I barely hold back my grimace of disgust. And I can’t help but say, “I left you with plenty. If you managed to spend all the money I earned you over the last decade, then that’s your fault, not mine.”
“Do not talk to me like that, girl.” My dad points his fork at me.
Girl.
Girl.
Girl.The word roars through me, again and again.Like I’m nameless, unimportant,nothing.Like I’m not his daughter, his flesh and blood.
“Fuck you,” I hiss.
It’s the only time I’ve ever spoken to him like that. The only time I’ve ever said the word fuck to them, too. I watch it land, watch surprise, and then anger take over his face. I hear my mom gasp, shocked by my ire.
“You think you can speak to me like that?” My dad pushes out of his seat, and looms over me, his face red, his hands gripping the edge of the table, like he’s moments away from using them against me.
It’s the one line neither of them has ever crossed. Physical violence. They’ll connive and coerce and manipulate, belittle and yell and hate, but only with their words. Never their fists.
My dad lets go of the table and leans in. I force myself to meet his gaze. If he’s going to hit me, then I’m going to defy it. He starts to yell in my face, rage coursing through him as he spews his vicious, hateful words at me. I don’t let them land. Don’t let them register.
“Fuck. You.” I repeat the phrase, unable to hold it in. Unable to play the nice daughter, the nameless, unimportantgirl, any longer.
And then, suddenly, my mother is between us. She gently pushes my father back, and he sways on his feet, and then lands in his chair.
“Now is not the time, Richard,” she murmurs. “We agreed Winsome could have her trust fund in exchange for working for us.”
“She still can’t talk to me like that.” He sounds like a petulant child, and from the look on my mother’s face, she feels the same.
“There will inevitably be some growing pains as our family comes back together. Let’s give Winsome some space to figure things out in this new chapter.” She shoots me a saccharine smile, and I nod.
“I’m tired,” I say quietly. “I’m going to sleep.”
“Of course.” My mom’s voice is soft, almost sweet.
I get up from the table and leave without another word.
Upstairs, I climb into bed, pulling the covers up and over my head, cocooning myself. I’ve never seen my mom defend me like that. She’s never chosen me, her child, over her husband. She was probably trying to get me to trust her with that little show of support. I don’t believe for one minute that they plan to let me have my trust fund, not in the long term anyways. As soon as there’s something big they need money for, whether it be a new car or a vacation rental or a kitchen renovation, they’ll be asking me for the money.
My mom just wants me to stay. She wants to ensure that I do as she says, that I keep working for the “family business” like a good girl. And I will, just to keep Jonah safe. But I didn’t realize how dangerous coming back here might be.
I make a mental note not to be alone with my dad.
45
JONAH
The next day,Candice and I show up at the airport, determined to get to Alabama and to Winnie by that evening. But nothing seems to work in our favor. Our flight to Denver, where we’ll connect, is delayed for hours, and then finally canceled. We sit in the airport waiting on standby for the next one, but don’t end up getting seats. We finally make it onto the last flight of the evening, which will mean we have a five hour layover before getting on a plane to Birmingham tomorrow morning.
By the time we leave Montana, my nerves are shot. By the time we get to Denver, I’ve spiraled back into anger, and have come up with more than one creative way to end Winnie’s parents. By the time we get to Birmingham, Candice is about ready to throttle me from annoyance.
“Oh, no, no, no,” she says, plucking the rental car keys out of my hand. “I’m driving. Not you. You shouldn’t be operating heavy machinery right now.”
“You hate driving,” I grumble.
“Sure, but I’ve been working on that with Nathan recently, and I’d pick me over you right now in a heartbeat. I slept like a baby on both flights. Did you?”
I shake my head. I haven’t really slept since I found out Winnie left, over twenty-four hours ago.
“Sleep on the car ride there. They’re in a suburb outside of the city, so you’ll have time.”
