Castles

Chapter 9

I dropped the rolled up area rug onto the dining room floor and looked around for her. I could hear the stereo playing in the other room, someone's shoes were sitting by the door, shoes I never seen before.

"I got your stuff. I can't stay," I announced. I was hoping she stayed hidden doing whatever she was doing, so I didn't have to talk to her.

I put the bags on the dining room table and walked over to the door looking for her. The sink was full of dishes. Even that I found odd.

I took a couple steps into the kitchen. Someone else was there.

"Alright. I'm leaving." I turned around, ready to head for the door.

"So soon?" The man standing in front of me had me by the arm. He came out of nowhere, my arm in his grip before I could do anything about it.

"Who are you?" I'd never seen him before. And she didn't have many friends.

"Richard. And you're Joselyn. Emily's daughter." He watched me take it all in. I didn't admit I was her daughter.

"Did she hire you for something?"

He went to the refrigerator with a smirk. "If you consider taking her to the bedroom as something."

That was something I didn't want to know about. "How old are you?" He wasn't her age. He looked closer to my age.

"Old enough to know better. But that never stops me." He cracked open a beer and took a swig and raised his chin. "She didn't tell you about me?"

"We don't talk much." I balled up the stray grocery bags on the table and backed away from him. "I have to go. Tell her I'll talk to her later."

He nodded. "Nice to meet you."

I threw the bags in the trash and hurried to the front door and out onto the porch. My heart in my throat. What the hell she was doing with a man was beyond anything I could imagine. She hadn't been with a man since... the incident.

I hurried up and got to my car before she called me back inside and took off down the driveway. I wasn't going to tell Max. I'd let him find out the same way I had. He didn't do well with change.