“You know, I thought that, too, and look where that got me.” He raised his gray eyebrows and his fatherly gaze drilled into me.
“You have a daughter?” I winked at him, and he grunted.
“Can’t deny that, but she’s the daughter of a whore. You know Sophie don’t care about that, but she never grew up with a traditional family. I couldn’t give her that after her mom left her with me and ran away.”
“I was there, Uncle Errol.”
Sophie was seven when her mother dropped her off at Errol’s house and told him she was his daughter. Her mother left and we never saw her again. We didn’t know if Sophie really was Errol’s child, but he didn’t care. He fell in love with the little girl and raised her as his, and I helped him how I could. Now she was sixteen years old and our jobs had never been harder. Between boys her age and all the social media pressure, we had an uphill battle with raising a girl on the fast track to becoming a woman.
“All’s I’m saying is that I want you to be happy, Luke. Holes get old and wrinkly like the rest of the outside. Hearts don’t.”
I chuckled. “Where’d you get that from? A Hallmark card?”
“Nah, I think I saw it in a sex shop somewhere. Probably beside the lube.”
I knocked the back of his head with my hand, and he hooted out more laughter. The bell tinkled again, and I glanced over my shoulder toward the door, a grin immediately plastering on my face when I caught sight of Sophie. She waved as she entered, her backpack hooked over her shoulders as she strode toward us. She wore her Villa Faustina Academy uniform, which consisted of a white collared button-down top, blue-and-silver patterned skirt, a tie, and knee-high socks the same color as her skirt. Black shoes finished off the look. I hated the idea of sending her to a private school, but Errol insisted on only the best for her, and he thought that meant an expensive education. Any money he got from the alcohol he made went straight to her schooling.
“Hey, sweetheart,” I greeted, holding out my arms to her. She reached me and snuggled against my body in a tight hug. I brushed her blonde hair away from her face and kissed her forehead, then her cheek. “What are you doing here at this time?”
“I’m meeting some friends at Grounds and Gears. Dad said I could.” She sent me the sweetest smile she had, and I waited for what I knew was coming. “But Dad says he’s out of cash, Luke.”
“Your school costs an arm and a leg, and I just paid your tuition. Then there was the road trip we took,” Errol said with a sigh.
I patted Errol on the shoulder in commiseration and headed over to the register. Oli took his buds out and smiled at Sophie.
“Hey, Soph, big day today?”
She skipped over to him and leaned on the counter. “Math test and English essay due.”
“Gross.” Oli scrunched up his nose. If he wasn’t gay, I would have warned him to stay away from my cousin. The overprotective nature in me meant I sometimes got animalistic on boys her age. I was that age once and knew exactly what kind of thoughts went through their heads. But as I got to know Oli better, I realized he wouldn’t have been a problem even if he was straight.
Opening the register, I pulled out three fifties and passed them to her. “This’ll last you a couple of weeks. Don’t go crazy.”
“Would I do that?” She gave me an innocent smile, and I shook my head.
“I mean it, Soph. Don’t spend it on clothes or makeup.”
She heaved a sigh. “Fine. I’m going now.” Blowing a kiss in Errol’s direction, she gave me another hug. “Thanks, Luke. Love ya.”
Then she was gone as fast as she’d arrived.
“Girls at that age.” Errol shook his head. “She’s a lot more difficult to handle than you were.”
I snickered. While that wasn’t entirely true, as a teenager, I was into the same things as Errol, like blowing shit up and shooting. Sophie just preferred the more refined activities—like shopping. Destiny and she were shopping champions, and when she wasn’t checking out clothes with her friends, she was doing it with him.
I shook my head as I walked back over to Errol. “She needs a job.”
Errol cackled.
