I freeze in place, but Bora snorts and rolls her eyes, which lets me know my father is embellishing the story. I don’t see Dad being able to take Jax, but I could be wrong.
“Thanks,” I tell him, because I know he’s trying to make me feel better—in his own weird way.
It’s barely even a distraction though, because there’s so much going on here.
Amani is posted outside my apartment door like he’s part of the Secret Service and I’m the president or something. They act like the homeless man is going to come and find me since he has my purse, my ID, and my address.
He won’t. He’ll just use all the cash and throw the purse away. If he’s smart, he won’t use the credit cards. He certainly won’t show up here.
My phone was in my pocket, so at least he didn’t get that.
“Okay,” Shanna says, walking in. She keeps her voice softer than ever as she continues. “I’ve cancelled all your credit cards and your debit card. They’ll reissue you all new cards, but you’ll have to use cash until they get here. I had my assistant go and fetch some cash from my ATM. Was there anything else in your purse we should be concerned about?”
I shake my head, feeling more of that guilt well up inside me.
“I’m sorry,” I tell her, and her eyes glisten almost immediately, as though she’s been fighting hard not to cry. Then I look at Bora and my Dad. “I’m sorry to both of you, too.”
“Don’t be,” my mother says gently as she walks in and brings me a blackened cookie you could break a window with.
Shanna’s lips twitch, and I battle my own smile as I take the cookie and feel the proof. Yep. Lava rock isn’t even this hard.
“We suck,” Shanna says, sighing as she comes to sit down next to Dad, resting her ass on the arm of the chair.
“You could have been nicer about telling us we suck,” Bora says, but I can tell she’s joking.
“It was a bad day,” I mutter under my breath. “A bad week.”
Suddenly, Ruby is walking into my room, and her face falls when she sees me.
“Who the fuck did this to you?” she asks, sounding incredibly pissed and ready to fight as she comes over to take the other spot beside me on the bed.
“A hungry homeless man who panicked and took easy money,” I explain, noticing the way my dad’s jaw grinds.
He really wants to explode on me for approaching the guy without someone with me, but he doesn’t. Because now he’s scared of losing me again.
She examines my face, probably taking in the swelling around my cheek, the dark purplish bruises, and the massive split on my lip. It feels worse than it looks.
“How did you find out? I didn’t want you to have to leave your party.”
“I called her from your phone,” Mom answers, but I don’t have time to respond because Ruby is already talking.
“Fuck my party,” she says, acting offended. “It was just Jax and Corbin trying to find a way to get you around Jax again. Corbin isn’t getting laid for a week because of that stunt.”
Dad’s eyes narrow, and Mom tilts her head. Bora continues to run her fingers through my hair in a soothing motion, and Shanna smiles slowly.
“That guy is desperate,” Shanna points out.
“I’m going to go try and make some more cookies. Or maybe brownies this time. I don’t think that’s edible,” Mom says sadly, looking at the paperweight in my hand she’s trying to claim is a cookie.
I’d eat it just to spare her feelings if I wasn’t worried I’d chip a tooth.
As she disappears from the room, Dad speaks again.
“Want to go back to Hawaii? Or maybe the Keys? I’ll wear some of those shorts you sent me instead of a speedo. We can all go and get away for a while.”
Dad offering to wear shorts is a huge deal.
“Thanks, but you can’t. I can’t. None of us can. Well, besides Mom. I have too much work, and you have concerts you’re missing.”