“You!” she hissed so loudly that it shook my eardrums. “You led me here as a trap! You let me say all of those things with him in your apartment !”
“What?” I exclaimed in shock .
“Don’t you dare try to turn this back around on Tabitha!” Earl boomed .
We both jumped, but my mother was quicker to recover. “How dare you try to tear me and your father apart!” she bellowed. “What have I ever done to you? Our love isn’t going to be broken by you or her though .”
“Are you kidding me right now? After everything that I just heard, you think I’m going to buy that shit ?”
“Thank you,” I said .
He spun around and glared at me. My heart skipped then sank to my stomach. “I am not defending you. I can’t believe that you knew about this,” he said .
“Earl,” I begged him. “I didn’t know ab — ”
“I don’t want to hear it!” he yelled. Turning back to my mother his voice got eerily quiet. “And you, just wait until my father hears about this. I think he’ll be interested to know how you really feel about him .”
“Son,” my mother begged in a pathetic display .
“Earl,” I said quickly taking his arm .
He pulled away from me. The door slammed behind him, making me jump. I stood there frozen for a minute before turning my rage back to my mother .
“You did this,” I hissed. “You ruin everything that you touch! You are a monster .”
She pulled her jacket around herself tightly and looked down at me, “Oh don’t be such a brat. I think we’ve got a good thing going here. You can go after the younger one and I’ll stay on the father. One of us is bound to end up on top. I’ll even go fifty-fifty .”
“Are—” I stammered in shock. “Are you kidding me right now? You just ran off the man that I love! I never want to see you again !”
“Suit yourself,” she said with absolute disdain. “You never were very bright. I’ll come out on top of this, just you wait and see. That disgusting man would never pick his son over me. Not with what I do to him .”
“Get out!” I screamed at the top of my lungs .
To my petty happiness the shriek made my mother jump and she quickly scurried to the door like a rat from a sinking ship. She didn’t stop to tell me goodbye or bother to shut the door after herself, but I didn’t care. I was just glad that she was gone. Standing in the silence, though, my mind started to process everything that had just happened. Earl was gone .
My heart felt like it was being crushed. I stumbled backwards and collapsed down onto the couch as it dawned on me. The week of beauty and love was over and now he was done with me. He thought that I knew what a monster she was, but how could I fathom such a beast? Everything that had happened was my fault. It was too good to be true so it could never last. The pain coursed through me, taking over all the wonderful places of pleasure. Now they were just painful reminders that Earl was gone .
I wanted to call him, but there was nothing to say. He would think what he wanted and I couldn’t stop him. Still, I couldn’t survive this alone. With shaking hands, I dialed my sister’s number and managed to tell her what happened between crushing sobs. The conversation was brief, but it was done. An hour later she was sitting on the couch with me, playing the role that my mother abandoned. We did it for each other because that was all we had left .
“I—” I could barely speak. “I don’t know why she came here .”
Selina shifted as she stoked my hair. “I think I might. We got into a fight last night, a pretty big one. I had no idea she was taking money from Gary on the side .”
“What?” I stammered .
“Yeah. Well I was looking at getting my own place so I had the bank run a credit check. Turns out my credit is great because I have almost a million dollars in offshore accounts .”
I gasped. “What !”
“Don’t get jealous, though, because you do too. I hope you don’t mind, I had them run yours as well. I didn’t know what to do! I thought someone was stealing our identities so I called Gary because he knows all those high-powered attorneys and stuff. It was a huge thing that happened last week .”
“That’s why you were so upset with her,” I said, connecting the dots finally .
“Well, aren’t you? She was stealing money from her husband and hiding it under our names! Who knows what else she’s done .”
I frowned, I had a pretty good idea. I knew what kind of person she was. “Yeah, I’m upset about it, but then why did she come here ?”
“Well,” she stalled. “I might have told her that you and Earl were a thing in a fit of rage .”
I groaned. “Why ?”
“Because she kept going on and on about how Gary and Earl were both morons and she was going to take everything from the father then move onto the son. I just go so angry .”
“Hey,” I said as I pulled her into my arms. “It’s not your fault okay? This whole mess isn’t your fault. You just got caught in the crossfire. Everything will work itself out in the end okay ?”
“Promise me that you’ll never leave me,” she said in a soft voice .
I squeezed her tighter. “I promise you, Selina, I won’t ever leave you and Mom can go to hell .”
She laughed softly. “Yeah. She can go right to hell .”
Chapter Seventeen
Earl
“S orry I’m late,” my father grumbled as he sat down. “You would think with the membership fees we pay to this damn club they would get a better valet service .”
I chuckled, he was less than sixty seconds late, but my father had always been a very punctual man. I made a point of planning my arrival’s a full ten minutes before our actual meeting time. It was a trait I knew he appreciated. I’d already ordered us a round of their best whisky, dry for him and mine on the rocks. It was one of very few differences between us. We didn’t always agree on woman, but whisky was easy .
“I was starting to worry,” I said with a grin .
He rolled his eyes. “I’m so happy your sarcasm survived past the teen years.” He laughed. “So, it sounded pretty important on the phone. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to have lunch with my son any day of the week, but twice in one week? Something’s fishy .”
I leaned back, it wasn’t a conversation I was happy about having. “How well do you know Opal, Dad? Like really know her ?”
He shrugged. “We dated for quite a while before getting married, son. You were busy with your own life, I don’t blame you for not knowing all the details .”
“Dad,” I said carefully. “There is something that you need to know about her .”
“If it’s about her past, I already know. There isn’t any reason for us to relive all that. Don’t tell me you called this lunch just to dredge that up .”
“No,” I told him. “I wanted to talk to you about your marriage .”
“We have a pre-nup if you’re worried about your inheritance,” he said with a chuckle .
I laughed. The money didn’t matter to either of us. We were both well off, it was a running joke between the two of us. I didn’t want to talk to him about his money or even how the stocks were doing which was a regular theme between the two of us. It was going to be hard for him to accept that the woman he loved was a fraud .
“Whatever is on your mind isn’t going to come out on its own. Don’t you think that you should just blurt it out already ?”
“She’s a gold digger, Dad,” I said quickly .
“I didn’t think that gold diggers would wait around for someone. You know I was the one who pursued her .”
“You only think that you did. She was planning this from the beginning .”
“How do you know all this?” he asked .
I sighed. “You aren’t going to listen to me unless I tell you everything, are you ?”
Gary shook his head. “Nope .”
I sighed. “Opal and her daughter got into it last night. I was there when i
t happened. Of course, Opal didn’t know I was there, but things got ugly and she said some things, things about getting to know you .”
He chuckled softly. “You are worried over a lover’s quarrel? We fought last night, I’m not surprised that she went to Selina .”
“I wasn’t with Selina,” I said .
Gary set his drink down, his eyebrows arching. “Oh ?”
“We’ve been seeing each other. At least we were until last night. I don’t know anything now though. I feel like she kept this from me .”
“What did she keep from you exactly ?”
I sighed and shook my head. “Man, Dad, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Opal is just a gold digger. She was planning to hook you all along. She was screaming about the years of work it took and how miserable she was .”
He still hadn’t moved from the stoic position that he’d taken while listening to me. For a brief second, I thought that he might be having a heart attack. I swallowed hard as he blinked and I knew that he was okay. Gary took a deep breath and flagged down the server. We didn’t speak in the few minutes it took him to bring my father another perfectly blended whisky .
After a long sip, he set down the glass and looked down at the table. “I knew that she was a fraud .”
“What?” I stammered. “You knew that she was just after your money ?”
“I wasn’t sure of it until now, but I had a sneaking suspicion .”
“Why?”
“Because I had an old friend look into her right after we got married. It was routine really, but I had been so infatuated before the wedding that I didn’t think to have it done. We have a bulletproof pre-nup, but she still managed to get ten percent out of me after a night of pleasure and torture .”
I winced, “I get it, Dad .”
Gary chuckled. “Well not soon after we got married she started disappearing when I was gone. I’m sure she thought that it wasn’t something I would notice .”
“That’s naive. You always had your staff watching .”
“Damn straight I do. You don’t get to be where I’m at by letting people take advantage of you .”
“So, she’s been sneaking out?” I asked .
He nodded. “That’s what Will said .”
I whistled and leaned back in my chair. “Boy it’s been a minute since I’ve heard that name. How is old Will McCafferty ?”
“Good, staying busy with all these new wall street types. I brought him in just to clear my mind. The routine ‘snap and follow’, but he started following her trail more and now, I think he’s found something .”
“You aren’t sure?” I asked, enamored by the story .
“I’m meeting him in a couple days, but if she’s been cheating then she’ll get nothing. Any infidelity within the first year of marriage is grounds for divorce. She would have nothing but what she walked into my life with .”
“Wow,” I said as I leaned back. “I’m sorry I stuck my nose in then, it sounds like you’ve got everything under control .”
“I do,” he assured me. “But it’s good to know that you’ve got my back .”
The silence between us was heavy. I knew that there was more he wanted to talk to me about. My father and I never really talked, only because there was no need. After my mother died we drifted apart. I never got into trouble and we got along just fine. Now, I found myself needing his years of wisdom. How could I move on from Tabitha without knowing if I was doing the right thing ?
“She’s not like anyone I’ve ever met before,” I whispered breathlessly. “I don’t know if what I’m feeling is real or if she is just like her mother. I never would have thought that before the other night though .”
“So, because you overheard a conversation, you are willing to change how you feel about this woman ?”
“Things are just moving so fast .”
“Is she pushing you ?”
I laughed, “Not in the least. My feelings for her, though, are so overpowering, but she’s not like other women. She doesn’t want us to move in together or take the next step. She’s very independent .”
“Son, if there is one thing that I’ve learned over the years it’s to never turn your back on love. I loved your mother with all my heart. After she died it just wasn’t the same with another woman .”
“I don’t know if I love her or not,” I whispered .
Even as I said it, I didn’t believe it. I knew how I felt about Tabitha, but it was terrifying. She could reject me at any second. Who knew if she even still cared about me after the scene that I had caused. There were too many variables for me to be comfy. Maybe it wasn’t about that, maybe it was about the thrill of being with someone so unexpectedly wonderful. Even being apart from her for a few days was more than I liked .
“I think you do know the answer to that, but you are stubborn, just like your mother .”
I chuckled, “You don’t ever talk about her .”
“It’s painful,” he said casually. “When she died, my world was shattered. I knew that I had to be around for you, but even seeing how much you looked like her was rough for me .”
“That’s funny, Opal says the same thing about Tabitha .”
“But I would never turn my back on you,” he added harshly. “I can’t believe I was such a fool .”
“Compared to most of the members sitting here now, you are doing good. This is only wife number two,” I played .
“Opal had me fooled, but I’ve seen her true colors now. I don’t think she had the patience to read the fine print of the pre-nup once she knew she would be getting part of my money. I would never treat you the same way that Opal treats Tabitha. That girl is one strong cookie .”
“Yeah,” I said. “I just wish there was something I could do about Selina when this all goes down. She’s a good kid too, I don’t want to see her suffer because of her mother’s poor choices .”
“Don’t worry, Selina might not be my child, but I still count her as one. I will make sure that she has money to pave her own way in life. Somewhere her mother won’t be able to get to it .”
“You’re that confidant that Will is going to find something ?”
He nodded. “I have learned to trust my gut. What is yours telling you about Tabitha ?”
“I don’t know,” I said carefully .
“Liar.”
I laughed, “Alright, well, I don’t know if I ready to admit how I feel. I’m going to see her for her surgery soon. I guess I’ll have to figure it out by then .”
“I have no doubt that you will make the right decision. You are too smart to let a girl like her get away .”
“But what if she rejects me? I don’t know if I can handle that .”
“That’s because you’ve never had a woman who would think about rejecting you. Now that there is a chance it might happen, you’re scared. You don’t want to live with not knowing, though, for the rest of your life. Sometimes, you just have to take that leap of faith .”
“You are so confidant,” I told him .
He laughed, “I think what you mean is ‘old’, but I’ll take it .”
The waiter came with our afternoon order and we started to eat in silence. I knew that I had a lot to think about, but my father’s advice had eased my mind. It was good to know that I wasn’t losing my mind. Plus, knowing that he had a plan for Opal set my nerves to rest too. I would have to decide what to tell Tabitha too. I was pretty sure her loyalties didn’t lie with Opal, but I could be wrong .
She wasn’t the type of person to give up on someone, even a monster like her mother. Things were going to get complicated between us before they got easier. That was if she even felt the same way about me. I never wanted her to feel indebted to me so I would wait until after the surgery when she was in recovery before talking to her. Hopefully, Tabitha would forgive me for being a complete ass and take me back .
As my father and I headed outside to our separate cars I clapped him on the back. “Thanks again for e
verything, Dad .”
“I’m happy to be of help. I hope that everything works out in the end. You’ll keep me posted ?”
“Absolutely, I hope you’ll do the same .”
“I have a feeling once this all happens that you will know about it before I get a chance to tell you .”
I smiled at him, he was so sure that Tabitha would take me back. After one final embrace, I jumped into my car and sped away. If only I had the same confidence that he had .
Chapter Eighteen
Earl
“I ’m sorry, sir,” Mary muttered as she flipped through the file. “I don’t seem to have any payment information on record for Ms. Morgan. I think we should reschedule until I get this resolved .”
I barely looked up at her. Two calls to Tabitha from my personal number had gone to voicemail. Tabitha had called the office though two days ago to confirm her appointment, so I knew she was okay. It was infuriating to know that she was dodging me socially. All I needed was a few minutes of her time to tell her how sorry I was. It wasn’t going to happen today even though I would see her. It had to wait until tomorrow when she was healing and awake .
“Don’t worry about the payment information, it’s been taken care of privately .”
“Huh?” stammered Mary. “I didn’t see anything about that in the charity logs .”
“I said not to worry about it, okay?” I snapped. “Just let me know when she arrives and I will start my prep .”
“Yes, sir,” she muttered. “Well her appointment is for eleven, so if she’s not here in the next twenty minutes we’ll have to bump the appointment .”
“Why?” I asked her. “I didn’t schedule any others for today .”
“Well,” Mary stammered. “That’s policy, sir. The patient has fifteen minutes from their scheduled time to arrive .”
“Just tell me when she gets here, that will be all,” I grumbled .
I wasn’t in the mood to deal with Mary’s jealousy and bad attitude. I was well aware of the policy and knew that Tabitha had four more minutes to get here before I would start to worry. I folded my hands in my lap as Mary closed the door. It was hard enough to stay focused, but now I was wondering if she was still going to show up. The hands on the clock seemed to slow down, adding to the torture of my wait. I watched it closely, waiting for the knock that would announce Tabitha’s arrival .
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