Page 11 of Mustang Summer

“Why do you want me to settle for a cheater?”

Bill’s face rippled with displeasure.“Boys will be boys.He says he won’t do it again.”

Why’d she expect her dad to think affairs were deal breakers?How often had she walked in on her mom crying?

“It’s my personal life.”If she said it enough, would he believe her?

“You’re twenty-six, Josie.I can’t have you running around town single.You need a guy in your life to take care of you.”

A guy in her life taking care of her didn’tsoundlike a bad thing.But from what Josie had witnessed, Bill and Gage expected her to meet all of their needs and do everything they said.Gage was a future she could still get away from.She couldn’t bring herself to leave her father.She loved him, despite all his many, many flaws.What would he do without her?

“We need to talk about your books, Dad.”

He shrugged.“There’s ups and downs.We’ll go back up soon.”

Had there ever been an up?Bill was relying more and more on his shady hobby to float his legit business.

Still, she pressed.“We still haven’t sat down to discuss a budget for Alvarez Automotive.All I need to know is what you want to buy to restore and how much you think you could get for it once it’s done.I can figure out the details.Once we have…”

He was staring out the window.Ignoring her again.

She tightened her hand around the pen.“You gave me this job and I can help you, but you have to let me.”

His brows drew down.“You’re my daughter.I help you, you don’t help me.”He stood and adjusted his waistband.“What’s this about Jesse’s court date and you planning to be there?”

Her stomach sank.Jesse must’ve talked to him.She hadn’t planned on mentioning anything until the morning she was leaving.

“It’s on the fifteenth and yes, I’d like to be there.”Her brother was the one guy in her life she felt like Josie Alvarez around, yet he had epically fucked up and she was on her own.

Bill growled.“I always knew that boy would be trouble.Told your mother she coddled him too much.”

Josie agreed.Bill had raised Jesse like his own—while constantly pointing out that Jesse didn’t share his gene pool.While Bill was a chauvinist and had atrocious business ethics, he wasn’t the most horrible father, so it could’ve been worse.

But she’d heard her mother mutter often enough that Jesse’s real dad, bless his soul, would’ve been better.

Bill interrupted her reverie.“Can you afford to go down there?I gotta stay at the garage.We’re almost done with the Charger and a buyer’s coming to look at it next week.”

The business couldn’t afford to send her, as if there was a valid write-off for “travel to brother’s court date for moral support.”She’d pay for it like she did her last trip—by doing graphic design through small-time internet jobs.Her brother was responsible for her interest.He used to doodle, then progressed into drawing mock-ups of people’s tattoos.Eventually, it was about the software, and being the little sister, she’d always wanted to know what he was doing.She didn’t mind the work, it was something she could do at home under Bill’s radar.When combined with the money her neighbor Penny gave her to watch her two older kids when she took the youngest to the doctor, she scraped enough together for her Moore trips.

“It’ll work out,” was all she said.

“Good.”He rubbed his chin.“Good.Listen, while you’re down there, I need you to make a stop and buy a car for me.”

With what funds?Until the Charger sold, the only liquid asset around this place was the oil waste canister.

“What is it?”Pointing out a lack of money only meant more bits and pieces entered the house for painting.

“Swing around to Detroit Lakes, before or after you’re in Moore, I don’t care, and talk to this guy who has a ’68 Shelby GT500 for sale.Guess he’s picky about who he’s going to sell it to, but it’s going for thirty-five grand.”

How much?“Is it worth it?Sounds like he won’t part with it for much less than we could sell it for.”

Bill’s expression was serious.“Didn’t you hear the year, Jo?It’s a ’68.I could make a hundred grand minimum on the flip.”

Josie made a choking sound, glad she didn’t have a mouthful of dry sandwich.

“I have an interested buyer already, but we need that car.Go ahead and take your normal ride, I’m all done with it.”

He’d let her go wheel and deal for a carandnot complain about her wasting more time and money on another trip to Moore?Plus, she’d get to drive a real car—her real car?

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