Wild Girl (Slateview High 2)

I must’ve lingered for too long, because he glanced up as if he felt my gaze, smiling when he caught sight of me.

He waved me inside, gesturing to the seat just across from him.

“Good morning, Cordelia. Come in. Sit.”

I did as told, crossing one leg over the other. “Morning. I was about to get breakfast.”

“Ah, good. Beatrice has something wonderful baking by the smell of it.”

A small smile tilted my lips. I had noticed the aroma of some kind of pastry floating down the hall. Beatrice was the new cook, and I’d loved almost everything she had made so far, although her fancy meals didn’t diminish my pride in the things I’d managed to cook with the Lost Boys.

“Yeah. I can’t wait to see what it is.”

He nodded. “Same. But before you go—how are you? Settling into school well? I know I’ve been busy since coming back and haven’t been able to catch up with you, but I want to know that everything’s going alright. I missed you, and I hated missing out on even a second of your life while I was in prison.”

His words took me off guard. My father had never really been a sentimental man, and open displays of affection were rare for him.

Maybe prison really did change him.

Maybe his time behind bars, grappling with the belief that he might lose everything, had softened him in a good way—made it easier for him to feel empathy and love.

My relationship with my mom had gotten worse over the past several months. But maybe this whole mess would be the thing that brought my dad and I closer together. Maybe he had some inkling that I’d been the one to recruit Nathaniel to help him get the charges dropped.

“Well, it’s about the same as it ever was,” I said, speaking carefully. “It’s like nothing’s changed at all.”

“Good. That’s good. I’m glad you’re settling back in.”

He sat forward in his chair, resting his elbows on the desk and steepling his fingers.

“You know, I had a lot of time to think while I was away,” he said. “I thought a lot about the state of our family, and what it would take to rebuild our life. I meant what I said, Cordelia. I want to take a different approach this time. Different business practices. Different investments. I can do good while still growing this empire, and I want to do that.”

A smile spread across my face before I could stop it, hope rising in my chest. “That’s great, Dad.”

He nodded, looking pleased. “Yes. I’m anxious to get started. Of course, the first step is to build our family back to the standing we once had. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, Cordelia. I have plans I think will be good for you, for this family. Because I love you and your mom, and I want what’s best for all of us. You understand that, right?”

I tilted my head, curious. “Yeah, I understand. What plans are you talking about?”

“You’ll be graduating high school soon.” He cocked his head at me. “Your mom and I married straight out of high school. Did we ever tell you that?”

“No.”

I shook my head, blinking in confusion. Why is he telling me this now?

“Well, we did. Because it was the right thing to do for our families. Because combining our family resources was what would make all of this”—he gestured around, indicating the house—“possible. It’s what I want for you, Cordelia.”

I straightened up, shifting in the chair, gripping the arm rests tightly.

“Actually, Dad, I wanted to talk to you about something in regards to relationships—”

“I’ll be announcing your engagement to Barrett King at the end of the week.”

His voice rose over mine, and my words cut off as if someone had hit the mute button.

Silence fell between us.

Words failed on my tongue.

Everything that I had intended to say about my own plans for my own relationship went completely out the window as I absorbed what my father had just said to me.