Taking the Heat (Jackson: Girls' Night Out 3)

“I see. So you’re going on a date?”

“No!” Her eyes jumped to the other people at the table and she lowered her voice. “It’s not a date. I said he could come by the bar after my show for a drink. That’s it.”

“You said you didn’t want to have a drink with him,” Gabe pressed.

“I don’t!”

“Then why don’t you just tell your dad no?”

“It’s complicated, okay? Nobody tells my dad no.”

“Veronica, come on. You’re not just anyone—you’re his daughter.”

She barked out a humorless laugh. “Like that makes it easier. It’s just a drink. It’s not worth fighting my dad over this.”

“It’s not just a drink,” Gabe snapped.

She pulled back and stared at him for a moment. “You’re asking me not to go have one harmless drink?”

“No, I just can’t stand the thought of you with that asshole!”

Veronica rolled her eyes. “Are you kidding me? Monique is living in your apartment and she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen!”

“That’s not what I meant.” He tipped his head back and took a deep breath. “He was an asshole to you, Veronica. He hurt your feelings. I don’t want you forced to spend time with a guy who hurt you.”

“Oh,” she said.

“And if your dad knew, he wouldn’t want you to see that guy, either. So just tell him.”

“Gabe...” She shook her head and crossed her arms tight over her chest. “That’s what you don’t understand. My dad does know, and if I complain, he’ll tell me to grow up and stop worrying about high school bullshit. To be fair, that’s also what he told me when I was in high school, so at least I can count on his consistency.”

Gabe couldn’t wrap his head around what she was saying. “Your dad knows that Dillon made out with you and then made fun of you?”

She let go of the death clasp on her own arms to reach for her martini glass. She didn’t gulp it down, though; she took a very careful sip. “I asked him to get my stepbrother to stop calling me Ronald. I mean, he said it constantly. At school, in the house, around the dinner table. It wasn’t something my father could have missed. So yeah, I explained what had happened.”

“What did he do?” Gabe asked, though he now felt sure he didn’t want to know the answer.

“I already told you. He said I should grow up and stop letting people use my weakness against me.”

“What weakness?” Gabe asked.

She shrugged and took another sip. “Who knows. Sensitivity, shyness, small breasts? Any weakness. All of them. My dad is not a big fan of weakness. Or me.”

“Veronica,” Gabe breathed. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Yeah. It is ridiculous. So it’s just not worth saying no over something so small. I save up my resistance for more important things.”

“Maybe that’s a mistake. Maybe that’s why he pushes you around.”

“Do you think I haven’t considered that? I just... I can’t ask for his help and then tell him to leave me alone! What don’t you get about that?”

He put his hand over hers. He wanted to tell her that it wasn’t like asking for help with an apartment or money, but she was already upset, and this wasn’t the place. “Okay,” he said, “I’m sorry.”

She shook her head.

“I get why you said yes. I just hate it.”

She didn’t look up when she spoke. “I live in his building. I don’t pay rent. I put my foot down and refused to move back home with him, but I still live off his generosity. So I can complain about him all I want, but look where I am. It’s like I never left home at all.”