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“Yes. From now on, nothing but the truth.”
VIOLET AND DAISY climbed into her car a little after two in the afternoon. Violet wanted to go by and see if Casey would let them in before she had to be at work and had asked Daisy to come along to talk. Violet hadn’t told her sister yet that their father was back, partly because Daisy had been gone when she’d woken up this morning. Luckily, Violet had found their father’s card tucked into the front door before Daisy had. She’d almost crumpled it up and thrown it away, but it wasn’t fair to her brother and sister. They deserved to know that he wanted to see them.
But now, here they were all alone with a fifteen-minute drive, and yet Violet’s tongue felt heavy and her mouth seemed too dry to speak.
“So, why the sudden invitation?” Daisy asked.
Clearing her throat, Violet concentrated on merging into the left lane of the freeway. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that you seem like you’ve got something you want to say to me, but you’re not talking. You’ve got this whole creepy, foreboding silence going on, and it’s freaking me out.”
Just say it, you big wimp. “I came home yesterday and found Dad on the porch waiting for me.”
After a beat, Daisy scoffed. “Well, at least we know he’s not dead in some crack house. What did he want? Money?”
“No, he—” God, why is this so painful to admit? “He looked good. Really good. He’s put on weight, and he was dressed in a suit. I mean, he didn’t even wear a suit to Mom’s funeral, and he shows up after three years asking for forgiveness wearing a fucking suit!” Violet’s voice rose to a hysterical pitch on the last word, and suddenly, Daisy’s hand reached out to squeeze her arm.
“Breathe. You look like you’re about to hyperventilate, and I would rather not crash at sixty-five miles an hour.”
Violet breathed in deeply and slowly while her sister kept the conversation going.
“I can’t believe he showed up and just expected you to welcome him back with open arms. What an idiot.”
Violet was a little surprised by her sister’s calm, almost sardonic attitude. “How do you feel about him being back?”
“You mean, do I want to see him?” Violet glanced over at her, caught Daisy’s thoughtful expression, and turned back to the road. “Fuck no, why would I? Honestly, I hardly remember what the man looks like; that’s how much of an impact he’s had on my life.”
“He wasn’t all bad.” Violet didn’t really know why she was defending him, but she knew she didn’t want Daisy to regret writing him off. “Remember when he used to take us to Fairytale Town?”
“He only took us there to meet his dealer. It wasn’t like he actually wanted to spend any time with us; we were his cover.”
Violet had known that, of course, but had been hoping that Daisy didn’t.
Exiting the freeway, Violet didn’t know what else to say, so the last few minutes of the trip were silent until she parked.
“Are you going to tell Casey?” Daisy asked.
“If he’ll let us in. I hate to admit it, but at this point, I’m afraid that he might rather live with Dad after everything he’s been going through.”
“Then he’s a moron.” Daisy got out of the car, and Violet let her wrap her arm around her shoulder as they walked inside. “Casey loves you and knows that you would do anything for him. There is no way he can say the same for Dad.”
Violet appreciated the moral support, but after Casey had ignored her for the last week, she couldn’t rule out the possibility that he was done with her. Maybe he did blame her for whatever had happened to him.
She and Daisy checked in with security, who radioed back to see if Casey was receiving visitors. When someone answered, the burly security guard grinned at them. “You’re in luck. Visiting room three on your left. He’ll be in shortly.”
Violet nearly ran for the room, excited to see Casey finally. As they waited, Violet paced back and forth until the door opened and Casey stepped inside.
One week without seeing him, and Violet’s gaze raked over him, searching for any changes she may have missed.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi is all you’ve got to say after ignoring us for a week?” Daisy said.
Casey’s cheeks blossomed bright red. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. Had a lot to think about.”
“Don’t tell me, tell Violet. She’s the one who worries about you and loves you to pieces. I think you’re a butt.”
Violet saw his smile peek out, small but like a beacon of light. “You miss me.”
