She's sick.
He's heartbroken.
They put a ring on it.
The line between deals and promises is beginning to blur.
*
What starts out as a deal between two friends, becomes more than either of them could've ever have imagined. Between the fake kisses t...
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Dad looks pissed at Jake's comment.
He didn't expect Jake to be quick-witted and hold his own.
"Google isn't right about everything," Dad says.
"Yeah, you're right. I make more than whatever it currently says. It's been a few years since it's been updated. My team adds a lot of money to my contract to keep me where I'm at. So, know who you're dealing with the next time you make an assumption, sir."
The tension hanging in the air is too thick to cut with a knife.
"So, you have sisters, right Jake?" Libby asks after a few minutes.
"Two of them."
"Are you the oldest?"
"Yeah. Delilah is almost done with college, and Ruby just graduated high school this past spring." He explains, leaning back in his chair.
I sip my iced tea to distract myself. "How's the cabin, Dad?"
"We sold it." He says and I nearly spit my drink out.
"What? Why?"
"It was just time," Mom says with a sorrowful expression.
"Were you going to tell me? Where's all of my stuff?"
"Donated it," Dad says. "Everything."
"You're joking, right?"I sit up. "I had valuable things there. Pictures, and- and... You didn't?" I look my father right in the eye.
"You're a grown woman, Katherine. And that stuffed dog was for a child."
I swallow the lump in my throat. "It wasn't yours to get rid of."
"I paid for it."
"Pops got it for me. Not you."
"And who do you think sent him the money?" Dad leans forward and I lean backward.
"What? What do you mean?"
"Your grandparents are broke, Katherine. It's about time you accept that."
"How can you talk about your own parents like that?" Libby asks.
"Because they aren't my parents." He admits and my stomach drops.
"What do you mean?"
"Richard, don't." Mom reaches out and touches his hand.
He pulls his hand away. "She's an adult. If she wants to act so big and tough, then she has a right to know the truth. You want to know why I don't pay your medical bills, Katherine?"
I shake my head.
"I'm not your father, Katherine."
I shake my head again and my mouth goes dry. Jake reaches around my leg until he finds my hand.
