Page 78 of Electric Blue Love
He used that same hand to scrub over his jaw and for the first time, Dr. Sterling looked unsure. It was an odd look for a world-renowned doctor and it immediately put me ill at ease.
“Can you tell me what your relationship is to Courtney Adams?”
My mouth gaped open because this was the absolute last thing I had expected him to ask. What had Court done? Or had Todd somehow figured it out?
When I hadn’t spoken, he continued. “I’m sorry to ask, I know it isn’t any of my business, but I need to contact him, and I was hoping you could help me.”
“I don’t understand. Why do you need my help?”
His head bobbed around as if he were settling on how much to tell me. “He didn’t give me any contact information and I have a few things I need to settle regarding our business agreement.”
Shock turned to anger, and I balled my fists in my lap. And then I laughed because what else could I possibly do? “Business agreement? He’s your son.”
A pained expression crossed his face, but I didn’t have any emotion left to pity him. “So, you do know.” He nodded. “I wasn’t sure if you were in on it or not. Now that your mother’s care is underway I would like to try and talk with him. Try to reason with him. Get our agreement down on paper. A scandal wouldn’t be good for anyone. I’m sure you can understand that, but I’m afraid Court’s track record isn’t something I want to leave to chance.”
“In on what?”
He studied me for a moment. “Court threatened to divulge our relationship to the press if I didn’t help your mother,” he stated plainly.
All the blood rushed from my face and I felt shaky and disoriented as I tried to grapple with this information. Court had used the threat of his relationship to Dr. Sterling to blackmail him into helping my mom? How dare he use my mother’s disease as a bargaining chip in his plan to ruin his father.
“You didn’t know,” he finally said, and I shook my head.
Dr. Sterling sighed, and I finally allowed myself to see the situation through his eyes. God, no wonder he’d treated me so coolly.
“He had no right. I will talk with my family. If you could refer my mother to someone maybe half as good as you it would mean a lot to us. They had no idea about any of this,” I said as I stood on shaky legs.
“Please, Bianca,” he stood as well and motioned for me to sit. “It’s really best for all of us if he contacts me. I’d appreciate your help reasoning with him, so we can come to some sort of agreement, so we can all move on with our lives.”
“Move on with our lives?” I balked at him. “You think Court can just move on like none of this ever happened? Like you didn’t throw him away like garbage?” My voice rose, and I could feel the anger warming my face. “Did you even try and talk to him? Explain to him why you never contacted him throughout the years?”
I moved to leave, but apparently, I wasn’t done saying my peace. I whirled and clenched my hands into fists as I spoke. “Court is the most amazing person I’ve ever met, but the damage that you caused,” my heart squeezed, and tears stung at the corners of my eyes. There was so much more I wanted to say, but I didn’t trust myself not to break down.
“I suppose I’m going to need to buy your silence now as well?” he asked but didn’t wait for my answer. He opened a desk drawer and pulled out a checkbook.
“You’re unbelievable. God, I can’t believe I told Court he should give you the benefit of the doubt. I think he’s exceptionally lucky to not have had you for a father. He’s good and honest and leaving him alone is probably the most decent thing you’ve ever done.” I marched to the door, tears falling freely now.
I sent Donnie a text to tell him I’d had to return to the office and I did. I buried myself in algorithms for the next six hours, working well past my coworkers and into the early evening. I blocked out everything but numbers and equations until my fingers ached and my stomach rumbled so loudly I finally gave into my body’s signs that it was time to go home.
I needed to decide what to do about my mom’s care. About Dr. Sterling. About what it meant that Court had used my mom’s illness as a bargaining chip. But it wasn’t just about me. It was about dad, and Leo and Donnie.
And my mom.
The house sat quiet. Mom and dad were watchingThe Voiceand barely pried themselves from the screen long enough to mumble a hello as I entered. Donnie was at work. He’d started a job as a dishwasher at a night club in Hell’s Kitchen. My parents hadn’t been pleased, but the pay was better than minimum wage and it left Donnie free during the day to be with mom.
Grabbing a plate of leftover meatloaf from the stove, I took it outside on the patio. Leo sat lounged on an easy chair with his sketch pad in his hands.
“Hey,” I muttered a greeting as I took a seat next to him.
“Hey,” he replied without looking up.
I watched him draw as I ate. The easy way his hands glided over the paper always amazed me, but tonight as he drew a portrait of a woman, I felt the day fall away and I felt truly at peace for the first time maybe since moving home. He shaded around the eyes, creating a dramatic look and then added wisps of hair around the face, giving the woman a carefree elegance. There wasn’t a picture attached, but I knew this photo from memory. So did he, apparently.
“She was so beautiful,” I said as he smudged strategically with his finger in certain spots.
He gave me a small nod and looked up as if just realizing I was watching him. He put the pencil down and stared over at my food. With an eye roll, I handed over the plate.
He grinned and shoveled the remainder of my late dinner into his mouth in three easy bites.
