He hadn’t shown up to congratulate me.He’d shown up because he thought he could use me again in some way.How?
I swore under my breath as I realized his angle.He knew I was working at Steele Corporation.
Emerging from my bedroom, I grabbed my purse and one of the sandwiches.
“Make sure you eat,” I said.Then I stopped when I realized how I sounded.When I turned to face Mom, she was watching me with sad eyes.
“I’m sorry.I didn’t mean to sound like that.”
“I know.”
“You’re nicer than I am, Mom.If it were me, I would never forgive him.”
“It was exhausting to hold on to the anger.I didn’t forgive; I let go of the hurt so I could find peace.I hope you can do the same, too, not for him, but for you.”
I nodded and left, not any calmer.
I let go of the hurt…
Yet, I’d seen it in her eyes when he’d mentioned a family dinner.He’d broken Mom in so many ways.I wouldn’t let him break her further.
To stop him from showing up at the house, I needed to find out what he wanted.And to do that, I’d need to go to his dumb family dinner.
In a mood, I parked, slammed my car door, and almost broke the time clock when clocking in at the club.Uncle Jay did a double-take when I stepped behind the bar to help him.
“What happened?”
“He showed up at the house.Thehouse,Uncle Jay.And in front of Mom, he said he wanted a family dinner with me to introduce me toher.”
“Soph…I’m sorry.I never thought he’d go to your house.”
I paused, tying on my apron, and looked at Uncle Jay.
“You knew he was trying to find me, didn’t you?That’s why you suddenly have someone at the door.”
Uncle Jay cringed.“He called, asking for your new number.I said I didn’t have it because I knew you didn’t want to talk to him.”
I briefly closed my eyes and sighed.Uncle Jay hadn’t done anything wrong.Like me, he’d believed Dad would leave Mom alone.After all, she had nothing left to offer him.However, we’d both underestimated my father’s callousness in pursuit of what he wanted.I shouldn’t have.I knew how he worked.
“Did he say why he suddenly wants contact?”I asked.
Uncle Jay shook his head.
I held out my hand to him.Understanding what I wanted, he surrendered his phone and went back to mixing drinks while I scrolled through his contacts.
After my parents’ divorce, I deleted Dad from my phone and got a new number.He’d never once tried to contact me.If he had, I would have known the same way I knew now.Removing him had been symbolic of cutting him out of my life the way he’d cut us.
Unfortunately, he was like a cancer that wouldn’t die.
I found his number, entered his contact info into my phone under ‘sperm donor,’ and sent him a text.
Me:Don’t come to the house again.If you need something, this is my number.Text, don’t call.
I waited, staring at my phone.A minute passed, and I hated myself for thinking he’d bother to answer.Pocketing the phone, I looked up to see who needed a drink next and met Konni’s observant gaze.
He beckoned me closer, and I moved before questioning why or when he’d gotten there.
“You look upset,” he said.“Want to talk about it?”
