Something Real
Page 51
“The fuck they will.” He reaches for his phone.
“Dad, stop,” I say when he brings it to his ear. “That wouldn’t just hurt me and Liz, it would destroy your campaign.”
He flinches. “But don’t I deserve that?”
“Dad—”
He settles the phone in its cradle. “Your mother wants to leave me. I know she’s only staying for you kids and the campaign. But some days I feel like if I were still managing the bank instead of pursuing a career in politics, she’d be gone. She’d be happier. She’s only staying to protect my chance to win this race.”
It’s my turn to flinch. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I deserve it. She should have left me years ago. Hell, she probably shouldn’t have married me to begin with.”
“So let her go, Dad. If you want her to be happy, tell her to do the thing that will bring her happiness. Consequences be damned.”
“I—” He drags a hand through his hair. “I thought I was the one who was supposed to be giving you advice.”
I give a humorless laugh. “Go for it. What can I do about Sabrina? Every day I pretend to be with her, it hurts Liz, and I’m done hurting her. I want to be with her.”
He exhales slowly. “You really love her.”
I nod.
“Jesus, I’m a bastard.”
“I’ve been telling myself that about you for months, and take it from me, it doesn’t actually make anything better.”
“You want my advice?”
“Yeah. I’d do anything to get her back.”
Leaning back in his chair, he crosses his arms and gives me a cocky smile. “Tell her the truth about everything and tell her to do the thing that will bring her the most happiness. Consequences be damned.”
I grunt and stand. “That’s pretty good advice.”
“Don’t worry about my campaign. I’m sick to death of seeing my family suffer for my mistakes. If the truth comes out, I’ll handle it then.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. When I get to the door, I stop and turn to my dad. “If Connor was only working part time for you then, where else was he working?”
“He had an internship in Indianapolis at the governor’s office. But from what I understand, he mostly did work for Sabrina.”
Chapter 25
Liz
“I want to make a toast,” Hanna says. “To the best friends a girl can have.”
“Hear, hear!” Maggie says, hoisting her beer.
Because we’re in New Hope and my friends are who they are, we ended up at Brady’s.
Nix swore me to secrecy about her and Max, of course, but judging by the way Max is looking at her tonight, it won’t be a secret for long.
It’s good to be here surrounded by friends, rather than stuck in my little apartment dwelling on the mistakes I’ve made and whether or not I made the right decision in giving Sam an ultimatum.
I spot Della seated at the bar. “Excuse me, you guys,” I say. “I need to take care of something.” I leave my beer behind—I’ve barely touched it anyway—and take the seat next to Sam’s sister. “How are you?”
She turns and jerks in surprise when she sees it’s me. “Oh. Um. I’m good. Okay. Fine.” Her shoulders slouch. “Life’s a bitch.”
I bite my lip. “Want to talk about it?”
Her eyes fill with tears. “I don’t want my brother to marry Sabrina,” she says, surprising me. I assumed her tears were about Connor. She shakes her head. “She’s not good people.”
I draw in a breath, but my chest feels tight with the secret that’s not mine to tell. “I thought you liked her.”
She shakes her head. “I was stupid to ever think she was my friend. She just used me to control Connor.”
“Where is Connor tonight? Are you two okay?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know where he is. I think we’re over.”
I drop my gaze to the bar and trace a crack in the wood. “Della, I think I owe you an apology. Last summer when I went home with Connor . . . it was a mistake. I thought you’d broken up with him, but even if you had I never should have—”
“It’s not your fault.” She stirs her red drink with her straw. “Sabrina told me he was sleeping with you, so I packed my bags and left. I can’t blame him for being fed up with me at that point.”
“Sabrina told you that?”
She nods. “Yeah. He works for her sometimes and I thought maybe she knew something I didn’t.”
“I wasn’t.” I reach over and put my hand on her wrist. “I screwed up, but I never would have messed with him while you two were together.”
“Yeah, I know that now.”
“Why would Sabrina say that?”
Her lips turn up in a humorless smile. “Because Sam was on a crusade to win your heart, and Sabrina wouldn’t have it.”
Sabrina was the redhead in the bar that night. Holy shit. “She told Connor to take me home?”
“No, she’s never that obvious. But he confessed later that right after I blew up and left, she called and said she’d stopped by town and noticed you were at Brady’s, looking like you needed a friend.” She lifts her eyes to mine, and the normal Della bitchiness is gone. Instead, she just looks sad. “That’s all she had to do. Connor’s always had a soft spot for you.”
“Dad, stop,” I say when he brings it to his ear. “That wouldn’t just hurt me and Liz, it would destroy your campaign.”
He flinches. “But don’t I deserve that?”
“Dad—”
He settles the phone in its cradle. “Your mother wants to leave me. I know she’s only staying for you kids and the campaign. But some days I feel like if I were still managing the bank instead of pursuing a career in politics, she’d be gone. She’d be happier. She’s only staying to protect my chance to win this race.”
It’s my turn to flinch. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I deserve it. She should have left me years ago. Hell, she probably shouldn’t have married me to begin with.”
“So let her go, Dad. If you want her to be happy, tell her to do the thing that will bring her happiness. Consequences be damned.”
“I—” He drags a hand through his hair. “I thought I was the one who was supposed to be giving you advice.”
I give a humorless laugh. “Go for it. What can I do about Sabrina? Every day I pretend to be with her, it hurts Liz, and I’m done hurting her. I want to be with her.”
He exhales slowly. “You really love her.”
I nod.
“Jesus, I’m a bastard.”
“I’ve been telling myself that about you for months, and take it from me, it doesn’t actually make anything better.”
“You want my advice?”
“Yeah. I’d do anything to get her back.”
Leaning back in his chair, he crosses his arms and gives me a cocky smile. “Tell her the truth about everything and tell her to do the thing that will bring her the most happiness. Consequences be damned.”
I grunt and stand. “That’s pretty good advice.”
“Don’t worry about my campaign. I’m sick to death of seeing my family suffer for my mistakes. If the truth comes out, I’ll handle it then.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. When I get to the door, I stop and turn to my dad. “If Connor was only working part time for you then, where else was he working?”
“He had an internship in Indianapolis at the governor’s office. But from what I understand, he mostly did work for Sabrina.”
Chapter 25
Liz
“I want to make a toast,” Hanna says. “To the best friends a girl can have.”
“Hear, hear!” Maggie says, hoisting her beer.
Because we’re in New Hope and my friends are who they are, we ended up at Brady’s.
Nix swore me to secrecy about her and Max, of course, but judging by the way Max is looking at her tonight, it won’t be a secret for long.
It’s good to be here surrounded by friends, rather than stuck in my little apartment dwelling on the mistakes I’ve made and whether or not I made the right decision in giving Sam an ultimatum.
I spot Della seated at the bar. “Excuse me, you guys,” I say. “I need to take care of something.” I leave my beer behind—I’ve barely touched it anyway—and take the seat next to Sam’s sister. “How are you?”
She turns and jerks in surprise when she sees it’s me. “Oh. Um. I’m good. Okay. Fine.” Her shoulders slouch. “Life’s a bitch.”
I bite my lip. “Want to talk about it?”
Her eyes fill with tears. “I don’t want my brother to marry Sabrina,” she says, surprising me. I assumed her tears were about Connor. She shakes her head. “She’s not good people.”
I draw in a breath, but my chest feels tight with the secret that’s not mine to tell. “I thought you liked her.”
She shakes her head. “I was stupid to ever think she was my friend. She just used me to control Connor.”
“Where is Connor tonight? Are you two okay?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know where he is. I think we’re over.”
I drop my gaze to the bar and trace a crack in the wood. “Della, I think I owe you an apology. Last summer when I went home with Connor . . . it was a mistake. I thought you’d broken up with him, but even if you had I never should have—”
“It’s not your fault.” She stirs her red drink with her straw. “Sabrina told me he was sleeping with you, so I packed my bags and left. I can’t blame him for being fed up with me at that point.”
“Sabrina told you that?”
She nods. “Yeah. He works for her sometimes and I thought maybe she knew something I didn’t.”
“I wasn’t.” I reach over and put my hand on her wrist. “I screwed up, but I never would have messed with him while you two were together.”
“Yeah, I know that now.”
“Why would Sabrina say that?”
Her lips turn up in a humorless smile. “Because Sam was on a crusade to win your heart, and Sabrina wouldn’t have it.”
Sabrina was the redhead in the bar that night. Holy shit. “She told Connor to take me home?”
“No, she’s never that obvious. But he confessed later that right after I blew up and left, she called and said she’d stopped by town and noticed you were at Brady’s, looking like you needed a friend.” She lifts her eyes to mine, and the normal Della bitchiness is gone. Instead, she just looks sad. “That’s all she had to do. Connor’s always had a soft spot for you.”
