Chapter 50

I couldn’t face the party.

I wasn’t sure I’d have been able to handle it, even at the best of times.

But I was feeling completely spent. Part of it was relief that the school had finally opened, and gone well.

Part of it was the pregnancy exhaustion.

Some of it was my increasingly confusing feelings about Hunter, and about Adrian.

Then there was Maya and her new position.

And of course, there was the disaster of what my father and brother had done.

I didn’t think I was going to be able to make small talk at a party while wondering what to do about money.

As I drove into their neighborhood, I felt a sudden twinge of envy for people who enjoyed going home for a visit. I was driving into the neighborhood I’d grown up in, toward my childhood home, but no part of me felt nostalgia or excitement. The streets were nondescript. The area wasn’t affluent, but it was a step above dirt poor. The homes weren’t trailers, but they were modest.

There was a big difference, though, between the ones that looked loved and cared for and lived in, and the ones that didn’t.

Ours had always been the latter.

Since my mom had died when I was young, and it was just my father, no one had ever cared about trimming the trees, or planting flowers, or cleaning out the gutters, or repainting the shutters.

It had just gotten worse over the years since.

I noticed that there were no lights on as my car crunched on the gravel driveway. I pulled just far enough in that my door wouldn’t open into the chain link fence, but no further. I didn’t want to get any closer than I had to.

The fact that there were no lights didn’t necessarily mean there was no one home. My father was a drunk, and he could easily be sitting and swigging vodka with the lights off.

I wondered if my brother was here, too. James had a place of his own—a dicey apartment—but he spent much of his time here.

I waited, I wasn’t sure for how long, to see if anyone moved, and to collect my thoughts.

Finally, I walked up and pounded on the door, looking around to make sure I was alone.

No one answered.

I waited a few more minutes, but slowly walked back to my car.

I should have realized.

They’d just gotten a huge amount of money.

Of course they weren’t going to be sitting around at home. They were obviously at the casino, drunk and high and losing the money as quickly as they’d stolen it from me.

I seethed.

I slammed the door of my car so hard after getting in that it made my teeth rattle. I thought about driving over there, but picturing myself walking through the dark, smokey interior and feeling the dated, squishy carpet beneath my high heels made me feel sick to my stomach.

I drove to the pack house instead.

I hadn’t realized how late I was. Only a few people were still lingering and chatting over drinks, so I saw them right away.

James and my dad.

It was jarring to see them here, when I’d just been picturing them falling over themselves in the casino.

It was also strange to see them holding classy champagne flutes, rather than fifths of vodka. They were tucked back into a corner, leaning over their glasses and looking only at each other. But they made a beeline for me when I walked in.

I could smell both their breath as they got close. There was plenty of vodka under the champagne. They were disgusting.

My anger boiled over.

“What the hell are you doing here? How do you have the gall to turn up here after what you’ve done?”

“What we’ve done?” My father said. “You’re the one who’s off living the high life here with champagne and giving us nothing. James told me that he came to you asking for a job and you sent him away without anything.”

I felt my mouth open in appalled indignation. I glared at my brother, who was looking down into his glass.

“Without anything?” My voice sounded shrill. I hated it, but I also couldn’t help it. I sensed both Hunter and Adrian noticing what was happening and moving closer. “I gave him a check, which is obviously gone already since you stole grandmother’s money. And he didn’t ask for a job, he asked for status for nothing. I’d give him a job if I thought he could be trusted to do it. Obviously I can’t.”

James looked up at me. He didn’t even have the courtesy to be embarrassed.

“Whatever, sis,” he said. “I saw Hunter earlier. We all know he has more than he knows what to do with. Just ask him for a little money to top us up and we’ll be on your way. I know you’re not the favorite anymore, but you can work hard and make it worth his while, right?”

I blanched, disgusted at what my own brother was insinuating.

I heard footsteps, and suddenly Adrian was right beside me.

“Can I help you gentlemen?” He asked smoothly.

“I don’t know, can you?” James asked. I noticed for the first time a slight slur in his voice. He wasn’t the drunkest I’d seen him, by any means, but he was buzzed, at least.

“We’re here for money,” my father continued. “It looks like you two are close, so if you can help us out with that, then we’ll just be on our way.”

My father’s tone was completely steady. But that didn’t mean anything. He’d been an alcoholic for long enough that liquor seemed to have very little outward effect on him.

Adrian nodded.

He glanced over at me.

“Yes, I think I can—”

No. I couldn’t let him do that. Not for me, and not for people who so fully didn’t deserve Adrian’s charity.

I couldn’t believe their audacity.

“I need you both to leave. If you do it now, I’ll sort something out for you.”

They must have heard the truth in my voice.

That, or they just knew I was a pushover and that the money was coming one way or another.

They left.

I exhaled fully, for what felt like the first time in hours.

I nodded faintly to Adrian. I mouthed the word “thank you” as I left, but I felt weak. No sound came out.

I stepped out onto the porch to call grandmother. I needed to hear her voice, know that she was okay.

“Grandmother,” I said when she answered. “I’m so sorry—the facility called, then dad and James came to the pack house. I can’t believe they got into that account. Don’t worry, thought, I’ll sort it out before the deadline.

“Never mind me, dear” Grandmother said softly. “Are you okay? I’m sorry they turned up there. Did they ruin your event?”

“No, it’s okay, I’m just stressed about this and I don’t want it to upset you at all. I promise I’ll make a big deposit in time for next month’s rent.”

I swayed. I was exhausted. I needed to finish this call and get up to bed. My neck was cramping, too.

“I don’t need to be in such a fancy facility,” Grandmother continued.

I switched the phone to my other ear, bobbling it as I did.

I startled as I realized I’d switched the phone to speaker and the voice came out of it loudly.

“Besides, you need that money to raise the pup. I’ll be fine.”

I flinched and glanced up. Adrian was on the other side of the porch, staring straight at me.

He’d heard everything.