Page 43 of Business or Pleasure

“I need you to get me information.”

“I’m not stealing anything from MIRI for you.”

“I just want info,” he said. “Bank account numbers used for payments, that sort of thing. You should be able to get it. Anyone who can afford a place like MIRI will have insurance. They won’t miss anything.”

I would’ve asked ‘are you serious’ or ‘are you crazy,’ but I already knew the answers to both of those questions.

“I can’t help you,” I said, shaking my head.

“You can.” He took a step toward me.

“I won’t–”

He kept going. “Look, I owe some people some money.”

“You’ve been gambling again,” I translated. “And losing.”

“It’s not like I can go back to what we used to do,” he said.

I gritted my teeth. “You better not be blaming me for that. I kept my mouth shut when I got caught even though you took off. You’re the one who decided it was a good idea to give that interview to that tabloid.”

“I’d just gotten out of jail and needed the money,” he countered. “You refused to work with me anymore.”

“I was nineteen and wanted a real life,” I snapped. “You told everyone I was a criminal. You used my actual name and talked about the fact that I’d been arrested. All of it. And now you want me to feel sorry for you because of it?”

“Not sorry,” he said petulantly. “Just thought you’d understand why I have to play cards to earn money. I mean, you do it too. I’ve just had a run of bad luck.”

If he actually knew me, he would’ve known that, yes, I sometimes supplemented my income with poker winnings, but I didn’t play like he did. I certainly didn’t wager more than I could afford to lose or – as I suspected he did – borrow from the wrong people.

None of that mattered though.

“I’m not doing it.”

“Yes. You are.” He took another step toward me and glared down with what I assumed was supposed to be intimidation.

Unfortunately for him, he never scared my mom, and she’d made damn sure he never scared me. “I’m not afraid of you, you know. And the answer is still no. You can stop asking.”

His face turned red. “You listen to me, young lady. I am your fath–”

“No!” I snapped, my temper flaring to the surface. “You’re not my father. I don’t care that you let me tag along after Mom died, because that was never about being a father. You used me and then when I was in trouble, you left me. You’re here only because you want something from me. You can say father as much as you want, but it doesn’t make you anything more than what you’ve always been. A sperm donor.”

I didn’t wait to see his reaction. My whole life, he never tried to physically hurt me, but he seemed upset, and I wasn’t about to test how far he would go to get what he wanted. I didn’t run, but sure as hell didn’t take my time either.

Once I was inside the lobby, I risked a glance back and saw that Franklin hadn’t moved. His face wasn’t red anymore either. In fact, it kinda looked pale. Like my words hadn’t pissed him off but instead hit something inside him that I hadn’t realized was there.

Twenty

Baylen

Alec was turning thirty-four on Monday. In five weeks, I’d be turning the same, and it hadn’t occurred to me until now. I was leaving my early thirties and heading for my mid-thirties.

Age had never bothered me before, and it didn’t exactly bother me now, but I had to admit that this was the first time in a long time that I thought about it. Thought about where my life was right now and the direction I was going. What my future looked like.

Perhaps what was happening now – my broken engagement, problems with business, coming to Seattle – was fate stepping in and giving me a chance to change the path I was on, to make a better future for myself. A future I wanted, rather than what my family expected of me.

Picking up Harlee as my date to Alec’s birthday party seemed like a good start.

I hadn’t made up my mind what to do about Brigh. It was clear to me she only threatened Harlee to protect me. She saw Harlee as a distraction that could take my focus away from my business. So, when I told Brigh that I was going to Alec’s party, I didn’t mention Harlee, but I certainly didn’t invite Brigh to tag along, either. Brigh said she was making plans of her own. There was this young man she was talking to at MIRI.

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