Page 52 of Unleashed

“Yes,” I mutter and cross my arms. I want to change my shirt, but as much joy as it brings me to annoy Finn, it’s double the glee to piss off my father.

He looks around as he removes his gray trench coat. He’s always worn one and had at least five when I lived with him. “Where should I hang my coat?”

I take it from him and go to the closet. I grab a hanger but knock it onto the floor. As I bend to pick it up, he says, “I notice you’re not wearing a wedding ring, Simone. Care to tell me why not?”

I put his coat on the hanger, but it slides off. I growl as my mind scurries for a story. When I rehang his coat, I shut the door and turn around, leaning against it. “I don’t wear it to play softball.”

“But you’ll wear another ring?”

I rub my fingers over my mood ring. “It doesn’t... It’s not... I don’t want to damage my wedding ring.”

Dad nods, and I relax until he asks, “Where is your groom? I don’t see any evidence he cohabitates with you.”

“He’s with a friend. I’ll meet him for practice. We play on a softball team together.” He nods again, but nothing ever good comes from him agreeing to shut me up. “Finn is our coach.”

His cynical smirk irritates me. “I heard he fathered a child and got married. With the same woman?”

I frown. “Yes. Hadley. They were together a long time before getting married.”

“With his career on TV, I assumed he bedded a different woman every night and would never marry.” Dad purses his lips like he knows a secret. What the fuck? He hasn’t lived with or seen Finn in years. Finn always avoided my dad when possible. I wish I could have too.

“Finn was never like that. People always assume the worst of him. I was with him when he met Hadley. She stole his heart at first sight and was it for him. They’re two of my all-star people.”

“But I don’t make that list?” He arches a gray eyebrow, and I adjust my pigtails to avoid him seeing my shaking hands.

“Of course you do.” Not. He nods again, and I cross my arms. “How’s work for you?”

“Delightful,” he says in a monotone. “Am I allowed to darken more than your doorstep? You see me as the Prince of Darkness. Am I right?”

“No.” I clench my jaw as I motion to the living room. “I can stay for five minutes, but I have to go to practice.” Like, desperately.

“I can accompany you to practice. I look forward to seeing Finn.” My brother would skin me alive if I brought Dr. Garrison. Dad sits down on the couch with a subtle look of disdain. “Your mother didn’t include a housekeeper when she financed this apartment?”

“I don’t need one.”

Again, he quirks his eyebrow. I focus on an empty chip bowl on the coffee table, most likely sending him into a blinding rage. My place may be a little untidy, but I’m no pig.

“Tell me about your husband. Craig, isn’t it?” He’s doing that on purpose.

I clear my throat, and my mouth goes dry. “Greg.”

“What does he do again?”

I shoot him a look, but he lobs his own, and I lose. Nervous, I give up staring at the bowl to braid part of a pigtail. “He works at a gas station.” Why in the fuck did I say that?

“Pardon?”

I drop my hair and speak slower. “He works at a store that sells gasoline.” I don’t want to tell Dad about Greg being a paralegal or going to law school. Fake or not, I didn’t marry Greg for the money he’ll make.

How in the hell am I getting out of this? I can’t tell my dad I lied to him. I’ll lose more than the bonus cash. He’ll yank all my school funding. It’s better to tell him the truth that Greg and I didn’t work out than from someone else or from doing damn research.

I need to get to Finn first.

And then...Greg.

“What is his ethnic background?”

“Why?” I ask, growing angrier that I allowed him through the door.

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