damn well how bad he can be.
He’s burned me so damn bad. Just like usual.
And I’m fucking sick of it. Dragging me into his trouble without even asking me what the fuck I want.
“I want Fee,” I mutter under my breath.
Heading back to my dad’s place I growl under my breath. That fucker has crossed another line. Just like he always does. He doesn’t give a damn about anybody but himself and I’m done with it.
Done with him.
Slamming through the door, I bark, “Dad, where the hell are you?”
“I’m in the kitchen. What do you want?”
“Nothing. I just need to talk to you.”
He comes out of the kitchen and flops down in his busted old recliner with a beer in his hand.
“Should you be drinking that when you’re on medication?”
“I don’t give a shit, Monroe. I need a drink. I had to deal with those bitches this morning while I was lookin for you.”
Slamming a chair down from the kitchen, I force myself to sit. “Yeah. I heard about that. And don’t fucking call them bitches.”
His lip curls. “Should have seen the look on that woman’s face? I think she’s actually in love with you! Pretty sure you could do damn near anything you want and she’d go along with it. I’m gonna get my store for sure.”
“Not with my help, you’re not. I don’t know why the hell you think that you can fuck up my life like you fucked up your own. I love Fiona Murphy. I’m gonna marry that woman one of these days. And nothing you do is gonna fuck that up for me. If I have to…I’ll help her win against you. I just don’t know why you can’t just accept the fact that I’m going to be with her and learn to live with both of them. Harper and Fiona are actually really wonderful women. If you got to know them, I know that you’d realize it.”
“Not going to happen,” he sits forward and hisses, slamming his beer on the arm of the chair.
“Then I don’t want a damn thing to do with you. And if you harass the two of them about that damned space for your store, I’m gonna report your ass to the sheriff.”
“You wouldn’t. I thought I was coming here to help you out because you need to retire. Not this whole scheme of yours, yet again, to try and get the space for your store. It’s not gonna happen so you might as well give it up.”
“Never.”
“Well then, I’ll start looking into getting you removed from the property.”
“You can’t do that.”
