“…hear you study law at Harvard.”
My head snaps up, pulling me from my thoughts. “Sorry?”
“Your father mentioned you study law at Harvard, that’s impressive,” one of the council member’s wives says from across the table.
“Oh, actually I don’t—”
“Kaia is taking a short break at the moment for personal reasons, but I’ve spoken with the President of the school, he’s a good friend of mine and he’s excited to welcome her back. She’ll be heading back next semester, isn’t that right?” my father interjects, his eyes shifting across to me.
I’m stunned. Slack-jawed.
What the fuck?
My heart pounds in my chest so hard I can hear it in my ears. I knew my father was a bastard, but to go behind my back and to put me on the spot like this in front of his colleagues issomething else. He’s challenging me, I can see it in his face. He’s daring me to say something, assuming I won’t.
He assumed wrong.
“That’s news to me, seeing as how I quit.”
His face doesn’t change but I see the shift in his eyes, I’m an expert at reading them because I’ve had years and years of practice. He’s both angry and surprised I called him out rather than stay silent.
Across from me my mother takes in a deep breath, knowing the shit storm this is going to cause when our guests have gone because there’s no way the wrath I’m facing will come while he’s got an audience.
His face morphs into a smile, though the look in his eye never changes. “We can discuss it later. I must’ve forgotten to mention it earlier, I’ve been so busy,” he laughs off, his eyes moving around the table.
“What exactly is there to discuss, Father? I quit,dropped out.”
My eyes find my mother, her gaze fixed on the plate in front of her, ever the silent, meek little mouse my father wishes I would be, but that’s where his power and luck run out, because I’m not doing it anymore. I’ve been playing along to his tune my whole life.
That ends now.
“As I said, we’ll discuss it later,” he repeats, shifting the conversation back to politics and I remain silently seething in my seat, and every now and again, I can feel the heat of my father’s glare searing into my skin.
Two excruciatingly long hours later, everyone has gone homeexcept for the Sheriff and his wife who are still sharing a drink with my parents while I wipe down the kitchen, doing everything I can to avoid being in the same room as my father.
How dare he take it upon himself to contact the president of my school, re-enrolling me without my knowledge?
I scrub at the solid marble worktop, so lost in my thoughts that I don’t hear my mother and Susan enter the kitchen behind me, so when I turn on my heel, I slam straight into Susan, the contents of her wine glass spilling down the front of my dress.
Susan gasps. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry!”
I stare down my dress, the dark red stain soaking through the fabric. “Don’t worry, it’s not a big deal. I’m just going to go change.”
I rush out of the room and head through the hallway, my attention snagging on my father’s voice as I pass by his office on the way to the stairs.
“…need this handled, now,” I hear my father say.
I’ve eavesdropped plenty over the years, but a lot of my father’s work is boring and so I’m not exactly sure what makes me stop this time when I hear him speaking. My footsteps slow as I lean closer to the door.
“Agreed. We can’t allow them to continue,” Sheriff Collins says.
“Nice work on the girlfriend by the way, couldn’t have done it better myself. Too much of a liability having one of theirwhoreson the force,” my father spits.
Oh my God…
Allie. Myles’ fiancée.
My dad was part of the reason she was suspended.
