Pretending?
“You want me to thank you? Fine. Thank you. I’ll even pay you for your services.”
“I don’t – ”
“But stop this. We’ve hurt each other enough, don’t you think?”
Before I can say more, he gets out of the car and walks away. I stay in my seat, gripping the wheel with both hands as my mouth gapes.
What the hell is wrong with him?
~
I still don’t know what Leo had up his ass by the time I change into my pajamas. I’m still upset, too, at the way he acted.
Doesn’t he know how worried I was when I found out he was in jail? Doesn’t he know how hard I worked to get him out? Doesn’t he care?
I thought he did, but now, I don’t know. I don’t even know if he’s still in love with me. He definitely didn’t act like it. But how could he change his mind so quickly, much less his heart?
I let out a sigh as I sink into the pillows.
Is it really too late for Leo and me? Have we truly hurt each other enough? Is there nothing we can do to make it go away?
I place my hand over my heart.
Why? Why am I only realizing how much I want Leo in my life now that he doesn’t want to be a part of it?
The thought makes me want to cry, which seems to be an easy task for me now thanks to my raging hormones. And I thought that only happened in your teens.
But I don’t. I’m not going to give up, not on Leo nor on my father.
As I envision my father’s face, some of the ache in my chest fades. I hope he’s proud of what I did today. Everything I am as a lawyer and as a person because of him.
“You’ll always be with me, Dad,” I say to the ceiling. “I know you were watching today, and so I know you saw what an ass Leo was. Help him come back to his senses, will you? Let him…”
I cease my monologue as my phone rings. This time, I don’t hope that it’s Leo but I pick it up anyway. My eyebrows furrow as I look at the screen.
An unknown caller? Who can it be?
I answer the call to find out. “Hello.”
“Jodie Nicholson?”
“Yes,” I say as I sit up straight. “Who’s this?”
“Someone who knows who killed your father.”
Chapter Twenty
Leo
Unbelievable.
That’s the word that pops into my mind as I look back at the past few days while lying in bed with my hand on my forehead.
I got a call from someone claiming to know who killed my mother. I went to an abandoned lake house, found nothing about my mother but ended up in a fight with Cain, which I lost badly. I left Jodie, then I saw her with another man. I got drunk and next thing I knew I was in jail because of stuff I didn’t do. That’s some crazy shit, alright.
I thought I’d still be in jail. I actually thought my old man was going to let me rot in jail. But then Jodie got me out. Not my father. Not Andrea. Jodie. She seemed pretty happy about it, too. Until I pissed her off, that is.
Again.
Yeah, I hurt her again. She looked like she was about to cry, actually, which was why I got out of that car.
What was I supposed to do? Hug her? Kiss her? Make love to her inside the car? Well, I wanted to do all those things, but how could I when I knew she was already seeing someone else?
Why did she help me when she no longer wants to be with me? Because she feels sorry for me? Because she wants to stay friends? Whatever. It’s just mean. She’s just breaking my heart over and over again.
All this time, all she’s ever done is break my heart. So why can’t I stop loving her?
I feel like drinking again but decide not to. I close my eyes instead, thinking I’ll get some sleep. I wasn’t able to get much while I was in that cell, after all. I’m about to drift off when I suddenly hear a sound from the balcony.
I open my eyes just in time to see the door open. Cain steps in.
What the hell?
I grab the gun from under my pillow and point it at him. “Stay right there.”
“Or what?” Cain asks. “Are you going to shoot me?”
I narrow my eyes at him. “You think I won’t?”
“You had your chance before.”
“I’m not the same.”
“No,” Cain agrees. “But you still can’t control your temper. Now, Jodie’s not someone who you can scare off easily, but she has her limits, too.”
“Shut up!” I grip the gun with both hands.
He holds his finger to his lips. “You don’t want to cause a ruckus when you just got out of jail, do you?”