“He said he’s lived a good life. That there’s no point in postponing the inevitable. We all die in the end, after all. Fuck if I know. It’s idiocy if you ask me. He’s got all the money in the world and yet won’t use it to save himself.”
Suddenly, it made fucking sense. “That’s why Olivia’s back, isn’t it?”
“Picked her up last night. I don’t think she’s handling it well, to be honest. She’s putting on one hell of a front, but you know how she is. Stubborn as a goddamn mule and never willing to ask for help.”
She was sure as shit stubborn alright.
“She’ll be fine,” I bit out. It came out more harshly than I intended, but Lukas didn’t seem to care. He was too lost to his own battles to hear about the one I was currently waging with his sister in my head.
Once upon a time, I’d been glad Olivia left this tiny town to chase her dreams. I listened as Lukas talked about all her accomplishments. Even followed her career on my own a bit, too, but times had changed. Now, I resented her for leaving. For the fame, the fortune, the too-good-for-Pinecrest attitude. It reminded me too much of Sarah. The way she disappeared without a second thought, leaving Harper and I to pick up the pieces. A divorce was one thing, but how could a mother walk away from their kid? Their stories were too similar for me not to compare.
If I’d passed her on the street, I would’ve known it was Olivia immediately from the fancy way she carried herself. She might’ve been wearing a Hartfelt Homes T-shirt, but the skintight jeans painted on powerful legs gave her away. They hugged every goddamn curve of her body like a masterpiece. Silvery blonde hair was piled into an artful bun on top of herhead, giving a perfect, unobstructed view to her slender neck. I could still smell the faint scent of her expensive perfume. Sweet berries and warm vanilla. Thank god for the cold milk that had shocked me out of my stupor, otherwise I might’ve stood there gawking like an idiot.
“Liv’s a fighter, but I still worry about her. I invited her and Charlie over for dinner tonight, but she declined. Told me that as long as our mother is staying under my roof, she wouldn’t be stepping foot inside,” Lukas muttered.
“She can’t get over herself for five minutes? Not everything is about her.” I was being an ass, but it was true. Their mother was a barely functioning alcoholic in designer clothes. The only reason she wasn’t living out on the street is because of John’s generosity. But sometimes you needed to set that shit aside for family. They were blood after all. Whatever she’d done couldn’t have been that bad.
“It’s complicated, but I’m not getting between them. Tomorrow will sure as fuck be interesting, though.”
“Why’s that?”
Luke was silent for a second. “Liv and I are going to visit John. I wouldn’t put it past our mother to make an appearance. Especially if I told her to stay her ass home.”
“Better take two cars,” I mused. “Have an exit strategy just in case. Liv just might leave your ass behind.”
“No shit,” he chuckled. “Might need a deputy on standby. Think your cousin could give us a hand?”
“Not if you want to keep that shit quiet.” My cousin, Beau Campbell, was one of the biggest gossips in town. When he wasn’t on duty at the Sheriff’s Office, he was usually at some book club in town with our grandma, chatting up all the old ladies and making them blush.
“On second thought, I think I’ll pass. Don’t need to watch him drool over Liv, and then hear about it all over town.”
“Dad, who’re you talking to?” Harper rounded the corner, a crumb-filled paper plate in one hand, and an empty soda can in the other.
“Uncle Lukas. Wanna say hi?” I asked, holding the phone out for her to take. She nodded and I took the trash from her, throwing it away quickly before heading out of the kitchen. I needed to get ready for work and my buddy could talk anyone’s ear off, even my introverted daughter.
I walked into the bathroom and took a good look at myself before brushing my teeth. It had really chapped my ass when Olivia had called my appearance out. Her voice was cold, words slicing deep. It would’ve felt better if I just laid down and let her kick the shit out of me. What did it matter at that point? I was already hanging on by a thread.
What hurt most of all was that she was right. I looked like a goddamn mess.
It’d been over a week since I last shaved. My stubble had grown into the makings of a beard. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d cut my hair, which was normally hidden under a ratty old baseball cap anyway. My clothes were stained because I’d forgotten to start the laundry the night before, and had to dig through the pile until I found something halfway decent. I hadn’t noticed the stain until we were already on our way to the game. By that time, it was already too late to change.
“Dad? Someone’s outside.” Harper’s soft voice sounded from the other side of the thin, wooden door.
“Alright, sugar. I’m coming.” Giving myself a final onceover in the mirror, I sighed and opened the door. My daughter’s hair was still tangled from riding home with the windows down in my truck. It was early spring, which meant the weather was still nice enough to enjoy the cool mountain air without feeling like you were suffocating.
There weren’t many similarities between my daughter andme. Her fair complexion and auburn hair were all her mother. The two things she had were my eye color—a green so light and cutting that it often resembled gray—and my quiet demeanor. Our introverted tendencies were often a hindrance now that it was just the two of us. It was one of the reasons I liked her spending so much time with Charlie. That girl could get Harper giggling and laughing like no one else.
“Did you see who it is?” I asked, stepping around her toward the front of the cabin. There was one large window in the living area, but the curtains and blinds were drawn tight.
Harper shook her head, handing me back the phone. “It was dark and the light wasn’t on. I just heard a knock when I was going to my room.”
Pulling back the plaid curtains, I could see that the bar was already packed for a Saturday night. It was going to be an all-hands-on deck situation. Sawyer, my bartender, usually covered the rowdy crowd until it got dark. Then I’d lock up and walk over to finish the shift while she graciously watched Harper. It wasn’t an ideal arrangement, but it was what we had. It was why I preferred when Harper spent Saturday nights with Charlie and her family, but that went to hell the minute Olivia crashed in and changed our plans.
“Who’s out there?” Harper asked.
“No one that I can see. You sure you heard a knock?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, Dad. I know what I heard.”