AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Try not ever.” I stare at my parents in disbelief. “I have a boyfriend. A man that I love very much, and it’s not Evan. I have a business and a community that loves me. Why would you ever think that I’d give all of that up to move back to Helena where I have nothing?”
“You don’t have nothing,” Dad says sharply enough to garner looks from the next table. “You have your family. And you’ll eventually see that marrying Evan is what’s best for you. You’ve been groomed to be a politician’s wife since you were a child, Summer. This is what your mother and I have always wanted for you.”
“You’ll be well taken care of,” Evan assures me and covers my hand with his, making my stomach roll. I pull away from his touch and glare at all of them.
“You’re crazy. First of all, I’m a grown woman, and arranged marriages are no longer a thing in this country.”
“You’d be surprised,” my father mutters, shaking his head.
“Second of all, I’m not moving anywhere. This is my home. Not Helena. I’m happy here, and as I’ve shown you over and over again, I don’t want anything from you. Not your money or your political connections. Nothing.”
“Keep going and nothing is exactly what you’ll get,” Mom says, her voice as cold as the Arctic.
“Fine by me. I don’t need or want anything from you.” I turn to Evan now and see that he’s frowning. His hands are in angry fists. “And you. You were supposed to be my friend. That’s all you were. I never played games with you. I never lied to you. I don’t have romantic feelings for you, Evan, and I don’t want any kind of a life with you. You know that I’m in a committed relationship.”
“This whole trip was a waste of time,” Dad says, and I nod in agreement.
“It absolutely was. We’ll go back to exchanging polite Christmas cards, and that’s about it. And as for you,” I turn back to Evan, “I want nothing more to do with you.”
I slap my napkin onto the table and storm out of the restaurant. I’m not one for public displays, but there was just no choice in the matter. There was no other way to get my point across.
What am I to them, some sort of whore? Someone who can be bought and paid for?
You’ll be well taken care of.
“Fuck that,” I mutter as I stomp down the sidewalk. “I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for the better part of three decades.”
Walking past the patio, I glance their way and find all three of them talking at once, frowning, clearly upset.
They can all go fuck themselves.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHASE
“You know what?” I shove my phone into my pocket and gaze over at Lily, who’s sitting up in the little pink dog bed I brought out to the job site for her to relax in. “I think we’re done here for the day. Why don’t we go ahead and head home?”
She tilts her head at my words, and I get to work, packing up the few tools I have out. I’ve always been good at cleaning up as I go, so there’s not too much to do.
I had help out here earlier, but Brady and Remington went home about an hour ago, and after the call with Summer just now, I think I’m ready to go, as well.
“You’re probably hungry,” I murmur to the dog as I make sure that everything is locked and tucked away, out of the weather, not that anyone would steal anything out here, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. I lift Lily and her bed into my arms and set them both in the cab of the truck.
I’m happy with today’s progress. Two walls are up, and with the promise of more help over the next few days, we should get the first floor framed in rather quickly. It’s damn satisfying.
I feel bad that Summer’s parents surprising her with a trip to town isn’t a welcome one. If I lived far away from my family, and they rolled into town to surprise me, I’d be excited as hell. But one of the things I quickly learned about my girl is that we come from two very different backgrounds. Part of me wants to meet up with them at the restaurant to meet her folks and find out what the deal is there. But I could tell by her tone on the phone that this isn’t a conversation that she’s excited about, so I’ll let her handle it without me.
Of course, at some point, I’ll have to have a man-to-man conversation with her father, but there’s no rush for that.
“It’s not too busy in Bitterroot Valley for a Friday evening,” I say to Lily as we drive into town. The heart of tourist season is definitely over, and there are fewer and fewer tourists in the area every weekend. It’s a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of the heart of summer. I’m ready for the couple of months of relative quiet that we’ll get before ski season kicks in around the holidays.
As I stop at a red light, I glance over to Ciao and notice that Summer and her parents are sitting out on the patio. I’d recognize her golden hair and the self-assured set of her shoulders anywhere.
But then it dawns on me that she’s not only with her parents. She’s sitting next to Evan Spencer.
I frown and lean forward and watch as that slimy son of a bitch wraps his arm around her fucking shoulders.
Someone honks behind me, and I realize that the light has turned green, so I drive ahead, scowling.
