Page 134 of Sweet Caroline
Guilt flickers across his features before he breaks eye contact, clenching his jaw.
The blood drains from my face. “You knew.”
When he doesn’t deny it, it’s as good a confirmation as any.
Betrayal slices into me. “I can’t believe this. You knew all along.”
“Peter, is this true?” Mom asks, blinking in obvious shock. “You knew about Fletcher’s”—she pauses, choosing her words delicately—“indiscretions?”
Dad doesn’t respond, keeping his gaze trained on me. “Look, Caroline, he made some mistakes.”
“Oh, yeah,” I say through a joyless smile. “Boys will be boys, right?”
“That’s not what I said.”
“Didn’t have to.” Disgust knots my throat. “You would’ve let me marry him.”
“Sweetheart—” Mom starts, like she’s torn between comforting me and arguing with Dad.
“Save it.” I cross the room and yank open the door, then think better of it and whirl back to face my father. “And I know about you threatening Miles.”
The glance he casts at Mom is telling. Yet another piece of information she was in the dark about, I guess.
“You did what?” Mom asks, but I can’t deal with her milquetoast level of surprise right now.
I step past her to get in Dad’s face. “I’m gonna be very clear,” I say. “If you so much asbreathenear Miles or his job, we’re done. Mess with him in any way and you’ve lost me for good.”
“Sweetie, you’re getting carried away,” Mom says. “You’re saying things you don’t mean.”
I turn to my mother, narrowing my eyes. “Oh, I’m dead serious.”
“Enough!” Dad shouts, only bristling when my angry gaze snaps his way. “You think you can just go it alone?”
“Gladly!” I throw my hands out at my sides. “Don’t you see that’s what I’ve been trying to do this entire time? Live my own life? For me?”
“What I see is a tantrum.” Dad jabs a finger against his desk. “I see my daughter laughing in the face of everything she was given so she can skip off into the sunset with a deadbeat. This nonsense ends now, Caroline. You’re moving home.”
“I have a home!” I fire back, disappointment sinking deep in my gut as I realize Grandpa knew this would happen. “And it sure as hell isn’t here.”
“George no longer requires assistance, Caroline,” Dad says. “His house will be put up for sale.”
“No, it won’t.” I shake my head. “I’d never sell that house.”
Dad’s brows draw together. “What the hell are you talking about? It’s not your decision to make.”
“It is now.”
The confusion marring Dad’s expression would be delicious if I wasn’t so nauseated by this entire conversation.
“Grandpa’s given me the house.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Well, unlike you, Dad, he cares about what actually makes me happy.”
“Christ.” Dad closes his eyes for a moment and pinches the bridge of his nose.
“And, unlike you, I care about what makeshimhappy too. So I’ll be handling his care going forward. I’ll find him a place to live—a placehewants to be.”
