Page 15 of Just Like Starting Over
I lean against the door of the truck and fold my arms across my chest. “What’s the first question?”
“I thought people in Empire were supposed to be friendly.”
“Guess I missed my allotment.”
She bites back a smile, which makes her look both mischievous and unexpectedly cute. “Okay, question one. Are you a Cavendish?”
“Yes. I’m Mike Cavendish.” So far, this is easy and I’m halfway home.
She nods and holds up two fingers. “Question two. Are you my father?”
I blink. She’s not joking. She’s watching me, her manner expectant. “Luke Jones is your father.”
She shakes her head, her purple hair flying. She also makes a beeping sound, like the penalty buzzer at a hockey game. “I’m sorry, that answer is incorrect, Mike Cavendish. Would you like to play again?”
Incorrect? What’s she talking about? My annoyance returns, bringing impatience with it. “Of course, he is. Anyone can see it.”
She shakes her head. “He’s not.”
I’m tempted to ask how she can be so sure. “But you were just talking to him.”
She rolls her eyes. “If everyone I talked to was my biological parent, I’d have some kind of epic family instead of just my mom and grandmother.”
There is that.
“You look like him,” I say, leaving out the other evidence I remember.
“I look like a Cavendish,” she replies. “That’s what everyone in this town has told me. So, it follows logically thatmy father must be a Cavendish, since my mom and I don’t look much like each other. If it wasn’t you, maybe you can help me out with a list of candidates and some introductions.”
“How do you know your father isn’t Luke?”
“Because Mom told me so.” She rolls her eyes. “I mean, really, who else would know better?”
I have to cede that, although I wonder. Sylvia, I know, can be fiercely protective of anyone she loves. (I’m not going to regret being kicked out of that company, not here, not in front of this watchful kid.)
Said kid swings her feet. If her heels hit the front quarter panel of my truck, she might lose her trust in my amiable good nature. “But you’re not crazy in making that conclusion.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Even Luke thought he was my dad when we met.”
“When was that?”
“When we got to Empire, two weeks ago.”
So, Sylvia hasn’t been with Luke all this time.
If Luke didn’t know, that can only be because Sylvia was being protective of Sierra. It would be one thing for her to conceive a child with Luke, a long time ago, and raise that daughter alone.
It would be another to acknowledge Luke as Sierra’s father. He has made a fortune with his band and could even challenge her custody of their daughter. I have to believe that Sylvia would do anything to avoid that eventuality.
Maybe even lie.
And I can’t blame her, because Luke has always been trouble. He’s unreliable. He’s irresponsible. He was behind every mischievous scheme when we were kids, challenging every rule. He even spent some time in jail back in the day. There’s something about him, his very aura, that sends the clear message to fathers everywhere: lock up your daughters. Hisband is calledMad, Bad & Dangerous 2 Know, like it’s his personal warning label. He’s exactly the kind of person I would want to ensure my fifteen-year-old daughter never even knew existed.
If Sylvia needs someone to defend her interests, I’ll be first in line.
“So, you see,” Sierra continues, nodding wisely in the face of my doubts. “Since Luke is mynon-dad, it stands to reason that someone else is my dad.” She offers me a bright smile.
