Page 28 of Tempting the Heart

“Not at all.” I gritted my teeth, knowing it was easier to give in than worry about where the money was going.

I already knew it was headed to some online gambling site.

“I’ll transfer some when I get inside. I need to finish a few things out here.”

“That’s not going to work. Don’t you have your phone? Can’t you do it out here?”

“Fine,” I said curtly, pulling my phone from my back pocket and opening the bank app.

“You’re a good son, even if you are a pain in my ass.” He closed the door with a thud, and my stomach turned in my stomach.

It was these games that I couldn’t handle. A pain in his ass? A good son? My brother and I had been the best kids wecould be under the circumstances. It was like my parents liked to play pretend, as if they were upstanding guardians, and it was us wily kids up to shenanigans again.

When the truth was that my parents were lucky my brother and I both owned such a successful business and were both single and could afford to send them money that they could gamble away.

The ghosts of this house, of my past, were threatening to swallow me, and the bead of sweat edging my forehead was no longer from the sun.

I just needed to get out of here.

I despised this place.

Pulling the keys out of my pocket, I climbed into the rental truck I had, transferred the money to my parents’ account, and texted my brother a quickI can’t handle it heremessage.

It wouldn’t surprise him. He sent me the same texts when he was here last.

But the difference this time was that I was done.

Really done.

I’d paid the painters directly, and the guy to rebuild the porch.

And then that was going to be it.

No more money.

No more enabling.

They made more money in their retirement than many did working.

I think on some crazy level, I came back to Marigold searching for something. Perhaps it was closure, or possiblysome childish fantasy that my parents would come to their senses. I didn’t know, but I felt foolish for bothering.

Pulling out of the driveway, I glanced back at the depressing house and wished I’d never set foot on Marigold again.

What made me really annoyed was that I'd swung by Mae’s house and led her on. I shouldn’t have. It was selfish. That became very apparent after the last ten minutes. There was no way I could stay here for any extended period, not as long as my parents lived on Marigold, which was a shame.

I actually loved this island. It was quaint, warm, and welcoming… until you pulled into my parents’ driveway. That was when it felt like the house of horrors.

Following the windy two-lane road back to town, I let out a deep breath, feeling like I could start to breathe again.

The crazy thing was that what I’d experienced in the last thirty minutes was tame. It was nothing compared to the verbal insults they were capable of, and now it made complete sense why I'd loved being anywhere but at home growing up.

Whatever I thought I was searching for on some subconscious level wasn’t possible.

But as if I couldn’t resist her pull, I followed along the main street into town and pulled directly in front of Mae’s coffee shop. I sat in the cab, gripping the wheel, and looked inside to see a bustling afternoon crowd.

Maybe a cup of coffee or an Americano would make things better.

I couldn’t spot Mae, but I did see another employee inside. It must have been the woman Mae referred to earlier.

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