Page 5 of Searching for Hope

“Excuses, excuses,” he says, but his tone is a little lighter. “So how has it been? Has the Priest been making you give confession?” His eyebrows wiggle and I can’t help but laugh.

I merely shrug. “Isn’t my style.”

We pull into the driveway of an ultra-modern blindingly white house. I whistle long and low. Dominic presses a button and one of the garage doors opens. He drives in and cuts the engine.

“Welcome to my cozy home.” The way he says it is laced with sarcasm but I’m too busy to respond, gazing in wonder as he leads me into the house. Everything is either white or glass. Huge windows frame an ocean view. There’s an infinity pool off to one side. There’s no sign of the lights of the city. It’s like we’re secluded, living in a world all of our own.

“You could have told me you lived in a mansion.”

“We don’t own it, not that my father would ever admit it. My uncle does.”

“Same thing.” I want to bite my tongue the moment the words leave my mouth. I know better than to judge someone by who has contributed to their DNA. “Sorry,” I add as I walk over to the wall of family photos. There’s only one of the whole family. Father, mother, and child. Dominic is young, only a toddler. He’s got cute blond curls. “You should grow your hair out.” I walk over and run a hand over his buzzed haircut. “You looked so cute with curls.”

Dominic rolls his eyes. “And that’s exactly why I cut them off.”

“You don’t want to look cute?”

“No.”

“That’s a pity,” I tease.

Dominic ignores the comment, choosing instead to open the cupboard beneath the bar. “Fancy a drink?”

I flop myself onto the sofa. Not surprisingly, it’s white. “Fuck yes.”

Dominic pours some spirits into two glasses and pops in some ice cubes. “So, tell me everything,” he says. “It’s been dreadfully boring around here without you.”

“I highly doubt that. The gossip train would have gone into overdrive the moment I left.”

Dominic tilts his head to one side as if pondering his answer and then laughs. “You have no idea what you’ve been accused of since you’ve been gone.”

I take a sip, shuddering at the strength of the drink and coughing as it burns my throat. “It won’t be anything I haven’t heard before.”

Dominic peers at me over the rim of his glass. “Have you got any more letters since he disappeared?”

I shake my head. “Nothing.”

“So you have no idea where he is?”

“Not a clue.” The lie comes easily.

“Sorry, I know you probably don’t want to talk about him. It’s just my father never paid any attention to me. I guess that’s why I sort of encourage people to talk to their parents if they have the chance. Some of us don’t get one.”

The conversation is verging on enough seriousness it’s about to pull me from my tipsy happiness and drag me into depression.

“Even if your father is the scum of the earth?” I goad.

Dominic’s head tilts to one side as though he’s contemplating. I slap him playfully and he laughs. “I guess you’ve got one up on me there. My father is an asshole but not a criminal asshole. Well, not that I know of anyway. My uncle on the other hand . . .” he just shakes his head and takes another sip of his drink.

I let my head flop to the back of the sofa. “This conversation is way too depressing for my current level of drunk. Let’s change the subject and drink a hell of a lot more.”

Right at that moment, my phone starts to vibrate. I forgot to turn it off earlier. Lifting my skirt, Dominic laughs as I unstrap it from my thigh.

“Private number,” I mutter and power the phone off, knowing it will be Jericho.

Dominic lifts his brows. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

I down the rest of my drink and shudder violently. “I just need a few hours to myself, okay? I just need to forget everything and everyone.”

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