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Heather pats my shoulder before grabbing Marcus and yanking him toward the back door. “We’re going to, uh, give you guys some space.”
Dad skeptically raises a brow as he sits beside Mom. “What’s going, Pen?”
The house goes quiet and I bounce on my heels, gathering my thoughts. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you…”
My hands shake as I wring them, standing at the front of the room, afraid to tell them the truth—afraid they’re going to reject me—but I told Logan he was worth the risk, and I meant it.
Just spit it out. Rip it off like a band-aid.
“Do you remember Logan Anderson?”
Carrie offers me two thumbs up while Dad frowns and Mom’s head tilts. “Silas’s son?”
“Yes. Okay, so we were sort of dating, I guess? Until last night, when things got a little complicated. Because, you know, his father is a controlling asshole who’s trying to buy the properties where the group home I’ve been volunteering at for the last few years is foreclosing.”
I inhale a rush of air at the end of my ramble, positive the smile I give them is confident. If only it wasn’t trembling on my lips.
“Wait, wait, wait.” Dad waves a hand in the air. “Back up and start from the beginning.”
“The beginning. Okay…” How does one ease into telling their parents they’ve been lying to them for years?
“So, I’ve been lying to you guys for years.”
Welp. That’ll do it.
Dad sits up straighter, scooting to the edge of his seat. “Lying how, exactly?”
I fidget with the shredded edge of my nail. I’ve spent so long refusing to rely on my father, monetarily or otherwise. Yet, here I am, asking him to oppose a ruthless businessman for me—his ever-disappointing daughter.
He listens, unmoving, as the truths of what I’ve been doing since I moved to Keerah—from quitting the job he got for me, to working with Ricardo and Dorthea, then working with Logan. I tell them where I was living, and how I used Koa as a cover to get them off my back, and then I tell them about Silas’s plans, too.
With each truth, the disappointment I’d feared rises, drooping their shoulders and deepening their frowns.
“I don’t understand,” Dad says. “All these years, you could have asked me for help, and I would’ve been there, no questions asked. Why didn’t you say something before now?”
“Because I wanted to prove that I could make it on my own, and because I didn’t know how to tell you that big business isn’t my dream. Or how badly I craved the support you guys openly give Carrie.” I point at my aching chest. “I hate fancy gowns and lavish parties, and acting ladylike makes me itchy. I love a good cuss word here and there, and if I could go barefoot the rest of my life, I would. And I refuse to be sorry for who I am just because I can’t meet your expectations.”
Exasperated, he shakes his head. “We don’t love either of you more than the other. In fact, I’ve exhausted every resource imaginable to set the two of you up for success, and you repay me by working for a man like Silas.”
“I’m not working for him. And I know I’m loved–that’s never been a question,” I counter. “The point I’m trying to make is that I’m grateful for what you’ve done for us, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’ve set certain standards for me my entire life. As if my worth is based on mimicking your successes.”
Placing his elbows on his knees, he steeples his fingers in front of his mouth. Those aging eyes meet mine fiercely, as if he needs me to know the importance of what he’s about to say. “I can’t apologize for wanting what’s best for you, Penelope.”
Frustration sharpens my tone. “You don’t need to apologize. You need to accept me as I am.”
Mom and Carrie remain silent, letting us fight this out with angry stares and lashing words.
“As a woman who doesn’t take life seriously, has no regard for her future, or any desire to fulfill a purpose?”
I square my shoulders, and with every ounce of courage and confidence I possess, I say, “I’ve found my purpose. And it’s too bad that it’s not what you expected it to be, but your opinion isn’t going to change it.”
We glare at each other, but every second that ticks by is one less that I have to find a solution.
“I know what I’m asking of you is monumental, but if I don’t find a way to outbid Silas by Monday, the group home will be demolished.” At a loss, I tip my head up at the ceiling and draw a deep breath. It hits the bottom of my lungs before I release it in a rush. “These kids need more than a place to live, Dad. They need a support system that keeps them safe and secure, and if they end up on the streets because I didn’t do my damndest to help them, it’ll break me.”
He’s quiet for several anxiety-inducing seconds before slowly rising to stand. “Well, then, I suppose I have no other option than to agree.”
Utterly defeated, my confidence deflates in an instant.
