The phone kept buzzing, and when it started up for the sixth time, I pushed my chair back with a mumbled excuse.
As soon as I was outside the restaurant, I fished my phone out of my bag and unlocked it. Six missed calls, all from a number I didn’t recognize. I was debating if I should call back or wait until after the dinner when the number called again.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Rayna, my favorite sister-in-law.”
My eyes narrowed when I heard the one voice that was always sure to make me think murderous thoughts.
“Garret, what a displeasure. And I’m your ex-sister-in-law.”
There was only one reason he ever contacted me.
“I need money.”
And there it was. I’d never liked him, not from the moment my sister first introduced us. He was a selfish coward, and I wished she’d never made him a part of our family.
But if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have Willa. I loved her with all my heart and would forever be grateful she was in my life. But she was also the reason I would never get rid of him. She would never abandon him, never give up on him, no matter how badly he screwed up. And the last thing I ever wanted to do was let Willa down. So I had to suck it up and be civil to him on the rare occasions we talked.
“I don’t have any money. And even if I did, I would never give it to you.”
This was an old argument that he liked to have every few months. He never gave up.
“Aw, come on, Rayna. Belinda would want you to take care of me.”
Hearing my sister’s name sliced through me like a blade. He was the reason she was gone. And I would never forgive him for what he did.
“She would be horrified if she saw what you did with your life. Now I’m going to forget you ever called and get back to what I was doing. Don’t call me again.”
“I know you got a spot on a reality show, and I want some of the money.”
I pressed my phone to my ear and paced back and forth on the sidewalk . “They don’t pay me to participate. All I get is prize money if I win.”
This wasn’t good. I knew how relentless he was when he thought there was money to squeeze out of someone. My only saving grace was that he was stuck in my hometown, Humptulips, about a thousand miles east of LA.
“We’re family. We’re supposed to help each other out.”
I stopped, my feet refusing to keep moving. “We’re not family. Any loyalty I felt to you died the day Belinda did.”
There was nothing left to say, and I hung up, cutting off whatever bullshit was about to come out of his mouth. Then I turned my phone off, not wanting to risk him continuing to call it.
After shaking out my hands that I had clenched so hard I’d left nail marks, I went back inside. A plate holding an unidentified meal was waiting for me.
I drained half my wineglass and turned my attention to my food. Scraping off the sauce revealed it was meat. After taking a bite, I discovered it was beef.
The conversation flowed around me, but I’d lost not only my appetite but also my drive to make friends. Garret’s words went through my head on repeat. I had to call Willa to make sure she was okay.
At least she had someone who took care of her now. If Garret tried anything, her husband wouldn’t hesitate to put him back in his place. He worshipped the ground she walked on.
“Did you hear about the extra funding they secured?” Philipa asked Charlie. “It was all very hush-hush.”
I finally attempted to participate and lifted my head. I didn’t want to come off as a bitch, after all.
Charlie winked at me. “I told you this show is going to be huge. This is further proof that it’s going to take off. And we’re here for it.”
I couldn’t help but grin at him. He resembled a cute little puppy you just wanted to pat on the head. “‘Believe you can and you’re halfway there.’ Theodore Roosevelt,” I couldn’t help but say. Inspirational quotes were my kryptonite.
“That’s the spirit,” Charlie boomed, then put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me into him.
