Page 100 of Not A Chance

“How do you know I love him?” I had barely admitted it to Theo. I hadn’t been brave enough to tell my friends how deeply I was invested in my relationship.

“If you think a single thing is a secret in this house, you’re dreaming, my friend. The twins and I were sitting at the top of the staircase while you and Theo exchanged ‘I love yous’ on Christmas morning. Chase had a bag of treats, keeping Giz quiet.” She grinned while Abbie broke out in giggles.

Embarrassed, I actually blushed for the first time in forever. My cheeks heated, and little prickles formed at the back of my neck as I thought about the three of them, plus dog, eavesdropping on the most important moment of my life.

“You guys are theworst! I’m not even sure I can be associated with you anymore.” My tone was horrified, but I was only half-mad.

“Welcome to the family!” Emery cheers’d me with her ice coffee cup. “Plenty more privacy invasions where that came from.” She grinned.

“Not that that wasn’t the best thing I’ve heard all year,” Abbie laughed, as if it wasn’t like less than a week into the new year, “but to bring us back to the task at hand. I hate to push you on this, but I don’t think you can sit on this thing your father is trying to do. You might lose Theo in the process. Is your inheritance really worth that?” Her expression had lost all its mirth.

“No,” I answered immediately and then gasped. Shit! I hadn’t even had to think about it. Theo was more important than any previous dream, I realized. A life with him was my new dream.

“But what about all the kids I could help? If not me, then who?” My heart felt heavy with selfishness in choosing love over making a difference to the kids I’d witnessed needing more help.

“Does it have to be all or nothing?” Emery asked, settling her elbowson the table and propping her chin on her hands. “You’ve been a volunteer tutor since high school. What is the best thing about that?”

“That’s easy. Seeing a kid break through an obstacle that they thought they couldn’t.” My reply was instantaneous.

Emery nodded. “So is dumping ten million dollars into this huge undertaking the only way to help kids do that? What about teaching?”

“Yes!” Abbie practically vibrated in her seat. “You would be an amazing teacher! You’re sooo patient with the kids. Not to mention, you have that effortless ‘cool’ factor that kids just eat up. Just by being yourself.”

“Teaching?” I hadn’t ever considered it before. Something warm expanded in my chest, relaxing my tense muscles and allowing my breath to come a little easier.

What was I really trying to prove by being so stuck on this one idea? Did I really need my inheritance to make a difference?

You’re trying to prove you’re not your parents while still trying to impress them at the same time.

Oh god, I was, wasn’t I? That thought made me sick. My parents didn’t even care about doing good in the world. They used charities as tax write-offs. It stung more than a little that even after a lifetime of never being there for me, I still secretly hoped for their approval.

And now, they wanted to use me as a tool to further their ambitions with Robert Fairbank’s senate campaign.

“Shit, you’re right.” I scrubbed my face with my hands. “I gotta go. I need to confront my father and tell him that there is no way in hell that I’m going along with this any longer. What was I thinking this week?”

Abbie gave me a soft smile. “It’s pretty hard to say no to our parents, even when they haven’t treated us well. My therapist says it is totally natural to still want their approval. But I think you’vefound something you want more than that now, right?”

I nodded, unlocking my phone to order a rideshare. I had to deal with this right now.

She was right. I wanted Theo more than anything.

I let myself into my parents’ house, pleased that they hadn’t changed the codes. I didn’t feel the need to give my father any warning of my arrival.

There was no stopping me now that I was sure of what I wanted. I didn’t stop to knock on his office door, knowing he’d be working since it was early evening.

The sound of the door had him looking up from his computer, an annoyed frown on his face.

“Indigo. What are you doing here?” He leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed.

“I’m not doing it,” I spat out angrily.

I could feel my heartbeat in my throat, almost like I could choke on it. Not once in my life had I talked back to my father. First, I kept myself under the radar so that I could survive unnoticed until I was old enough to move out on my own. And for the last seven years, I’d sat in this office four times a year, letting him criticize even the most inconsequential things in my life.

But I was done.

“What exactly aren’t you doing?” His tone was sharp, warning me to tone down my attitude.

“I’m not going along with this insane scheme of yours to gain political favors. I won’t be seeing Julian again. Hell, you probably sent me to Toronto just so I wouldn’t hear any of thegossip about this so-called engagement you cooked up with Julian’s family.” I crossed my arms and stared back at him, letting my feelings of distaste and betrayal bleed into my expression.

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