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Instantly, my head flared hot with ablisteringheadache. The pain radiated from the base of my skull and glared around my head in a thick wave.
I didn’t need to turn to the other pages to track the time when Sullivan had barged into my house and insulted my dad. No wonder the man had bought the fleet of trucks—it was because my dad had neglected to do the proper thing.
“Its…” I pressed the heel of my hand to my temple, “…all a game of tit for tat. Dad, what thehellwere you thinking? What the hell am I going to do when Mia finds this out?”
Pushing away from the table, I paced to the line of windows, looking down at the Meadery. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I sucked in a breath. This foolishness, this one-upmanship of the other family, had to stop.
But I still had some explaining to do.
Mia had offered her apology; now it was time to give mine. Grimacing, I went back to my desk and took my phone. I still hadn’t gotten her number, so I emailed her, “Could you please come to my home at about seven pm? I need to talk with you.”
Slapping my dad’s old journal closed, I went to pour out a glass of whisky and allowed the burn to flare right through me. I felt sick knowing that the attack on my family I had once thought so wicked and heinous only to find out it was retaliatory.
“Bossman?” Indie came in with a few sheets of paper. “Copies of the payment and correspondence from the pest guys.”
“Thanks, Indie,” I replied, hearing the hollowness in my voice.
He picked up on it, too. “Are you okay, Ethan? You sound…I dunno, like someone punched you in the gut.”
“Might as well. I just realized half of my life was a lie.” I shrugged, then told him about what I’d remembered and what I had just found out. “This feud needs to die.”
Indie whistled. “Damn. I am sorry, but you’re right. This thing between your family is completely insane. Are you—are you going to do something about it?”
“I’m going to try.” My phone pinged, and I went to see that Mia had replied. She agreed to meet me but wanted to know why. I wrote back;you’ll find out later.Turning to Indie, I rubbed my face. “I just don’t know what it's going to take to get this done. Nearly a century of hate is not easily undone in days.”
My secondhand man gave me a sympathetic smile. “Well, if anyone can do it, or at least start the process, it's you. You’ll find a way, bossman. I know you will.”
“I wish I had your faith,” I replied.
He gave me jazz hands. “It’s not faith, it’s magic.”
“Get out,” I narrowed my eyes. “Your time is up.”
I tried to do my work for the rest of the day until I clocked out at six, stopped by Mix’D to get a vegan dinner for two—just in case—and headed home. I put the food in the warmer and went to take a shower. By the time I came out and dressed in a pair of lounge pants and a ribbed tank, Mia was at my door.
“Always punctual,” I said while stepping aside for her to come in. “I forgot how you would always be ten minutes early for class back in high school.”
“It served me well,” she replied. “I managed to do my overdue homework in nine. So, what do you want to tell me?”
I paused to look at her; her hair was up in a messy bun, she had on skintight jeans, an oversized sweater with her old Uni’s coat of arms printed on it, and a pair of trainers. I never knew—or expected—Mia to be so casual.
“Before I tell you, have you eaten?” I asked. “I picked up another burger from Mix’D earlier.”
“With fries?” she perked up.
“A double portion,” I replied, going to my kitchen. I could feel her eyes following me as I shared the food on two plates, and when I went back to the table, I placed them before us before I poured two glasses of cranberry juice.
She looked down. “Your burger looks better.”
Wordlessly, I switched the plates, and she ate. “So…are you trying to butter me up or…”
“Or what?” I tried to tease her. “You think this is a date?”
When Mia gave a flat, unimpressed look, I let out a breath. “Yes, I am trying to get on your good side because I fucked up, Mia. Remember what I told you about your dad undermining mine? Well, I found out today that my dad had done it to yours first and in a big goddamn way.”
Silently, I slid the ledger to her and spun the page open. “My dad had failed to pass on some important info to your dad, and he lost a lot because of it. No wonder he decided to repay in kind.”
With a fry in hand, she read over the passage and slowly sat the fry down before wiping her hand on a napkin. “Your dad failed to pass on a message, and Dad…”
