Page 38 of Risks

The emptiness beside me pulls me outof deep sleep. Blurry-eyed, I lift my head from the pillow and search theliving area, glimpsing Toya in the armchair by the window. She’s cloaked in mynana’s blanket sent from Scotland.

I get out of bed, haul on sweatpants, and wander over, realizing it’s snowing.

“Hey,” I mutter and touch hershoulder.

Toya looks up at me, eyes dull anddrenched with sadness. “Do you have work?”

I frown. “I’m off on Sundays.Remember?”

“Oh. Right.” A low and dry chuckleleaves her. “It feels like Monday.”

“Are you hungry? I’ll make yousomething to eat.”

“I’m not.” She steers her gaze backto the window, watching the flurries. “You mind getting my suitcase from thehouse? I don’t want to….”

“Sure. I’ll go there in a bit.” Ilinger on her, unsure of what to say except to apologize. “I’m so sorry, Toya. Icaused this. I went looking for him.”

Her head flies up, and she grasps myhand. “If you hadn’t…” She swallows hard. “I wouldn’t have learned the truth.”

She slips her hand away from me,tucking it back inside the blanket.

“How about coffee?” I ask.

Her lips part, but she delaysspeaking. After a moment, she looks at me again. “Could you call him for me? Askhim to meet us at that diner tomorrow. I want to talk to him.”

I study her teary eyes whilenodding. “Whatever you want, babe.”

She resumes watching the snowflakes,and I retrieve my phone to make that call.

I knock and wait, pulling my jackettighter in the frigid air. After what went down the night before, just walkingin feels awkward.

The door opens shortly, and Alison’sgloomy appearance greets me. “Hey.” She opens the door wider for me to enterout of the light snowfall and freezing temperature.

“Dad?”

She pulls her cardigan shut and hugsherself tightly. “He left pretty early. I don’t know where he went.”

“Lisa here?” I grate.

At the name, her features warp intoa scowl. “In her bedroom. I don’t even want to look at her.” Worry consumes herdroopy gaze as she asks, “How’s Toya?”

“Not good, sis.”

“Jesus.” She tilts her head and rubsher temple. “I can’t believe Lisa lied. All this time, she made Toya believeher father didn’t want her when the man never even knew.”

“Listen, I wanted to tell you andDad, but—”

“It wasn’t your truth to tell,” shefinishes, understanding. “You’d already upset Toya by finding her father behindher back, so I get that you didn’t want to be the one to reveal the rest.”

“Yeah.” Still feeling guilty, Iglance down at the hardwood floor. “Everything’s pretty messed up now, huh.”

Alison touches my arm. “We’ll find away to move forward. We always do.”

I look up and draw a deep breath.“What do you think will happen between Dad and Lisa?”

She flicks her gaze to the doorwayof the living room. “I don’t know. What she did was shitty. But it’s up to Dad.I think he needs time to sort through his emotions before making anydecisions.”

“Fuck,” I rasp and roughly comb myfingers through my hair. “Just when he’d found happiness again.”

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