Page 24 of Keep Me Safe: A Small Town Suspenseful Love Story

After reassuring everyone that I was fine and just hungry my mom told me not to eat too much because it would go straight to my hips and my father drained what had to be his third glass of scotch.

Ignoring Genevieve Ashford’s insults, I grabbed a decent amount of chicken, some greens and poured myself a very large glass of wine. Screw calorie counting and big hips, I’m goddamn hungry.

Dinner went really well.

Until it didn’t.

After everyone was sated my dad turned his focus to my brothers, which immediately made me uneasy. Logan was still stoned and Robbie’s relationship with our father was strained, to say the least. Growing up, the three of us were always butting heads with our parents, but it seemed that my oldest brother took the brunt of it.

“Robert, have you given any more thought to my offer?”

Things are about to get ugly. Dad’s getting ready to lay in on Robbie. There’s a good chance I may show up at the gym later.

Doing paperwork all night. Feel free to stop by whenever and keep me company.

Robbie took a sip of his wine and grimaced before answering. “Dad, I have a job. I appreciate the offer but I’ve said no and I’m sticking to it.”

My dad frowned and the expression on his face mirrored my brother’s. “There’s good money in construction, Robert. I’m not saying that you can’t keep your little furniture making hobby-”

“It’s not a hobby, it’s my livelihood, my career.”

“Wood shop is not a career. It’s a class you take in high school and one that you obviously took too seriously.”

Logan looked at me from across the table and clenched his jaw, his shaggy blonde hair falling into his eyes. We need to go, he mouthed at me and I nodded before wiping my mouth with a napkin.

“Um, maybe we should-”

I was quickly interrupted by my mother waving her hand in the air. “Abbigail, let the men talk.”

Logan raised his eyebrows and gave a hollow laugh. “I forgot that the women in this family weren’t allowed to speak.”

My mom pursed her lips and glanced at Logan, taking a sip of her wine. “Ah, he speaks. Here I was thinking you were too inebriated to talk.”

“Mom!”

“Abby, don’t raise your voice to your mother.”

“I’m not inebriated, mother. Although, I truly wish I was right now.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, earning smiles from both brothers.

“Robert, I’m just saying give it a shot. You can make good money is a business like that! At nearly thirty years old you shouldn’t be living in squalor.”

“I didn’t realize living in a house on the beach was considered living in squalor. I mean, considering we grew up in a house. On the beach.”

That was when everyone began talking over one another. My brother and my dad were yelling at each other and my mom was accusing Lo of having a serious drug problem. I poured another large glass of wine and whipped my phone out.

Definitely coming over.

That bad, huh?

Mom thinks Logan’s a junkie and my dad called Robbie poor.

Hope you’re drinking.

Not nearly enough to be able to tolerate this…

“You have no respect for me.”

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