If Genevieve’s dad is involved with him…
“What kind of a father knows about Myrddin and still lets his kid walk into a snake pit like the Lye?” I ask.
“I said he was in shit with him, not that he’s on a know-everything basis.”
“So how doyouknow?”
Art taps his fingers on the chair’s arm and flashes me a grin. “Because I’m charming and people like to tell me things.”
“People like Brutus Myrddin?”
He exhales, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Benny told me, okay? Brutus was asking him questions about Ginny. He was giving me a heads-up.”
“That’s why Benny was here?”
Art gives a quick chin jerk.
“So move her into the mayor’s mansion with you. Your dad’s a dick, but he’d protect her if you pushed.”
“It’s not that simple.”
It is, but okay.“You’ve gotta make a choice here. You either want your father’s approval, or you want the girl. Fuck him if he doesn’t like her. What’ll he do, disown you? That’d be the opposite of his obsession with you presenting as the perfect family.”
“Yeah, it just…needs to be the right time.”
I laugh, throwing my head back.
“What about this is funny,dick?”
“Nothing,” I say, pressing my lips together to hold it in. “It’s just so ridiculous. Both of us out here acting like we get a say in our lives, but still terrified of our fathers.”
His brow furrows, but the corner of his mouth lifts. “We agreed to never say that out loud.”
“Which part?” I chuckle again.
“Listen, I’m aman, okay? My father wishes he could be as fucking loved as me.”
“Mmhm.” I nod along. “Probably as humble too, right?”
Now Art does crack a smile. “What can I say? It’s a gift.”
The laughter fades between us.
“How do you know she’s not a plant?” I ask.
“Her dad’s a lawyer, not a Fed.”
“And you don’t know what kind of trouble he’s in?”
Art lifts a shoulder. “I don’t want to freak her out by bringing it up, you know? She’ll just lose it and run back to Boston.”
The way he says it feels clinical, but I know Art better than I know myself. He’s scared if she leaves, she won’t come back.
He groans, dragging a palm down his face. “She’s probably outside the door listening to us.”
“Support for the whole ‘she’s a plant’ theory.”
“You’re not helping.”
