Page 71 of Losing the Rhythm

“Hard. So very hard. Even argued that separating the two brothers wasn’t a good idea. Somehow, I still lost. By the time we figured out what she was doing, well, you see how he is with other women.”

I nodded. Calvin was terrified of women. It was getting better, but the abuse and neglect from his mother and her friends left a scar on him. I was glad that George and Paxon fought hard to get him back and protect him.

“I’m sorry for asking something so personal,” I said.

“I have a lot of questions I wish I could ask you. But I know better.” George pushed his parfait off to the side. “Can you answer one thing for me?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Are you safe?”

I finally looked at him and blinked. Did he know? Did Paxon tell him about me? How much did he know?

“No one told me anything,” George was quick to say. “I just know the signs. And the way the others react to you, there would have to be something wrong with me to not notice.”

“I’m safe,” I said.

“Good. That’s good. My break is about over, but if you want to talk, I’m always free. I’m really good at giving all kinds of advice.”

I held back a grimace. “I really don’t want a sex talk from you.”

He laughed as he got up and grabbed our parfaits to throw away. “That’s your loss. I give good sex talks, just ask the others. I’ll see you later.” As he passed, he lightly patted my shoulder.

I didn’t linger, leaving as soon as I could after that. Talking with George gave me a lot to think about. Especially about my own dad. I still hadn’t reached out to him and as more time passed, it became harder and harder to do. I had convinced myself it was all a dream and I was too scared to pop that little bubble. I wanted to keep pretending he was nearby, close enough for me to reach out to.

Chapter Twenty-one

When I turned on my road, I was going to go straight to Seth’s. It was what I always did, and I knew Seth was at least there waiting for me, and most likely some of the others too, though I suspected Paxon and Justin were still at practice.

All I was going to do was follow my routine. But the car in my driveway changed that. It was the same rental as before, so I pulled in, parking next to him in the wide driveway.

Dad got out of his car and waited for me as I climbed out too.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

For a long time, Dad didn’t say anything. He just stared at me with an expressionless face that made me uncomfortable. Out of all my memories of him, none of them had him looking at me like that. Fear curled inside of me as I tried to wait him out.

“I met up with an old friend. He told me about your mother.”

That fear turned ice cold as it jabbed at me.

“Is that why you came here without permission?”

“Cadence, what happened? The rumors are…”

“Crazy? Far-fetched? Silly? Unbelievable?”

Dad didn’t respond, still just staring at me without giving anything away. I glanced at Seth’s house, noticing him standing in his doorway. If I gave any indication that I wanted him with me, I was sure he’d be sprinting across the road in moments to back me up.

I sighed and turned to face Dad. “Want to come inside?”

Dad nodded and followed me as I unlocked the door, put the code in to turn off the alarm, and then headed into my living room, where it at least looked the most lived in despite there still being two unpacked boxes.

“Your mom doesn’t live here with you, does she?” he finally asked.

I shook my head. “She’s an inpatient.” I began playing with the hem of my shirt, needing something to distract me enough to help me through this conversation. I wished I had been able to get away with not telling him at all.

“A mental breakdown? Jordan didn’t seem too sure. All he heard was that she had a mental breakdown that caused you to go to the hospital.” Dad’s jaw tightened as he spoke and his hands turned into fists on his thighs.

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