“Dad!” I felt rage pour through me and the urge to punch him increased. “I don’t need you to give it to me; I can manage just fine by myself. What I want is for you to return the money.”
His head shook. “I can't do that.”
“Why not?”
“I’m not ready yet.”
“That’s not a good reason,” I countered.
“Give it a rest, kid!” He snapped. “This is going to be good for both of us, and it’s not like I took everything! There’s still a trust fund, and the money in that is plenty. So, they’ll be totally fine.”
He tipped his head back and swallowed what was left of his beer, before he put the empty bottle on the table. My emotions were a little complicated, seeing him look so unruffled, and I wondered if he already knew Tina wouldn’t try to go to the police over this. How he made a woman like her fall for him, I had no idea.
“Dad, please,” I said. “Please just give the money back. I’ll talk to the school. There’s no way I can get a scholarship, but there’s nothing wrong with holding back for a year, either. And unless you’re trying to tell me this is how you’ve always lived your life, there are ways to get the money you need without stealing it. Or have you done this before?”
He actually looked offended. I almost snorted.
“Of course not!” He said, indignant.
“Then try and find some other way. Hell, she was willing just to give you all that money, you could have at least stuck around and paid it back if you’re so confident this venture of yours will make it big. Just stop this before things get worse.”
He gave me an exasperated look. “Kid, why can't you just let this go?”
I took a deep breath and released my hands, when I spoke, it was with a calm I hadn't felt in ages.
“I can’t, Dad, because I’m in love with her daughter. And I don’t want her to find out about that just yet, thanks to you, but I want to be able to tell her eventually because she means a lot to Sara. I know you might not understand what that is like, Dad, but it’s more important to me than finishing college this year.”
His eyes widened a little, and I knew I’d caught him by surprise.
“You should at least give her back some of the money, so she can survive for the time being,” I continued. “Even if you don’t pay back the rest of it, she’s not going to do anything. As you said, the two of them are very close, so Sara has no trouble giving her mom her trust fund money. Then, as soon as I graduate and get a job, I’ll give you a regular allowance. I’ll also try and pay back whatever’s left that you owe them. You can include my college money in what you give back; I’ll find a way to handle that myself, too.”
I was pretty much putting a heavy burden on my back, but I didn’t know how else to do this. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but it wouldn’t be impossible, either. I just had to work my ass off now that I was in my final year.
Dad watched me pensively for a while before opening his mouth.
“You really like that girl that much?” He asked.
“Too much,” I replied immediately.
I was done with all the talking, so I turned and walked away. I’d wait for a couple days. If nothing happened, I’d tell Sara where he was. If she chose to send the police to pick him up… then I’d have to assume it was the last I’d see of Dad for a long time.Chapter Twenty-Two
Sara
A few weeks passed. Mom refused to do anything about Greg. Noah had told me he’d found his dad, but because Mom didn’t want to, I left it alone. I could only steam about it.
I woke up one morning to my phone ringing. I heard a groan from beside me, before Noah shifted around and grabbed the phone.
“It’s your mom, Sara,” he mumbled, still half asleep.
I blinked my eyes open and took the phone, then slid out of bed so I wouldn’t bother him. Mom already knew about us since I’d told her we were seeing each other a couple weeks back, but she didn’t know we were this close already. It had both surprised and delighted me when she was happy for me, unconditionally.
“Hey, Mom?” I said, covering a yawn. “What is it?”
“Honey, why do you sound so tired? Did I catch you at a bad time?”
It wasn’t all that early in the morning, but Noah and I had been up late last night, and I felt exhausted. Only, it was the good kind of exhausted that came after long, fun rounds of fulfilling sex. Of course, there was no way I was telling Mom that.