Page 106 of Hound Dog
Dad had another daughter. Which meant… I had another sister.
Andthey ordered a cake from our bakery?
No, notthey. Dad. Dad ordered a cake from our bakery.
For a wedding. Which meant, her dad… my dad… was getting married?
“Y-yeah,” I answered, not quite sure what the hell I was doing. “This is Beefcakes.”
“Is everything okay with the order?”
I cleared my throat and pushed myself into professional mode. “Yes. I was calling for clarification. The bride and groom, I have it down as Richard Evans and…”
“Vivian Marcoux,” she answered. “But, God, please don’t write their names on the cake. It’s so tacky. I know my dad did that for his third wedding and all, but it never looks good.”
“Histhirdwedding?” The question choked in my throat.
“Yeah, I know.” I could practically hear the eye-roll in her voice.
In my fuckingsister’svoice.
“How many times has he been married?” I asked, my voice coming out as a croak.
“This is his sixth,” she laughed. As though having six weddings was totally normal. “What can you do, though? I tried to talk him out of a wedding this time, but he just can’t seem to help himself. Anyway, is everything okay with the cake?”
“Y-yes. Everything’s fine. I was just, um, calling to get the names of the bride and groom. Have a nice day, ma’am.”
I hung up quickly.
Somehow, I had even more questions now than I’d had before talking with my half-sister. How many more siblings did I have that I knew nothing about? Did my dad ever stop and think of me, of us, when he was reciting vows to each new woman?
A final thought struck me hard and fast.
Did my brothers know our dad had ordered a cake from them?
I was sick and tired of the questions. I was sick of not having answers.
I grabbed my wallet and keys and gave Tyson a quick pat on the head before taking off.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Finn
After callingAddy and telling her to meet me at the bakery, I barged into Beefcakes, throwing the door open.
Addy was already there, helping them behind the counter, packing up the leftovers for the day. “What the hell, Finn?” she said.
“Did you two know about Dad’s order?” I asked, looking back and forth between Neil and Liam.
“What?” Addy set down the box of baked goods she was packing and circled around to the front of the counter.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Neil asked.
“Our dad—our absent father—ordered a wedding cake from here. From one ofyoufor his sixth wedding. And I want to know, did you know it was our dad ordering that cake? Or did you just think it was some other Rick Evans placing an order?”
Neil looked genuinely confused as he raked a hand through his hair. “Finn, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Our dad ordered a cake?”
Liam sighed and slowly lifted his head. “Yeah,” he said. “I knew. I took the order. He called a few weeks ago.”
