Page 95 of Rosie and the Beast Next Door

“You say you love me, but I don’t know what to believe.”

It took everything in me not to stroll out and push Orin against the wall for this manipulative bull.

“I do, Dad. There should be more tonight.”

“I hope so, baby girl. I really hope so.”

I stepped back into the store closet when she rushed in so she couldn’t see me, and I backed into someone already hiding in there. “Move out of my way, Savage,” Jules Forrester growled.

I’d faced down some of the most intimidating people alive, but I quickly moved away from Jules.

“Is that my father?” He bit off every word through teeth gritted so tightly the muscle in his jaw bulged.

I nodded.

Jules stormed toward the door, and I followed. Even though it was misdirected and undeserved, Rosie loved her father, and she wouldn’t want Jules to hurt him. And based on Jules’s expression, he was definitely rearing for a fight.

Orin had disappeared into a shadowy patch of dense trees, but it only took a few long steps for us to catch up with him. The dirt path was muddy from the drizzle of rain we got earlier that day. Jules reached out and grabbed Orin’s arm, yanking him to a stop, and they both skidded in the mud. I grabbed Jules’s arm to keep him from falling. I let him go as quickly as I could but stayed close.

“What are you doing here, Orin?” Jules said.

Orin shook his arm free and stepped back. “I’m not allowed to visit my daughter?”

“Not when you’re only here on a grift,” Jules growled.

“You and your brothers have kept me from Rosie long enough.”

Jules barked out a humorless laugh. “For her own good. And we were right to do it. The first time you can make contact with her, and you’re taking her money?”

“You wouldn’t understand.” Orin turned to take off, but I positioned myself behind him, so he was caught between me and Jules.

“Is this all about money?” I asked him.

“Of course not. Ilovemy daughter. I just needed a little help, and none of my sons would do it. It wasn’t even worth asking them.”

“So if I gave you money to leave town, you wouldn’t take it.” I shouldn’t tempt him like this, but I’d come across so many men like him—ones who’d suck you completely dry for their own purposes and show no remorse when they abandoned your empty shell.

“You’re that hockey player who’s been hanging around my girl. The one that was in the news.” He sized me up. “How much are you talking?”

My stomach plunged with disgust. “How much do you want?” Rosie would never forgive me for this. But I couldn’t let him stay here, manipulating her into giving him more and more money, either. For all her saltiness, Rosie was a softie at her core. And she wanted so much for her dad to love her. It was going to destroy her if he left town without saying goodbye.

“No way.” Jules came around to stand next to me and face his dad down. “This is a family problem.” He took out his wallet and pulled several hundred dollar bills from it. “Take this and go.”

Orin sneered at the cash. “No.”

Jules took a credit card from his wallet and flicked it at Orin. “This has a twenty-five thousand dollar limit. I’m cutting you off once it’s spent.”

Orin stared at the credit card in his hand. “I really do love Rosie.”

“So do I.” Jules folded his arms and waited.

Orin stuck the credit card in his pocket and with a final glare for both of us, strolled away.

“How long has he been hanging around for?” Jules asked.

“Since I got back to town last month,” I said. “I don’t know how much longer before that.”

“She’s going to be devastated.” Jules sighed. “She was so young when he left. She doesn’t remember all the promises he broke or all the times he drained the account from every penny Mom had saved, then took off and left us scrambling to eat and keep a roof over our heads. He knows just what to say to make you think he’s changed and that you’re the villain for not believing him.”

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