“I don’t blame you,” Darlene answers. “It would suck to be paraded around like a happy little family. If only the world knew.”
“What that I’m a spoiled princess that got everything handed to her on a silver platter?” Charity says sarcastically.
Darlene snorts a laugh. “Yeah. More like you were raised by nannies, thoroughly and completely ignored by your parents, and bought things to show their ‘love.’” Darlene makes little quotation marks around the word love, which makes me second guess my first impressions of her family life.
Maybe things aren’t picture-perfect for her. It doesn’t change my mind about how she ignored her father and how desperately I would give anything to have mine back. He died three years ago, but I still miss him as much as the day he passed. It was awful watching him waste away from cancer, and my missing him is a selfish thing because I know he is at peace and no longer suffering. That doesn’t change how much I miss the man who raised me on his own after my mom left.
I’m lost in my thoughts when Darlene, Mel, Tessa, and Charity all get up. The mood seems to have changed to one of excitement and playful banter while I’ve been stuck firmly in past hurts. The girls wander off to the playground, chatting animatedly.
“I think I will call it a night,” I say, standing from my seat.
“You sure, man? It’s early…” Colt says.
“Yeah, I’m tired. Long few weeks.”
Ransom claps me on the shoulder and gives me a silent nod of understanding.
I down the rest of my beer and head out. I force myself to not search out Charity in the crowd. The beautiful brunette is off-limits, no matter what my dick thinks.
CHAPTERTHREE
Charity
“Come on, girls!”I shout, clapping my hands to get the cheer squads’ attention. “Focus, or you’re never going to get it! Again!”
There are a bunch of groans and a couple curses are my answer, but the girls dutifully line up in formation to restart the new routine. Their last coach was lazy and hadn’t had a new routine in years. That’s one reason why Thurston Academy wanted fresh blood when the old coach decided to quit after finding out she was pregnant.
Well, fresh blood is here, and these girls aren’t totally pleased with the amount of work they have ahead of them. I don’t train losers, and we have a competition coming up soon, and we will win. I clap my hands to the beats they are supposed to be hitting, calling out corrections.
“Sasha, point those toes! Jasmine, watch your form!”
Both girls quickly correct their issues, and the practice goes on. A couple times, there is an awareness in the back of my mind that someone is watching us, but every time I look around no one is there.
I’m just being paranoid.
Something Darlene doesn’t know about why I moved so far away is that being involved in my father’s life isn’t just being part of his campaign. It means his enemies become my enemies, and he has a lot. My dad isn’t big on making people happy, and he’s made some unsavory types pretty mad when he was the state’s prosecutor. Even though he’s been a congressman for the last several years, those enemies didn’t go away… in fact, he’s made more. Just powerful ones instead of run-of-the-mill criminals.
Practice ends, and I send the girls home. I pull my hair into a ponytail and put in my earbuds. I shove my phone into the side pocket of my leggings, preparing for my jog home. I look around one more time, still feeling that twitchy sensation that I’m being watched. I brush it off and start running.
The four-mile run is good for my soul. I clear my mind and just focus on the pattern of my feet hitting the pavement and the music pulsing into my ears. Several times I feel eyes on me, but again, no one stands out as watching me.
One conversation with my dad, and all my old paranoias are back. I get back to my house in record time. Instead of a leisurely stretch in the front yard, I quickly lock myself inside and do a quick stretch in the living room before stripping off and taking a shower.
I’m being ridiculous. Just because I’m back in the vicinity of my father doesn’t mean I’m going to be stalked and threatened again. Abel Robinson is in jail and can’t hurt me again. I repeat that to myself like a mantra.
My phone rings, and I smile when I see it’s my bestie. “Hey girl, what’s up?”
“Just wondering if you want some company dress shopping this afternoon.”
“Ugh. Honestly, I forgot I even planned that. The last thing I want to do is find a gown.” I hate shopping. Something else that most people would assume the opposite of me. Yes, I love clothes and have a whole closet full of pretty dresses, but the shopping part sucks. Especially for an event I don’t want to go to in the first place.
Darlene laughs. “Too bad. We’ll be there to pick you up in thirty.”
“We?”
“Yep, Mel and Tessa are coming too.”
“Great, everyone gets to be involved in torturing me today.”