“Nothin’ is gonna happen on my watch, that I can assure you.”
“Good. I’ll be in touch.” His hand is on the door and he steps out, closing it behind him.
I stare at the door, an uneasy feeling washing over me. “Spoken like a true asshole,” I mutter.
I’m no closer to Willow, and now I have to make an excuse to be around her so she doesn’t get suspicious. She’ll smell a rat. Willow is smarter than all of it.
It’s gonna fail because it’s a ridiculous plan. And I know I can come up with a better one…
CHAPTER
TEN
Willow
Dinner was eventful until my dad finally showed up, an hour late. He and Max have always had a strained relationship, but it’s never been more present. Max doesn’t take any of Dad’s shit to heart. He’s a free spirit with an open mind, so he never lets stuff get to him — and I can see over the years nothing has changed. Dad may disapprove of his lifestyle, but Max isn’t letting Dad rule his life. Not now, not ever.
“Everything okay?” I ask Dad, noticing how quiet he’s been. Not that it’s unusual, but he’s lost in thought.
“I’m just tired,” he says. “It’s been a long day.”
I nod, glancing at Max, hoeing into some ribs. “Yes, it has.”
“I don’t know why you’re looking at me,” Max says, wiping his mouth with a handful of napkins. “I just got here.”
“Let’s not even get into it,” Dad sighs. “We both know it’ll end in us arguing, and it’s your sister’s night. We’re here to celebrate.”
I frown, looking over at my dad. Is he okay? This isn’t his normal behavior at all. Usually he’s quick to point out what our next strategy is, and how I can improve myself and be a bettercaptain for my team. He notices my stare and his eyebrows shoot up.
“Willow, is something on your mind?” Dad prompts.
I brush it off. “It’s nothing.”
“Speak,” he gruffs. “I didn’t teach either of my children to be wallflowers.”
I steel myself. It’s always hard telling him exactly how I feel. “It’s just you’re not usually so…present.” Well, it’s the truth, and I’ve had a glass of wine.
He tucks back into his dinner. “No offense taken.”
“Dad, you know what I mean. You’re being strangely compliant, and that’s not like you.”
It’s more than he’d normally let me get away with, even as an adult. My father is the strictest man I know, and the fact he’s just sitting here, being this agreeable — knowing Max joined a motorcycle club to boot — makes me think he’s got bad news.
“I have no clue what you mean.”
“Did you get your checkup?” I blurt out. “Because if you didn’t?—”
His eyebrows knit together once more. “Yes, I did, and I’m fine.”
“So, there’s no bad news?”
“No, there isn’t. Now can we enjoy a meal together before I get the Spanish Inquisition on my prostate exam?”
“Ew, Dad.” Max screws up his nose, wiping his hands on more napkins. He’s such a pig. “I’m tryin’ to eat here.”
This is surreal in the most confusing of ways. I’m sitting here not only with my dad but also my long-lost brother, and we’re just acting like we’re the damn Brady Bunch. Like, can someone wake me when it’s all over?
Something is going on. Max just showing up here on my ceremony day, and now Dad? Call it the detective in me, I can’t help it.
