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“It’s obviously not nothing,” I laugh awkwardly. “You’re…you’re designing a car?”
“I mean, I know how,” he shrugs. “I thought I’d put together a portfolio or something, you know? Maybe I can find a job in the automobile industry after all.”
“Ah,” I nod suspiciously. “But that’s an environmentally friendly car, isn’t it?”
“Yeah…lots of companies are trying to produce more of those now,” he answers, trying to sound as innocent as possible, but his face looks as guilty as can be.
I put my hands on my hips, growing bored with his charade. “Like the kind of cars Theo wants to manufacture?”
He rolls his head and groans. “Alright, fine,” he sighs, walking over to plop down on the side of his bed. “I know you’re going to hate me for this, but I met with Theo.”
“What?” I hiss through clenched teeth.
“He was just so persistent!” He buries his face in his hands in exasperation. “It was starting to get awkward…turning him down so much. I finally thought it couldn’t hurt to go meet with him just so he’d shut up about it, but then…”
“But then he magically convinced you he had all these grand plans and sold you on the whole thing?” I jeer. “Oh, what a surprise. Theo the master manipulator won you over.”
“He actually has a really great business model and a lot of investors lined up,” he explains. “It doesn’t really matter what kind of guy Theo is. If I can design a car model for him, I can make us a lot of money and have a good start to doing something with my life. It’s for us, Ophelia. You have at least four years of college ahead of you, and you’ve already said you don’t want to live on Theo’s dime. I want to be able to support us.”
“I don’t need you to do that,” I snap. “Don’t use me as an excuse to make a deal with the devil, Emmett. So, is that all it is then? You just sell him the design and walk away?”
“Probably,” he looks away. “Maybe.”
“Un-fucking-believable,” I drag my palms down my face.
“Come on, Ophelia. Please don’t treat me like an idiot,” he begs. “I know you don’t trust your father, but I’m not some helpless little sheep prancing off to be slaughtered. I know what kind of man your father is, but for all the trouble he’s caused…if something good can come out of him being around again, then it might make things feel a little better, you know?”
I want to storm out without listening to another word he says, but then I remember how it felt to be lying next to him just moments ago. It seems like we can’t get through a single day without things feeling messed up again.
“If you would just sit down with us and see what he has planned, I think you’d feel better,” he insists. “When I finally did, I saw him as a businessman. Not just your crooked father.”
“A crooked businessman who embezzled money!” I shriek. “Did you forget about what the police said after your dad was shot? They told me Theo was being investigated by the FBI. I was supposed to tell them if I saw Theo again. I didn?
?t know he’d be showing up for family dinners all of a sudden! Do you really think he’s going to be able to start a clean business without those things coming up to bite him in the ass!?”
“Come with me to see him tomorrow, Ophelia. Please? After school.” He folds his hands together and looks at me with the most pitiful puppy expression. “I want your honest opinion on all of it, but you have to walk into this with an open mind. If I do some work for him, it could solve all of our worries about moving out of Jameson. It could make it easier for both of us to go to California.”
Any mention of California has become like a golden ray of sunshine that goes off in my head every time I hear it. A big, bright shining beacon of hope that pierces through the mess that the rest of my life has become. It’s a fresh start. One that I so desperately need, but I know Emmett needs it too.
“I’ll think about it,” I grumble finally.
I finish gathering my things and tell him goodbye. Driving home, I wonder what will happen if Emmett really does start working with Theo. What if he gets trapped in Jameson? Or thrown in prison for one of his illegal schemes? I can see Emmett giving in more and more. That’s what Theo does. Give him an inch and he takes a mile. Will Emmett keep giving in until all of our dreams to move away are shattered? If we can even get that far, considering all the death threats looming over me.
17
Chapter Seventeen
“Where are we going?” I ask Emmett as he pulls off into an industrial park on the edge of town. “I thought we’d be meeting up at a restaurant or a coffee shop or something?”
I slump down in my seat as I stare out the window, still in disbelief that I let myself get talked into this stupid meeting at all.
“He’s rented out a big warehouse space,” Emmett says nonchalantly.
I do my best not to snap and start going off again, which would be the fifth or sixth time I’ve done that since last night. But every new thing I learn about this whole venture makes my gut twist more. First, they were just talking. Now Emmett is drawing up plans. And to top it all off, there’s a whole building already in the works. This isn’t just some pipe dream Theo is using to lure Emmett in. He’s legitimately trying to get this thing up and running, whether it’s a smart move or not.
I feel even worse as we pull up and park. There are at least twenty guys scrambling around in the warehouse which I can see through the open garage doors. They’re assembling equipment as Theo comes running up to our car, wearing a hardhat with a walky-talky in hand.
“You made it!” he beams as we get out of the car. “Good to see you again, son.” He wraps Emmett up in a hug, slapping his shoulder as if they’re old pals.
