They were tantalizing. Addictive. Excruciating.
Even after I’d told him to warn me before sending any more, he never really did. He’d simply text the word “warning” followed two seconds later by something so steamy it made me blush harder than any romance novel ever had. Maybe it was because I’d always known those weren’t real. They were fake things fictional people said to each other. But knowing Beckett’s hands had typed those words made my body feel like it might combust.
To get even, I slipped into his room one morning wearing nothing but the blue robe he’d first mentioned and snapped a selfie on his bed. Nothing explicit—just a hint of cleavage, a bare thigh—but enough to make my pulse race as I hit send. I was half thrilled, half terrified. It felt reckless, witha bit of that sinfulness I’d told Beckett I wanted to experience. Still, the thought of the pictures somehow getting out in the world made my stomach twist. Then again, if they did get out, they weren’t racy enough to ruin me. Maybe enough for names to be whispered in my direction, but I’d been called names before and survived it.
Besides, I really liked this—the new way we’d found to taunt and tease. The back-and-forth exchange felt like an extended round of foreplay, which made waiting for Beckett to finish his shift—waiting for what he’d promised—seem to last for years rather than days. Not even extra practice sessions with Titan or long hours at work helped ease the ache.
The only thing that pulled me from the endless wait was dealing with Dad’s chaos. His memory failed several times during the week. The first time, he called me Marjorie and asked when Chelsea and I were getting home from school. And one time, when I’d been at work, he turned on Mikey, demanding to know why he was being held at Kurt’s like a prisoner. He stormed next door, and when I’d hurried home and found him, he’d been staring, horrified, at the fire damage. By the time he came back to himself, we were all shaken.
After that, I clung to every lucid moment he had, treasuring every card game and every laugh, as if they might be his last. So when I came home one night and he showed me a list of retirement communities, my heart lurched. None of them were in Swift Rivers, and even the closest felt toofar. I wasn’t ready to lose seconds with my dad, let alone miles.
The never-ending week meant that by Thursday, after working two extra shifts so I could have the weekend off for the Firefighter Ball and the Fourth of July show, I was running on fumes. When I walked through the front door, I was ready to bury my head in my pillow and sleep for twelve hours straight.
Laughter greeted me—a girlish giggle that had my brows raising. When I walked into the kitchen, I found a teenage girl sitting with Mikey and Dad at the table. They weren’t playing Dad’s favorite, King’s Corners, but poker, and there was a pile of real cash sitting between them.
“What’s all this?” I asked, unable to keep the worry from my tone.
Mikey looked up with a grin that looked just like Stoney’s. “Mr. Campbell is teaching Letty and me how to play poker without any tells.”
The pleasure on Dad’s face eased the concern that had gripped me.
“I think I’ve been taken in by another card shark. This one and Andie should start a club,” Dad said with a wave at the girl. “Letty’s blank face is better than your sister’s, which is saying something because Chelsea is a damn good actress.”
My pulse leaped. Dad didn’t often talk about Chelsea—and certainly not to compliment her. I hadn’t realized he’d ever seen my sister act. He’d always been on the road, and while Mom had filmed my sister’s plays and my horse shows for him, I’d never seen him watching them. But the way he’d praised her so matter-of-factly made it clear hehadseen her. That knowledge made me sad for all of us, but mainly for Chelsea, because she’d been the one most wounded by his apparent disinterest.
I came to stand next to Dad, elbow resting on his shoulder, and watched as they finished the hand. Letty won the pot, shoving a fist in the air in triumph.
“That’s it. I’m done. You’ve taken all my cash,” Dad chuckled.
The four of us set the kitchen to rights, and then the teens gathered their belongings.
“Why don’t you head out to the car,” I told them. “I’ll be right there.”
“We can walk home,” Mikey offered.
I shook my head. “No way. It’s late. I’ll drop you both off.”
The disappointment on the teen’s face was comical. I was clearly thwarting his plans for the trip home. I watched them leave before turning to my father with my lips twitching.
“I can’t believe you taught them how to gamble.”
Dad shrugged. “I had to pay him somehow. Kid has been babysitting me all week.”
All humor vanished. “What?” I shook my head. “No.”
Dad raised a brow. “After all these years, don’t start lying to me now. It sucks knowing I need someone watching over me, but we both know it’s the truth.” He suddenly looked older and more tired than he had since coming home from the hospital. “I set fire to the house, Maisey. We’re lucky the fire marshal’s report was as inconclusive as it was, or the insurance wouldn’t have paid a dime.”
Ithadbeen a relief when Ron’s report had noted the Sterno’s presence but left out any hint of the fire being set on purpose. I gave Dad a side hug, squeezing him tight because I didn’t know what else to say.
“Hurts even more than losing my job did to know I need watching,” he said quietly. “But if I did something while we’re staying here”—he looked around the house—“I’d never forgive myself. Better to live with a bit of wounded pride than much bigger regrets.”
Tears welled, and he patted my shoulder.
“Don’t be sad. It’s just life. We’ll get through it. Now, go take those kids home before they start making out in your back seat.”
I snorted. “You’re far wiser about the actions of teenagers than I ever expected.”
“Just because I didn’t have to worry about you, doesn’t mean I wasn’t aware of what Chelsea got up to. Your mother and I went a few rounds about it, but neither of us knew exactly how to put an end to her antics. Truth is, if we had, it might have forced her to run away before she’d finished school.”