Warmth (Cheer Legacy Trilogy #1)

30.

I'm sitting in the living room, hanging on tightly to Jesse's hand like it's a lifeline. Sitting opposite me is the woman in the picture. Karen Cormack, if I'm not wrong. To her credit, she looks as lost as I feel. But she's not surprised, so she knows dad has a daughter. 

"Tea?" she flutters a hand at a servant, her gaze imploring on me. 

I nod. I know my face is blank. It's been blank since the guard had walkie-talkied the house and Karen came running out, her eyes wide and asked me to come in. Obviously, I dragged Jesse along. 

"I'm sorry," she confesses. "Your dad isn't here right now, Pippy...Can I call you that?"

She's nice. And sweet. And I don't know how to feel. The ice has crept back into me, freezing my heart. Jesse may as well not be here, since I've become somewhat of an ice sculpture. I don't answer her because I can't. There's something stuck in my throat. 

Karen clears her throat. "My children will be here in an hour, would you like to meet them?"

I continue staring at her mutely and keeping up my death grip on Jesse. He sighs.

"Sorry, miss..." he says. "She's overwhelmed right now. It took a lot of courage for her to come here. Tea would be fine."

"Just call me Karen," she smiles warmly and gratefully at Jesse. She glances at me, a sad expression crossing her face. "I have a lot to say to you, but first, I would like to apologize."

I startle at that. Apologize? For what?

Karen opens her mouth to continue but the servant comes back, pushing a small trolley with a pot of tea and some scones and bite-sized cakes. She smiles and thanks the servant and he leaves. She pours the tea for us and places some cakes in these mini plates and puts them in front of us. Jesse had started to get up to help, but sat back down when it's obvious I wasn't letting go any time soon. 

"I just want you to know that there's always more to the story," Karen bites her lip and looks away. She looks very warm, like a sweet grandmotherly type of person. I would probably like her if she isn't married to my dad. "A lot I wish to tell you...but nothing I can say. It's not my story to tell. You need to have a proper talk with your father, dear."

Thank god for ice. I am thrown by her words but the cold in me shows nothing on my face. Even Jesse frowns at me, worried. We sit in silence for a long while, and slowly I find my voice. 

"How did you meet?" 

Karen jumps, surprised. I think she was beginning to think I'm a mute. "Um..." she looks ashamed. "I'm sorry, but that's part of the...your father doesn't really want you to know..." she struggles and sighs. "This is harder than I thought. Your father will be back for dinner, will you join us?"

"What doesn't my dad want me to know?"

Jesse's eyes cut to me in surprise. I don't think he's ever heard me sound so cold. So detached. Like I'm not here. His eyes tighten, watching me.

Karen runs her hand through her soft curls, face stressed. "I really want to tell you. In fact, I want to go against his wishes. I can see how much you've been hurt. But I promised him, and it's not my...it's up to him to tell you." She looks apologetic. "I'm really sorry."

We all fall into a silence again, but this time it's more than just awkward. It's like the freaking North Pole in here. 

"You're a cheerleader, right?" Karen says with a forced smile. "Danny loves talking about you to us, you know? You're even more beautiful than he described."