Barber rolled his eyes. “What happened that has you all twisted up in knots?”
“A bunch of stuff.” I kicked at the ground with the tip of my shoe. “It doesn’t matter. Ren was there. I’m fine.” I really wasn’t okay in my head, but physically I wasn’t any worse off than yesterday.
Barber walked over and squatted in front of me, taking me by surprise. He took the opportunity to be a fucking dick and ruffle my curls, and I shoved him, but he kept his balance and hopped to his feet. “You don’t sound fine.”
“Yeah. I would’ve thought you’d be over the moon.” Sophie tapped my dad’s ring with a significant widening of her eyes. “Right? All you ever talked about was him getting out of prison and all the things you would do together when that happened.”
“Meeting him....” I stared at the way the flames burned brilliant blue right above the coals beneath the logs. “It wasn’t what I imagined.”
Barber picked up a stick and broke it in half, then tossed a piece in the bonfire. “Oh, Oli, no. Don’t be this way. Cain was just in prison. You gotta let a man settle in before you get his good side.” He tossed the rest of the stick in the fire and sparks flew into the sky, which had darkened to an inky black speckled with stars while I wasn’t paying attention.
Quain wandered over to stand just outside the circle of chairs. “While it pains me to admit it, Luke is correct. I have been led to believe there is an adjustment period after returning to everyday life from prison. And he was in there for a long while.”
I wanted to ask how he knew that info, but I figured I might not like the answer. It wasn’t as if gossip didn’t make the rounds. Frustration nipped me. How did I tell the people closest to me that my father wasn’t even happy to see me? He didn’t give a single shit about me? And I spent so much time wondering what he would think about my life choices. I should’ve been more concerned with whatIthought about the life I was living than him.
“I really don’t want to talk about it,” I snapped, then took a deep breath. “Soph, what do you want to do that isn’t being a doc? I mean, that’s a big shift.”
She rested her elbows on her knees and cupped her cheeks, mumbling something.
“Come on.” Barber rubbed her back. “Tell us. What made you change your mind? I know you didn’t get bad grades, so that couldn’t be it. You’re smarter than three people.”
She sighed and sat up, scraping her blond hair behind her head like she was going to put it in a ponytail. She watched the flames dancing toward the sky, then sighed and let her hair cascade back down to her shoulders. “Youcan’tmake fun of me.”
Everyone chuckled because that meant this was definitely going to be something good.
“Guys!” she hissed. “No!”
“Sorry. No promises.” I held up my hands in her direction.
She smacked my thigh and it stung, but talking about her problems was helping me ignore mine, so I didn’t care. “I decided to volunteer at a hospital. They need all sorts of people, you know?”
“That’s good.” Quain walked closer and smiled at her. “Gives you a taste of the atmosphere and the work. Very smart.”
She pointed at him with both hands. “That’s what I thought!”
“Was someone mean to you?” Barber’s nose piercing glinted in the firelight as he pounded his palm with his fist. “Uncle Errol and me will set ’em right. You don’t even have to ask.”
From nearby, Errol and KC both set down trays loaded with steaming meat. I couldn’t even see everything there, but the smells wafting toward us were fatty and wonderful. My mouth watered.
“She tell you yet?” Errol bellowed with amusement. He crossed his arms.
“I was getting there, Dad,” she murmured and sent him a dark glare.
“Well?” Quain asked, and he didn’t make a show of it like Barber had, but I got the idea he would help beat someone up for her, too. His jaw fluttered. “Was someone a problem?”
She tilted her head back to stare at the stars. “I was helping with the kids. It was going fine. I was handing out stickers and distracting them from shots. Then....”
Everyone leaned toward her, even me. I couldn’t help it.
Errol snickered, and she carefully raised her hand and flashed him the middle finger.
I snorted.
“Then,” she said, slowly shaking her head. “One of them threw up.”
“Ew!” Ren said from beside me, a mask of horror etched onto his face.
I giggled, and he kicked my foot lightly with his. I hadn’t noticed him sneaking up beside me.
