Page 71 of Chips & Checks
Declyn squints. “Is that dog wearing a Versace necklace?”
“He preferred Gucci,” I say solemnly. “He had a reputation to maintain.”
“He belonged to a rapper,” Dad adds helpfully. “Violet inherited him when the guy met an unfortunate end. Cash Money had high expectations and a taste for steak tartare. Still would, if only he were still with us.”
Declyn chuckles, but Tierney and Mom exchange that long-suffering partner of an over-sharer look.
Dad continues like he’s hosting an HGTV reboot titledPimp My Preschool Memories, pointing out every nook and crannyof the downstairs. We hit the final room in the hall, and my stomach drops.
“And this,” he says dramatically, “is Violet’s childhood bedroom!”
The door creaks open to reveal a pastel explosion. The wallpaper is still ocean-themed, complete with holographic dolphins. My old dresser—now stuffed with tax paperwork and office supplies—is painted ombré purple with glitter knobs. There’s a glass case in the corner holding a single dried rose.
Bowen arches a brow.
Dad notices. “That rose? I gave it to Violet when I proposed to Layla. I wanted her to know she wasn’t just some bonus kid. I wanted to be her dad. So we preserved it.”
Tierney presses her hand to her chest. “That’s actually really sweet.”
“It was a whole thing,” I mutter. “Dad played a Disney ballad and everything.”
“Oh, yeah.” Dad nods. “Violet was obsessed with mermaids. Whole room was sea creature central. She used to wear a tail around the house. Wouldn’t take it off unless bribed. That’s the only thing missing in this bedroom. I made her a seashell clam bed from scratch, but we gave it away to another deserving little girl when Violet went away to college.”
“She made us take her to an aquarium in Toledo,” Mom adds. “And her prom dress? Mermaid theme. Sequins and all.”
“Please stop speaking,” I beg.
Next to me, Bowen is clearly losing a war with his grin. “You don’t happen to have photographic evidence, do you?”
“Oh, we’ve got albums,” Mom chirps. “And video.”
I spin toward the front door. “I’m leaving. I’m walking into the sea like the mer-creature I once was.”
Bowen leans in. “This is the best day of my life. I have intel to use against you for a lifetime.”
A lifetime. He says it like a joke, like it’s just one more quip in a long list of things that don’t mean anything. But every time he tosses out a line like that, something aches inside me. Because I want it to mean something. I want a future. A lifetime. And the more he mocks the idea, the more it stings. I wish he’d stop talking like this, dangling the thing I want most in the world like it’s a punchline. Especially when I’m starting to wonder if I’ve already handed him my heart without realizing it.
As we step back into the main living room, Bowen sidles up beside me. “So… Cash Money, huh?”
“Shut up.”
“And you wore a tail around the house?”
“I will stab you with a seashell and not feel bad about it.”
Dad claps Bowen on the back like he’s sealing a business deal. “She was a handful, but worth it. You’ll find that out if you stick around long enough.”
“Dad,” I groan. “You’re embarrassing.”
He just winks. “Humiliating our kids is just part of being a good parent.”
Across the room, Mom laughs as if to say he’s not wrong, and I catch the way Declyn tilts his head at Bowen—curious now, maybe even a little hopeful.
And just like that, I realize what’s happening. My dad doesn’t just approve of Bowen. He’s actively recruiting him. Grooming him like the future son-in-law draft is coming up, and he’s ready to put all his chips on Team Murph.
My father is shipping us.
And worse?
