Page 53 of Hollywood

I’d bailed on all of them once—and they’d still had my back. I couldn’t do it again. They deserved better. I owed them too, didn’t I?

Dad and I had always been a toxic combination. No good would come of going into business with him. This time, Iwouldn’t break the law. But it would still go bad, somehow. It always did.

“I’m sorry, Dad,” I said. “I have to go back to Riverton.”

“Then get the fuck out of my truck.”

I opened the door and hopped out. My father’s expression was closed-off. Implacable. But I knew that face, anyway. I’d seen it too many times before.

“You can do this without me. You can hire anyone to do the labor. I’m not important.”

“I guess you aren’t,” he said, with an air of finality that hurt. “Rest up. I’ll see you at the work site at dawn. You’re damn well finishingthisjob, even if I have to drag you kicking and screaming.”

“I’ll be there. I promise.”

He huffed. “For all the good that does me, huh?”

“Dad…”

“Go spend some time with your sister before you disappear again. We’ve said all that needs to be said.”

I pushed the door shut, and Dad reversed out of the driveway without a second glance my way. I headed inside, stomach churning. It seemed no matter what I did, I let someone down. I’d fucked up with my father so many times…maybe itwasselfish of me to do this. Maybe I should reconsider.

I let myself in. Chastity’s door was unlocked, which meant her ex, Luke, really had been leaving her alone. She’d kept everything locked down tight last June, cowering in fear every time a knock came at the door.

I was damn glad she was in a better place. Maybe I hadn’t totally fucked up with Chas. It was a small comfort, but I’d take any port in a storm right now.

Dylan ran up. “Hey, Uncle Tex! Mom’s making chili. It’s almost done.”

“Oh yeah? Well, I better get cleaned up then.”

He wrinkled his nose. “Yeah, you kind of stink.”

“What are you talking about?” I teased, even though my heart was still heavy. I grabbed him and pulled him in close, giving him a bear hug. “I smell like a rose garden!”

He squirmed, giggling, to get away. At ten, he was all skinny arms and legs, but wiggly as hell. “Noooo! You smell like dirt and sweat!”

“But I was planting roses! Are yousureI don’t smell like pretty blossoms?”

“I’m sure!” he screeched, tugging back forcefully. “You smell nasty!”

I laughed, releasing him. “Guess I better grab a quick shower, then. Tell your mama I’ll join you for dinner as soon as I can.”

Dylan’s face was red from laughing, eyes sparkling. “Okay, but you owe me a game of TitanFall later.”

“You always kick my butt at that game.”

He grinned. “I know!”

At least I wouldn’t be letting down Dylan tonight. I chuckled and shook my head. “Fine, it’s a deal.”

I grabbed my duffel from Dylan’s room, where I’d be sleeping, and went into the bathroom. The counter was cluttered with the hair products, combs, toothbrushes, and toothpaste of four people sharing one small space, so I set my bag on the floor.

After stripping down, I took the hottest shower I could stand, anything to blast away the grit of the day. I soaped and rinsed on autopilot, my mind replaying my dad’s words on a loop. You owe me, he’d said. But hadn’t I come back to help Chastity when he called for me? Hadn’t I worked with him all summer? Where did my obligation end—or did it ever? Maybe there was no amount of atonement that wouldmake up for losing my football scholarship and going to prison.

He would have lost the business either way, but if I’d gotten to the NFL like he wanted, he’d have never needed tostartthe business.

It all started and ended with me making the stupid-ass decision to let a car pull me on a sled my senior year. We’d all got drunk over winter break, decided it would be hella fun to have a truck pull us over the snow—since there weren’t a whole ton of hills around our parts—until we hit a bump and all went flying off. Jeremy ended up with a concussion. Kate broke her arm. And I’d ripped my ACL beyond repair. I’d had surgery, but even if I could have recovered enough to play again, I’d lost my scholarship and opportunity. I graduated high school with no tuition money and no prospects.