David cleared his throat. "We're going to try, that's for certain."
"Dad, don't you guys have your annual football dinner tonight?"
He opened his mouth and stared at me. "Uh…"
"That's right." Penelope's laugh rang out. "I was just talking to your father about that. He said he's going to be alone tonight. Heavens, we can't have that, can we?"
"Certainly not." My jaw ached from how tight it was.
"Dad, you're going with me, right?" Adam brushed against my elbow when he moved forward. He stood close to me and I feel his tension.
"Well, this sounds perfect. Father and son." Penelope placed her hand on David's arm this time. "Father and daughter. It's almost romantic."
I tilted my head to the side and removed for her hand. "And no sluts…"
There was a choked silence for a second.
And then David rasped out, "Samantha!"
Adam barked out a laugh.
His father jerked back a step.
"What?" I turned towards David with wide eyes, innocent eyes.
"Apologize."
"For what?" I eyed her up and down. "I call it how it is."
She bristled, but kept her mouth shut.
I narrowed my eyes and waited. The anger was mounting in her. Her hands clenched. Her shoulders grew tight. Her cheeks inflamed and her eyes closed till they were almost slits.
I counted down in my head. 3…2…1…and…
"What a little bitch you have, David." She leaned forward until her face was a few inches from mine.
I smirked and held steady. The Kades had taught me a few things.
She sucked in her breath and I knew her fury leapt higher. "I feel sorry for you, David, real sorry for you."
"Hey, now." He moved between us.
I sidestepped and never broke eye contact with her. "Are you bored with married men? Football coaches don't make that much money, you know."
She laughed harshly. "Private school coaches do."
"Penelope." Adam's father took hold of her elbow.
Adam's voice came out shrilly. "Hey dad, where's mom? Didn't you come with her?"
There was another brief moment of silence.
"Are you insinuating something, Adam?"
He laughed next to me and I found myself grinning along with it. "You're a smart man. What do you think?"
"Penelope."
Her head swiveled to me.
I gave her a cheeky grin. "When'd you pick up the trade?"
"The trade?"
"You know, having affairs, sleeping with married men, being a hooker?"
"That's enough, Samantha!" David clamped down on my arm and dragged me away. I twisted around and gave her a wave. "Stop it. Now."
I waited until he had taken me to the parking lot and then yanked my arm free. I rubbed where he had held onto. "That's the thanks I get from saving you from her?"
He drew upright and hissed out, "You did not save me from her. You made a fool of yourself."
"That's doubtful."
He started to pace in front of me with his hands on his hips. His tie flapped behind him as he turned and went the other way. I couldn't stop myself from smiling as I leaned against a car behind me.
He noticed and snapped, "What?"
"That's what you do when you're frustrated with the opposing team." I'd seen enough of those times when his football team wasn't playing as well as he wanted them to.
He stopped and then let out a small laugh as he reached behind his head to scratch. "I'd forgotten how smart you are."
"That woman was a filthy whore and you know it." I cooled my smile. "Just because you're lonely and had your heart broken by my mother doesn't mean you should get yourself mixed up with her."
"Samantha."
"She's bad news."
He held his arms out in surrender. "I wasn't going to get mixed up with her. I wasn't. I'm aware what kind of a woman she is, but you called her out for having an affair with Steven Quinn. He knows now that I know. She knows. His son knows. That spells trouble for a lot of people."
I shrugged. "Adam's known for a long time."
He stopped pacing. "Really?"
I nodded.
"Well, I guess that's a little better then."
"So can I still come for that dinner tonight? I know families are supposed to come."
He eyed me warily. "Does your mom know about this?"
I shrugged. "Like I care and yes, she does. She said I could go."
He opened his mouth.
I added, "And she said that in front of Mason and Logan Kade so she has to follow through with it."
His mouth closed, but I caught a flare of pride in his eyes. My chest swelled up and I looked away when a sudden burst of tears came to my eyes. I wiped them away quickly and glanced back. He'd been watching me with a sad smile. It vanished immediately.
"Are you okay?"
I was jolted at the sincerity of his voice. "What do you mean?"
"With all this, the changes, the truth coming out. Are you okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because you're a teenager." He said it so simply. "Because your mother can be one vicious and selfish woman. Because you got your life taken away from you." His voice gentled even more. "Remember that I know about Jeff and your friends. I know what they did to you. And because," his mouth twisted in a crooked smile, "you set my car on fire, remember?"
"Oh yeah!" I burst out in laughter and wiped more tears away. I didn't know why they were coming.
He took a small breath. "Are you okay, Samantha? Are you still running?"
I nodded.
"How long do you go for?"
I couldn't talk. My throat was so tight, it was blocked.
He sounded sad. "That long, huh?" And he took another deep breath. "I'm sorry, Sam. I really am."
I looked away. I couldn't see how haunted he sounded. Something would've broken inside of me and I was holding on tight. I was holding on so tight right now.
He continued, "If I had known what your mother wanted or what she needed, I would've tried to adopt you. I would've gone for something with the courts so that she couldn't have taken you away. I had no idea. I really didn't, but there was no way I could've been the man she wanted. I was the man she used to get her through her hard times."
"Dad, don't you guys have your annual football dinner tonight?"
He opened his mouth and stared at me. "Uh…"
"That's right." Penelope's laugh rang out. "I was just talking to your father about that. He said he's going to be alone tonight. Heavens, we can't have that, can we?"
"Certainly not." My jaw ached from how tight it was.
"Dad, you're going with me, right?" Adam brushed against my elbow when he moved forward. He stood close to me and I feel his tension.
"Well, this sounds perfect. Father and son." Penelope placed her hand on David's arm this time. "Father and daughter. It's almost romantic."
I tilted my head to the side and removed for her hand. "And no sluts…"
There was a choked silence for a second.
And then David rasped out, "Samantha!"
Adam barked out a laugh.
His father jerked back a step.
"What?" I turned towards David with wide eyes, innocent eyes.
"Apologize."
"For what?" I eyed her up and down. "I call it how it is."
She bristled, but kept her mouth shut.
I narrowed my eyes and waited. The anger was mounting in her. Her hands clenched. Her shoulders grew tight. Her cheeks inflamed and her eyes closed till they were almost slits.
I counted down in my head. 3…2…1…and…
"What a little bitch you have, David." She leaned forward until her face was a few inches from mine.
I smirked and held steady. The Kades had taught me a few things.
She sucked in her breath and I knew her fury leapt higher. "I feel sorry for you, David, real sorry for you."
"Hey, now." He moved between us.
I sidestepped and never broke eye contact with her. "Are you bored with married men? Football coaches don't make that much money, you know."
She laughed harshly. "Private school coaches do."
"Penelope." Adam's father took hold of her elbow.
Adam's voice came out shrilly. "Hey dad, where's mom? Didn't you come with her?"
There was another brief moment of silence.
"Are you insinuating something, Adam?"
He laughed next to me and I found myself grinning along with it. "You're a smart man. What do you think?"
"Penelope."
Her head swiveled to me.
I gave her a cheeky grin. "When'd you pick up the trade?"
"The trade?"
"You know, having affairs, sleeping with married men, being a hooker?"
"That's enough, Samantha!" David clamped down on my arm and dragged me away. I twisted around and gave her a wave. "Stop it. Now."
I waited until he had taken me to the parking lot and then yanked my arm free. I rubbed where he had held onto. "That's the thanks I get from saving you from her?"
He drew upright and hissed out, "You did not save me from her. You made a fool of yourself."
"That's doubtful."
He started to pace in front of me with his hands on his hips. His tie flapped behind him as he turned and went the other way. I couldn't stop myself from smiling as I leaned against a car behind me.
He noticed and snapped, "What?"
"That's what you do when you're frustrated with the opposing team." I'd seen enough of those times when his football team wasn't playing as well as he wanted them to.
He stopped and then let out a small laugh as he reached behind his head to scratch. "I'd forgotten how smart you are."
"That woman was a filthy whore and you know it." I cooled my smile. "Just because you're lonely and had your heart broken by my mother doesn't mean you should get yourself mixed up with her."
"Samantha."
"She's bad news."
He held his arms out in surrender. "I wasn't going to get mixed up with her. I wasn't. I'm aware what kind of a woman she is, but you called her out for having an affair with Steven Quinn. He knows now that I know. She knows. His son knows. That spells trouble for a lot of people."
I shrugged. "Adam's known for a long time."
He stopped pacing. "Really?"
I nodded.
"Well, I guess that's a little better then."
"So can I still come for that dinner tonight? I know families are supposed to come."
He eyed me warily. "Does your mom know about this?"
I shrugged. "Like I care and yes, she does. She said I could go."
He opened his mouth.
I added, "And she said that in front of Mason and Logan Kade so she has to follow through with it."
His mouth closed, but I caught a flare of pride in his eyes. My chest swelled up and I looked away when a sudden burst of tears came to my eyes. I wiped them away quickly and glanced back. He'd been watching me with a sad smile. It vanished immediately.
"Are you okay?"
I was jolted at the sincerity of his voice. "What do you mean?"
"With all this, the changes, the truth coming out. Are you okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because you're a teenager." He said it so simply. "Because your mother can be one vicious and selfish woman. Because you got your life taken away from you." His voice gentled even more. "Remember that I know about Jeff and your friends. I know what they did to you. And because," his mouth twisted in a crooked smile, "you set my car on fire, remember?"
"Oh yeah!" I burst out in laughter and wiped more tears away. I didn't know why they were coming.
He took a small breath. "Are you okay, Samantha? Are you still running?"
I nodded.
"How long do you go for?"
I couldn't talk. My throat was so tight, it was blocked.
He sounded sad. "That long, huh?" And he took another deep breath. "I'm sorry, Sam. I really am."
I looked away. I couldn't see how haunted he sounded. Something would've broken inside of me and I was holding on tight. I was holding on so tight right now.
He continued, "If I had known what your mother wanted or what she needed, I would've tried to adopt you. I would've gone for something with the courts so that she couldn't have taken you away. I had no idea. I really didn't, but there was no way I could've been the man she wanted. I was the man she used to get her through her hard times."
