Page 7 of Absinthe Minded

Evelyn shot me a warning look, kissed my father’s cheek, and left the room. No doubt, she headed for the kitchen to conspire with Hildie. One thing I knew for certain, I’d be stuck here until after dinner. If I got out at all.

As soon as the door closed, Joe leaned to the side and coughed.

The wet gurgle and high-pitched wheeze made my jaw clench. We never mentioned the C-word in this house, but that hadn’t stopped the cancer from setting up residence in his lungs. I stood and placed my hand on my father’s shoulder.

“Your mother’s right,” Joe said, waving me away. “You’re not going to be able to raise a kid and keep bar hours.”

“I know, Pops.” I reclaimed the chair. “But I’m not going to marry Ella’s mother. I’ll figure something else out.”

His eyes brightened, but his jaw tightened. He’d thought of a solution to the problem. “You’ll kill two birds with one stone and marry Maggie Guthrie. It’ll make your mother happy without the two of us having to raise another litter of kids.”

I froze in place. “What? I followed your orders. I haven’t spoken to her or gone near Joe’s place since the funerals. I doubt she’ll speak to me, let alone walk down the aisle.”

My father believed the wreck that killed my brother and his wife was no accident. At one point, he’d accused Chantal of playing a part in the deaths in some revenge plot over the bad business deal.

“You had a relationship with Maggie. Rekindle it.” Studying me, my dad leaned back in his chair.

How the hell wouldthatwork? She hated me, and with good reason. I’d told her I wanted to end things so she could follow her dreams or some shit, but in reality, I wanted to protect her from my family and our business associates. Maggie was a stubborn woman. She wouldn’t blindly follow orders. My brain spun out of control with the logistics of the situation, but my heart started beating the melody of some ridiculous love song.

My father cleared his throat. “I’ll put security back on her and the kids.”

Security who would report my every move back to him. No-freaking-thanks. “It’s been a year. Nothing’s happened. No security. You want me to do this. I’ll do it my way. I won’t let anything happen to Maggie or the kids.”

“Your brother said the same thing, and look how well that turned out.”

“I know, Pops. I know.” I stared at a picture on my father’s desk. Papa Joe stood arm in arm with his eldest son, both smiling. After posing for the picture, the two had a falling out that ripped the family apart. Joe Jr. had died before the rift could be repaired. I didn’t know what they’d argued about, only that they’d disagreed over a business decision. After the accident, my father refused to discuss it.

“You do this your way, and you’re responsible for my grandchildren’s safety.”

I pressed my lips together. I would have been looking out for the kids already, if he hadn’t ordered me and my brothers to stay away from them.

Joe coughed again and folded his arms across his chest. “It’s time for you to step up. Take your place in the company.”

I’d also done everything in my power to stay on the law-abiding side of thefamily business. Unfortunately, my father’s corporation owned my bar—a situation I’d planned to rectify as soon as possible.

“I’ll start working with you part-time this week.” I held his gaze. “But my personal life is mine, and I’m keeping the bar.”

“Find a manager and be here full-time.” My father drummed his fingers on his desk—something he did when he negotiated with business partners.

I didn’t dare react and risk him having another coughing fit. “It’ll take time. I’ll work both jobs until I find someone.”

“You’ll need help with the baby, for when you travel. Marry the Guthrie girl in the next month or you’re moving in here. I won’t spend the rest of my days on this earth listening to your mother bitch about how her grandchildren are being raised by some Irish tart.”

“Pop, I need more than a month—”

“Too damned bad.” He slammed his fist on the desk, his face turning an alarming shade of red. “You’ll marry her or bring all four of my grandchildren to your mother. Do I make myself clear?”

I couldn’t let on that I needed time to work my way back into Maggie’s good graces because I’d screwed things up with her years before. “Yes, sir.”

“Good. I’d hate to pull the bar and everything else away from you. If you break your mother’s heart, so help me God.” He paused to hack into a handkerchief. “You’ve had it too easy, kid. Joe took care of things for you, but he’s gone now. Time for you to man-up.”

I rubbed the back of my neck to postpone the oncoming tension headache. “I’d like to stay on the legit side of things. It’s not like the old days, Pops.”

“We do what we have to do.” He opened his desk drawer, pulled out an envelope, and tossed it my way.

“What’s this?”

“The Lazios are doing better than we expected. We need to up our operations.”

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