We slept in separate rooms, and he woke up early and was gone for most of the day.
I knew he needed to fly out, but I had no idea where. I was a little baffled when the news came.
Why wouldn’t he tell me he needed to go to New York? It’s not like I wanted to go with him.
Well, maybe I wanted to go with him––I’ve never been there––but for sure I wouldn’t go there uninvited.
That aside, what am I supposed to do now?
“When is he coming back?” I ask. “My father?”
A few moments pass.
“Jen?”
“Tonight.”
My heart jolts in my chest.
“Are you fucking serious?”
“Uh-huh. He also wants to bring Tina home. He thinks you have a bad influence on your sister.”
As if that’s news.
I push to my feet, tense like a sword.
“I can’t believe this.”
My frustration is double-sided.
On the one hand, I’m angry Beau had nothing better to do than stir up some shit, which wasn’t surprising.
He is the vengeful type and doesn’t know when to quit.
On the other hand, this happening right now when Damaso is away couldn’t have come at a worse time.
What am I supposed to do? I need to go to LA and convince my father that nothing is what he thinks it is.
Tina must stay with Edith, and I need to earn all the money that I can when Damaso returns.
Time is of the essence, so I need to get going.
“Okay. I’m on my way,” I say, setting myself in motion. I pick up my water and towel and head to the exit. “Listen, can you do me a favor? Are you still on good terms with our boss?” I ask.
“Yes. What do you have in mind?”
I’m already out the door, sprinting to the elevator and making a beeline for Damaso’s suite.
“I need to work a shift tonight.”
She stays quiet as I walk into the elevator and push the floor button to go up.
“You need to be here first…” she says a moment later, unsure about my plan.
“I’ll be there. And he doesn’t need to pay me. It’s just a ploy. I need to be seen there wearing my work clothes before going home and confronting my father.”
“Do you even have work clothes?”