Page 10 of Bad For A Weekend

The truth glitters in his blue eyes—the only trait we share, even if it’s by coincidence. Almost twenty years ago, Dad decided he wanted a family but couldn’t find someone to start one with, so he took matters into his own hands. He was privileged enough to have the means to adopt and luckily found a woman who saw past the fact that I’d most likely grow up without a mother.

And I didn’t want for anything, including a mom. During the moments when I needed a female, I had Brandy. She’s been with us since the day I was born. First, as a nanny, and then, when I didn’t need a babysitter anymore, she took on the role of house manager to stay with us. Speaking of ...

“When does Brandy come home?”

“The car is picking her up in an hour.”

“I can’t wait to see her.”

“Me neither. This place is falling apart.” He sighs. “It was really hard for her to stay away, you know?”

Brandy only takes one month off a year when she flies to her hometown of Bumfuck, Iowa or whatever it’s called. She tried to fly home early, but Dad and I stopped her. There was nothing she could do, and I know she misses her family when she has to be away for eleven months straight.

“Yeah, I know. I missed her.”

Dad sits up straight. “I’m sorry. I’m hogging center stage when you’re the star of the day. How was school?”

“It was fine.” Now I’m the one rubbing at my temples. “That’s a lie. It wasn’t fine. It was horrible. But it was also exactly what I expected.”

“Yikes. That bad?”

“Yeah, but it’s over, and hopefully tomorrow will be better.”

“What about practice?”

“That was worse than school. Katina is standing in for me, and that little bitch couldn’t be happier about it.”

“Bay,” Dad scolds out of parental obligation, but there’s no heat behind it. He’s never had rules about being honest with my feelings or cursing, for that matter.

“It’s true. You should’ve seen her smirk. Like my injuries were the best thing to happen to her. Who behaves like that?”

“No one worth being upset over.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s just annoying.”

“How was it having Owen there?” His nose scrunches.

“You couldn’t have hired someone with some personality? Dad, the guy is a flatliner.”

“Really? I think he’s a great guy.”

“You got him to speak?” I ask incredulously.

“Yeah,” he draws out like I’m crazy for not knowing a guy who’s been living with us for two weeks. “We work out every morning together. It’s nice having someone to spot me.”

“I don’t know who you’re talking about because the guy I was with today was annoyingly cold.”

His brow furrows. “Huh.”

We sit side by side for a minute before Dad’s short attention span has him jumping up. “I need to go call Grace and get ahead of this interview Veronica did on one of those morning talk shows. You good?”

“She didn’t,” I say, deadpan.

“Oh, she did. Which is why I answered her call for the first time in a week. She’s trying to forward her career by telling intimate details of our breakup.” He throws air quotes over that last part.

“What a bitch.”

His lips pull to the side. “She’s hurting.”

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