Page 112 of Severed Rivalry
I lift my knuckles to my bedroom door before thinking better of it and letting myself in. Walking on eggshells in my own home isn’t an option.
Sariah looks up from her computer and holds my eyes. Hers are a mix of emotions… anger, exhaustion, resolve, overwhelm.
“Getting a lot done?”
She shrugs. “Running searches on Gauthier brings up exactly what we already know. Sad childhood. He and his sister were raised by their maternal grandmother after being orphaned as kids. He seems to be a fish out of water no matter which pond. No criminal history, aside from the drugs.”
“That is criminal enough.”
“Maybe. But it’s not like most of us didn’t drink or try pot or whatever. He got caught. And don’t get me started on my daughter and her phone. That addiction is all kinds of real. It’s just socially acceptable. Actually, it’s socially expected.”
I leave the door and sit on the bed next to her. “I didn’t think that would be your outlook on it.” At all.
“Rosie has a tender heart, but she’s not easily taken advantage of. Her husband was a trucker, so she’s comfortable being alone. She’s always been more streetwise than she looks.”
“She looks like Amy Poehler, but shorter.”
“Don’t let that fool you. She’s a spitfire.”
“Apparently, it’s an Ocotea trait. And?” I hope she hears the compliment in my words.
“And I don’t think that this Freddie guy would get one over on her. So, either he’s scary smart and cunning to the point of cruel, or he’s a decent guy. Not that Rosie couldn’t be taken advantage of, but she’s not the kind to fall victim, unless the ruse was elaborate and laid forever ago.”
“Interesting take. Let’s work from that place. I know Liam will come at it from a different perspective, but he doesn’t know her like you do.”
“You overstepped,” she says to her computer monitor.
“How, Angel?”
“Renée. She’s… It’s always been the two of us.”
“It has.” I set a hand on top of hers closest to me.
“And this is all new.”
“It is.”
“And you’ve got to get that I’m the parent, and she’s my responsibility.”
“All right.”
Her head whips up and her brows pinch together. “Why are you being so agreeable?”
“Nothing you said is untrue. It’s not the whole picture, but it’s also not untrue.”
Her eyes narrow.
“Ithasalways been the two of you. Adding me in doesn’t diminish who you are to each other or your relationship. I won’t poke my nose into your mother-daughter dynamic duo. But I’m here now. You’re mine, which makes Renée mine too. She doesn’t know me like you do, so we’ll give that time. But I want her to know that I’m not temporary. I need to establish that early on. She has another support system, another person to encourage her, protect her, another set of eyes to make sure she doesn’t try to get away with something.”
“You told her to do stupid shit and not get caught.”
“I told her to not screw up her life. Stupid shit happens either way.” I extend a hand to her computer. “I’d rather her not have a digital footprint of that stupidity.”
She huffs. “Don’t twist it.”
I lean down, capturing her gaze from the computer screen. “We talked about this, Angel. You and me. We are an us. You have help and support. I don’t expect I’ll be perfect at it the first time out of the gate. But let me be there for you both.”
“Ugh.” She slams her eyes shut.
