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“What are you doing here?” The words had barely left Emily’s mouth before her dad pushed past her, shoving his way into the trailer. She was so shocked, she let him. Not that she knew what she could do to stop him.
She’d never been able to stop him. Neither had her mother.
“What do you mean, what am I doing here? Also, I’m going to need a new key.” He patted his pockets as he looked around, as if he was still looking for it. “Don’t know what I did with mine.”
“Maybe that’s because you haven’t been back here in years.” Even as she said the words, Emily inwardly winced. The resentment she had against her dad had built up over those years, making it harder for her to hold her tongue, even though her memories told her that was a bad idea.
Her father turned toward her, the ice in his eyes growing as he paused to look her up and down, an all-too-familiar sneer curling his lip. Then he suddenly laughed, his mercurial mood changing as quickly as ever. Apparently, that was still the same.
“Missed me, baby girl?” he asked, holding out his arms as if he thought she would ever want to hug him.
No. But she knew better than to say that.
Instead, she braced herself and stepped forward, giving him as brief a hug as she could, tension running through every line of her body. The fact that she was close to the door outside gave her some sense of relief. As did glancing over to where the kitten had been only moments earlier and seeing he’d made himself scarce.
Smart kitten.
She wished she could do the same.
“It would have been nice to know you were still alive,” she said as she pulled away from the hug, feeling as though she needed a shower. Placating her dad was the name of the game, though. Placate him, then he’ll go away. If he left for another five years, that would be just fine with her.
The fact that her mom was in jail while he was still walking around free was patently unfair. She felt like a bad person for wishing it was the reverse. On the other hand, she wasn’t sure her mom would have gone through rehab if she hadn’t gone to jail… but if her dad had been in jail, her mom might not have felt the need as badly.
Still, it would have been nice to know if he was alive or not. She’d wondered, more than once. She still wasn’t sure how she felt knowing that he was. Relieved in some ways, but she also wished he wasn’t here.
“Looks like the rumors are true, and you’re doing well for yourself,” her dad said, looking around the trailer, taking in all her recent purchases. Emily stepped away from him, tensing again at his comment.
“What rumors?”
“Oh, you know, I hear things.” He winked at her.
Her stomach churned with nauseous anxiety. Someone from the park must still be in contact with him and told him about her new job and the things she’d been buying.
That was why he was back.
He thought he could get something from her.
“I did just get a new job. It’s better than the diner, but I’m not rich or anything.” She made the statement as noncommittally as possible, hoping he wouldn’t hear the fear or worry that was rippling through her.
If her dad knew how much money she had…
She didn’t want to finish that thought.
She knew his greed would win over any care he had for her. They’d already been through that test, and he’d failed. Miserably.
“Looks like you have some extra money on hand.” He smirked at her as he ran a grimy finger over the glass of a picture of her and her mom. It was in a new frame, and his finger left a streaky smear across her mom’s face. Anger flared inside of her, but she pressed her lips together, taking a deep breath and pushing the emotions down. They weren’t going to help her right now.
“What do you want, dad?” Like she didn’t already know, but maybe if he just said it, she could get rid of him. How much could she give him to get him to go away without endangering her future?
“Wow, I can’t even come to my own home without the third degree? You know, you get the nagging thing from your mother.” He shook his head sadly. “This is my trailer, too, you know.”
Technically, he and her mother both still owned it, but Emily was the only one who had been living in it. She was the only one who had paid any of the bills for it since her mom had gone to jail.
“I know.”
“So, really, you should have been paying me rent all these years.” He shrugged as Emily’s jaw dropped open. “Tell you what, give me fifty thousand dollars, and we’ll call it even.”
“You cannot be serious,” she sputtered, taking another step back away from him. Not because he was doing anything but because she didn’t want to be anywhere near him. She didn’t want to even be breathing the same air. As her anger rose, she wasn’t sure she would be able to control herself and keep from doing something stupid.
