Page 81 of Honey Pot

“What do you want?” He set down his pen and turned in his chair to look up at me with his arms crossed together.

“You have the best sleuthing skills I’ve ever seen, and I need to find someone.”

“Cael.” he chuckled. “Did you interrupt my actual adult job with real adult issues to help you internetstalksomeone?”

“Yeah.” I nodded.

“Someone?” He asked.

“Yeah,” I repeated.

“Who’s it for?”

“No one important.” I shrugged and crossed my arms.

“Right,” Silas groaned, closing his eyes, turning away from me, and picking his pen back up. “Get out of my office.” He shooed me away.

“Come on, Grandpa, it’ll take two seconds but I couldn’t find him and I need to know what’s making her so determined to go back to Texas!”

“There it is.” Silas set down the pen again. “This is about Mary.”

“Her name isn’t—” I started but it didn’t matter.

“Please tell me this isn’t a trade-in situation, Cael,” Silas said. “You need to stop using people as distractions when you get itchy for drugs.”

“Aye!” I raised my voice and stepped back. “I’ve been clean since the accident and I’m not tradinginanyone, this isn’t a distraction.”

Silas cocked his head to the side; it wasn’t often I raised my voice to anyone, especially not him or Arlo. Dad was the only one who ever heard that bitter, cold and angry side of me. When I argued with Silas or Arlo, it was playful, it was stupid, but never serious.

Well unless I washigh. “I’m not high,” I said quickly, and pressed two fingers to my chest. “Promise.”

“Were you high the other night when you took Dean and Mary back to the Nest?” He asked me and I suddenly felt like I was being scolded.

“Sober as can be.” I smirked.

“Did you stop to think about how that might affect Dean?” He asked me.

“We talked the morning after, he was fine. He doesn’t care anymore, he sent me on my way and went back to bed.”

“Back up.” Silas shook his head. “You’re telling me that Dean Tucker, the Dean Tucker that takeseverythingpersonally, was hunky dory about you running off the morning after… whatever the hell you three did. And I don’t need details.”

“Shit.” Maybe I should have doubled back. “I fucked up.”

“Have you spoken to him since?” Silas asked in a pensive voice that only made me feel more guilty for not checking in.

“No, I’ve been…distracted.” I chewed down on my lip.

“Listen, I’ll help, but you’re going to have to explain this history to me, your Dad is a brick wall and Mary puffed up like a cornered animal when I confronted her about knowing you both.” Silas shook his head. “So if you want me to startlooking into someone, you need to explain to me what’s going on, and after, you go find Dean and make sure he’s actually okay with everything happening. He’s only got you, Cael,” he warned gently, encouraging me in the right direction like he always did. Effortlessly and more like a father than my Dad had ever been. “Don’t leave him in the cold for your new toy.”

“She’s not a toy,” I warned, my voice skirting that line of playfulness and anger again.

Silas narrowed his eyes on me.

“I’ll talk to him.” I tapped my fingers to my chest to promise.

“Good, now spill.”

I cleared my throat and started from the beginning. “It’s been seven years, my Mom is dead, and she showed up here without so much as a word. The first time I saw her since that night was two months ago.”

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