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“Get. Out.” I speak the words slowly but with every ounce of hatred I hold for him.
He’s in my yard, at my house. This is my safe space, and he showed up here like our lives cross over in the way of normal families. We’re not normal. I moved states away so I’d never have to see his face again. I kept this address to myself, but it’s probably public record.
Knew I should’ve changed my name when I finally left their house. Maybe I should reconsider becoming Luna Keller. Maybe Charlie could share his parents with me for the next year, letting me live in a brief, happy fantasy land filled with parental support.
“I’m not leaving until we have a chat. A family discussion.” Bill Lamont leans back against one of my planters, and the wood creaks under his weight.
“That’s not a bench,” I hiss.
Mistake.
His eyes drop to the planter I spent a week carefully constructing. Then he glances back at me with a spark of triumph in his milky-blue eyes.
Almost thirty years old, and I still haven’t mastered the art of handling my father. The best thing to do is remain calm and dismissive. But the man even breathing air in my vicinity pisses me off, which means I accidentally reveal weaknesses. Like the fact that I care about my planters.
When I was younger, my dad would use Leo and Dash against me, knowing I would do anything to keep my brothers from hurting.
“Sorry, baby girl. I’ll leave these be, and we can have our little talk.”
“We have nothing to talk about.”
“Sure we do. But maybe you forgot because you didn’t mention it last you came to visit.” His gaze sharpens, trying to cut through me.
Disquiet trickles down my spine. Instead of asking the question he wants me to, I keep my mouth shut. Bill Lamont is too much of a showman not to get around to the big reveal even without my prompting.
After waiting long enough, he laughs, as if I’m a silly child. “I got the most interesting letter. About an inheritance. My inheritance.”
Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.
His smile turns as hard as his stare. “You should’ve told me about that, baby girl. I know you knew.”
Calm and dismissive. “So what?”
“So…” He steps closer. “I know you’d rather chew your leg off before tying yourself down to some man. Just thought I’d stop by and make sure you weren’t planning something stupid.”
Good thing I have on gardening gloves or else he’d know I have zero intention of letting him get his grubby hands on Wai Po’s money.
The safest thing to do would be to disengage from this situation. To stroke my father’s ego, drop my eyes, let him gloat until he gets bored, then wait for him to leave. He’s a quarry I’m familiar with, and I know exactly what leads to violent reactions.
But with Bill Lamont, my logic always seems to evaporate.
All that’s left is a rage that demands I hurt him.
“You’re pathetic.” I leave my hands loose at my sides, ready to bring them up for defense. “Can’t make your own money, can you? Need an old lady’s cash just to survive?”
His condescending smile morphs into a snarl. “Shut your mouth.”
“Why? So you don’t have to hear about how you’re a waste of oxygen? An embarrassing use of space?”
“You ungrateful bitch. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even exist.” The man who never earned the titlefatherlooms over me. “And I know you’re the reason I’ve been getting those calls!”
I keep all signs of triumph off my face, even as I savor an evil cackle in my mind. Glad to hear the number Leo gave me wasn’t a dud.
There are a few personal ads out in the world now describing how Bill’s looking for a connection. Specifically, he’s looking for people to call him using a baby voice and commenting how tiny his junk is. Available 24/7.
Anyone who insults my sister-in-law deserves to be taken down several hundred pegs.
“Get off of my property now.”
