Page 131 of Best Kind of Trouble
“Just stay inside,” my father hisses. “Come in too, Briar. You might as well come in.”
“No. I’m not going in there. We came here, and you refused to feed us. You invited two guests instead of the agreed-upon one. I’ve fulfilled my end of the contract. We’ll be back next week at the same time…until you tell us you don’t want us to come. But this brewerywillbe successful, Dad. There’s a ton of interest in the New Year’s party, and we have distributors who are coming just to try Liam’s beer at midnight. The waitlist for our dining experience is two pages long. Silver Star isn’t going anywhere.”
He pouches his lips. “Now, I wasn’t going to put you out in the cold, sweetheart. The property is yours, if you continue to abide by the terms of the contract. You’d get most of the profits from this exchange, and there’ll be a job for you once I get my next venture up and running.” He shoots a hateful glance at Liam. “Hell, we could even find a janitorial position for your?—”
“I haven’t reneged on our contract,” I say tightly, calmly, in the only tone my father will listen to. “Will you?”
“You haven’t even heard what our friend has to offer.”
“And I won’t. Because the property isn’t yours anymore, and it’s not for sale.”
“Now, Briar.”
“You heard her,” Liam says, his hand once again on my back. “And if you knew about even half of the work she’s put in—oh, hell, what am I saying. You wouldn’t be ashamed of yourself. You just should be. Your daughter is worth more than you could ever understand, and you don’t deserve her.”
“And you do?” my father sputters.
“No, I don’t, sir. But that doesn’t mean I have to stop trying. I think we’ll be leaving now. Isn’t that right, Briar?”
“Yes,” I say, heat filling my eyes. But I won’t let my father see me cry. If he does, he’ll assume my tears are for him and not for Liam.
The truth is, I don’t have any tears left for my parents. They were cried out years ago, into a pillow that didn’t care about me either.
“Goodbye, Dad. Don’t feel like you have to come to the New Year’s party. And definitely?—”
My words are cut off by a silver car pulling up to the gate.
Melly. I can see her in the driver’s seat.
“Stay, Briar.” My father reaches out and wraps his hand around my wrist. He’s squeezing too hard. Liam sees me wince and tugs my father’s hand off.
“Don’t you ever grab her like that again,” Liam says, his tone hard. Like he’d definitely have more to say with his fists if I weren’t here beside him. My father seems to recognize it too, because he steps back, his face ashen.
“Let’s go.” I take Liam’s hand and turn my back on my childhood home and the old dream of belonging there.
By the time we reach the bike, the gates have opened for the car. My mother must have buzzed them in from the interior of the house.
Liam gets on the bike, and I cling to him, needing to be close to him right now.
The car parks, and Melly gets out. Just Melly.
“You ready?” Liam asks, handing me the helmet he bought for me, but I hand it back.
“There’s something I need to do first.”
I stalk up to Melly, who’s watching me witha wary expression.
“You got me into trouble, you know,” she says in an undertone, glancing at the front door of the house.
“Good.”
She shifts her attention more fully to me, her lips parting in surprise. “Good?”
“You deserved it. It was about time someone called you out for lying.”
“It wasn’t all?—”
“All I ever wanted was to be your friend,” I say, giving a voice to that hurt little girl who never had one. “And you never missed a single opportunity to hurt me. Maybe you think they’re all just funny stories, but they’re not. I still have nightmares about you holding me down and cutting off my hair. You may think that’s funny too. But you want to know something? I’m happy with who I am as a person. I’mhappy. Can you say the same?”
