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Beckett reached out and stopped me. “She’s not the maid here, Colette. She doesn’t have to get you anything.”
“It’s okay! I was going to make it anyway,” I babbled, pulling my arm from Beckett’s grip.
He let me go, but he didn’t seem happy about it. I hurried to the kitchen, grateful for an excuse to escape the tension in the living room.
Holy shit, I hadn’t seen Beckett interact with his father in years. Sure, it had been terrible then, but it looked like relations between them had only gotten worse.Because you found the drugs and gave them to your mom.
No.
I fought back against that internal whisper. Beckett couldn’t have gone on like that. He’d been spiraling into true addiction, and now he was coming out of it. That had to be worth his hate and the blame he’d put on me. It had to be.
I made coffee quickly and loaded a tray with cream and sugar and empty cups. I had no idea how Soren and Colette took their coffee. I carried the heavy tray into the living room and set it onthe coffee table. Soren and Beckett appeared to be in a staring contest of some kind.
I set about pouring the coffee and couldn’t help but listen to the tense conversation.
“You’re playing well. This summer has done you a world of good.”
Beckett laughed viciously. “Sure, sweating and bleeding and hurting all summer was really healing. Thanks, Dad.”
Soren shrugged. “You got yourself into that mess. Now, you’re out. I would say I’m proud of you, if I didn’t think you’d hate to hear it.”
Beckett stared at his dad for a long time, a muscle leaping in his jaw.
“I’m sure he’s happy to hear it, darling,” Colette purred and put her hand on Soren’s arm. “Every man, no matter how old, or big…is just a little boy inside, needing validation from his parents. I’m proud of you, too, Beck.”
Beckett stood so abruptly the chair screeched back against the hard wooden floor, and I jumped.
“I can’t do this,” Beckett said simply. He turned on his heel and headed for the door.
It slammed hard behind him, and I just stared at it, willing him to come back. If it had been awkward before, it was nothing compared to now.
Soren put a hand to his forehead, pinching between his eyes, like he had a headache. Before I could excuse myself and follow Beckett, Colette stood and smoothed down her white dress.
“I’ll speak to him, don’t worry.”
She disappeared out the door, leaving me with Soren.
“I apologize for Beckett. He’s never been good at controlling his temper. I thought he was making progress, but now I know that he never was, he was just on something. He’s always struggled with the demands of life.” Soren gazed around at the room. “I wonder if this is the right environment for him.”
“He’s doing great here. I haven’t noticed any temper issues.”
Soren peered at me, disbelieving.
“I’m serious. We have some classes together, and he’s always there. He doesn’t skip. He trains hard and doesn’t even party much.” Did Beckett need me to defend him? Probably not, but I couldn’t just let his father sit there and talk badly about him. I just couldn’t.
Soren studied me, and his scrutiny made me self-conscious. It felt like he could tell what had been happening in the bedroom while he’d been waiting out here. My cheeks heated, and I stood.
“I’ll just go and check on them,” I managed before escaping the apartment.
Beckett
I’d stormedout of the apartment before I punched something. Or someone. Black anger choked me at the sight of Colette sitting beside my father, telling me she was proud of me. The woman was pure evil. A psychopath.
“Beckett!” Her voice was like a whip. Had she followed me?
I turned the corner, away from the elevator. I wasn’t getting trapped in there with her. My skin crawled at the thought. I made for the emergency stairs instead. I banged open the door and entered the stairwell just as Colette caught up to me and grabbed my arm with her skeletal hand.
The door shut behind us, and I shrugged off her hold.
