Fat Cat Liar

There’s another knock at the door, and I drop the phone into my purse feeling defeated. How in the hell did our conversation go from one extreme to another so quickly?

Defeat turns to aggravation as I replay the conversation in my head. I may not be skilled at relationships, but I think Lawson Hall proved that even the sweetest guy can be an asshole.

•8•8•

I survey the room and groan. The mess is going to take forever to clean up. Empty Chinese, Italian, and Thai food containers litter every surface of Dad’s living and dining room. Jonas’s energy drink cans are piled high on the kitchen island, and sometime between three and four a.m., we finished an entire stash of ice cream.

What isn’t covered with trash is cluttered with papers, notebooks, small whiteboards, calculators, pencils, and everything else we needed to help make our assessment.

It’s a disaster, to say the least.

Dad walks in from the hall and stops dead, surveying the room until his eyes land on mine. “Have any of you slept?”

“No,” we all moan exhaustedly. My brain hurts to the point of throbbing, and I rub my temple to try to ease the pressure.

“I went to bed at two. Thought you were going to call it a night.” He sounds worried. “Did something happen?”

“Yeah, Dr. Jenny pulled a fast one on us. We have to restructure the whole lab.” Enrique shoots Jenny a dirty look.

“It wasn’t all my fault. Bessie and Jonas agreed.” Her defense has absolutely no energy.

“Guys, go to bed.” Dad comes to stand in front of me, offering his hands to help me.

“I’m too tired to even take your hands.” I scrub my eyes. “But the good news is we have it. We’ve all come to an agreement.”

“We’ll talk about it this afternoon when the five of you don’t look like the walking dead.” He leans over and takes my elbows, forcing me to stand.

“I’m going to clean up before we lay down.”

“The housekeeper is coming. I asked her to slot me in on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday this week. I expected this.”

A sense of panic sets in. “She can’t touch anything, Dad. We have everything organized by project and explanation. If she moves even one document, we’ll be screwed.”

“She won’t do anything but clean the food mess. Otherwise, this place can look like a warzone until we go over every note.”

Everyone lets out an appreciative sigh, and I sink into his chest, closing my eyes. “Thanks.”

“Not my first time at the rodeo, Greer. I just didn’t know you’d stay up all night.”

“Big project requires a lot of brain power. We couldn’t shut it down.”

“I appreciate you all,” he says to everyone, kissing the top of my head.

“If you appreciate me, can I get one of those hugs?” Jenny comes to our side.

“Me too.” Bessie steps in, and Dad wraps his arms around the three of us.

“Go to sleep.” He twists, urging our herd to my old room.

“Don’t wake me before three,” Enrique instructs, and a few seconds later, a bedroom door shuts.

“I don’t have the will to move. I’m crashing here for a bit,” Jonas mumbles, burrowing into the sofa and closing his eyes.

Jenny and Bessie disengage, leaving my dad to hold only me. “Greer, can you muster enough energy to talk to me for a second before passing out?”

“Yes, but I can’t promise coherency.”

“I want to talk about this Lawson guy.”