“What happened? I saw you kissing Joe.”
I cringed, hating how she called him that. “Nothing happened. It was a goodbye kiss. I’ll see you at home.”
“Okay. Be careful. You shouldn’t be driving when upset.”
“I’m fine.” I turned around and saw Joseph kicking up dirt as he sped out of the parking lot. “Now I know how he really feels, I guess.” I blew out a breath on my way to my car.
My mind was made up now that I knew where I stood with him. Before I changed my mind, I called my dad to let him know I’d take the job he offered me at Christmas.
The phone rang and rang. I was about to hang up when he answered.
“Brynne, how’s it going?”
“Good. How are you?”
“Busy as usual. I didn’t expect to talk to you until I saw you at your commencement. Shouldn’t you be out having fun before the time comes for you toadult? I mean, what college student calls their dad on the weekend?”
Wow, what had flown up his butt? “You’re probably right, but I’m not your average student.”
“So what’d you call for?” He sounded distracted and irritable, which was typical. My dad rarely laughed and had fun. Losing my mom had messed him up. He didn’t date, but I knew he had paid to have hisneedsmet. My poor dad just couldn’t move on with his life after Mom’s death.
“I’ll take the job you offered me.”
“Really? What happened to you staying in Montana?” The bite in his tone made me squeeze the steering wheel. That was not the response I was expecting.
Dad was an impatient and controlling man. My whole life, I’d watched people do as he said, no questions asked. Nobody refused the king except his own daughter. After I had told him I couldn’t commit to working for him, he ignored my calls for months. Probably to punish me, but it hadn’t bothered me. I recalled those months had been the most pleasant of my life following my mom’s death.
“I changed my mind. Did you already fill the position?” I tried not to give him an attitude to keep the call drama-free. I wasn’t in the mood to deal with another hardheaded man. But I thought he’d be happy about me working for him.
“Am I your second choice? Your backup plan? You’re just like her.”
Why did I even bother? “If you’re comparing me to Mom, that’s the best compliment you’ve ever given me.”
“Wasn’t meant to be a compliment. You didn’t know her as I did.”
“How could I when you never talk about her? I don’t know what’s going on with you, but I obviously called at a bad time. I’ll just see you when you get here.” I ended the call.
Dammit, the men in my life sucked.
Healthy boundaries were what I needed. And some distance from Joseph and my dad.
My mom once told me, “Never be so dependent on a boy that you find yourself trapped and unable to leave.” At the time, I was only five, maybe six years old. I had no idea what she’d been talking about, but her words had stuck with me. Perhaps it was because I couldn’t stop staring at her black eye and the bruises on her arms. She had tripped and hit the corner of the dining table.
If she were here, would she tell me to not work for my dad and to forget Joseph? I didn’t really want to work for my dad. I wasn’t confident his company wasn’t on the up and up.
And I definitely didn’t want to forget Joseph.
Jeez, I was hopeless. But I was a woman with a fucking spine and fucking boundaries. No more men for me until after graduation—or perhaps longer.
12
Bruno
Dorian glared at me from across the table. He’d been my closest friend since elementary school and was the money behind my human export business. When I’d gotten in over my head ten years ago, he had bailed me out… for a price.
“Why do you talk to her like you hate her?” he asked in a tight voice. “I don’t like it.”
I sipped my bourbon. “Don’t forget she’s my daughter. My young daughter, who can be overzealous and immature.”