Addicted

I had no luck and the smell of butter burning on the stove had me jogging back to my place in the kitchen.

My father stood and walked to the coffee pot as he ended his call. "That was one of my clients. I might have to fly to Texas tomorrow night, and Parker has a sleepover with some friends. Are you going to be okay alone here?"

"Of course. I'm a grown-ass woman, remember?"

He gave me a smirk and stole a pinch of the shredded cheese from the pile I'd grated. I lightly slapped his hand away, and he chuckled.

"You're so much like your mother." He lifted his mug to his lips and got a faraway look in his eye.

"You still miss her, Dad?"

He looked at me and smiled sadly. "So much. I never imagined a day in my life would be without her. I feel like she took my warmth with her."

Tears filled my eyes and I turned back to the stove, not responding so that he wouldn't hear how deeply I hurt for him. He wouldn't appreciate it.

"I'm going to wake your lazy-ass brother up. I want him to see about getting a job in town. He needs to learn responsibility." As he walked down the hall, I pulled a paper-towel from the roll, dabbing at my eyes and promising myself that no matter what, I was going to work on my relationship with my dad. It would take every bit of patience I possibly had, but my mother would have wanted us closer, and here I was helping to fuel the fire that forced us apart.

I finished my father's breakfast and handed him the plate as he walked back into the kitchen.

"Two eggs over easy and bacon. Toast should pop up any minute." I walked to the table and pushed his papers around. "Dad. Where is the invoice from the snow shoveling company?"

"It's in the den on my desk. I'll pay it today, but I'm going to call Clark and give him a piece of my mind."

"Who's Clark?" I glanced up as my brother walked up, his eyes wide as if warning me to tread lightly.

"He's the bastard that owns the company."

Finn's dad. Not good.

"Why is he a bastard?" I flipped Parker's omelet onto a plate and sprinkled it with cheese before handling it to him and ruffling his hair.

He moved to the refrigerator and brought out a jug of orange juice, drinking straight from it.

"Parker. Son, that's disgusting. Just mark that one as yours and don't do it again." My dad grimaced at my brother before turning his attention back to me. "He and I have had issues in the past."

"Why are you upset this time? The driveway looks great and the poor guy that did it had to have frozen his butt off."

"That poor guy was his son. He knows that I don't want that boy over here." He glanced up and pinned me with a hard stare. "He sleeps around, is going nowhere in life, and looks like the angel that he's not. I don't like him or his father."

"Dad..." I moved to sit down at the table as Parker joined us and snorted.

"Don't even try, Sis. I wanted to take snowboard lessons from Finn and Dad had a fit. He's not going to let you reason with him."

"Is that the friend that you wanted to talk to me about lessons for Parker with?" My dad lifted his eyebrow sharply.

"What? No. I don't even know this guy. All I was going to say is that everyone has a story. I'm not the same person I was before Mom died. Part of my pain and anger bleeds into how I act, but if you didn't know that I lost my mom, you would judge me unfairly."

"I'm not interested in talking about this. I don't want the boy over here. Period. Clark knows that. He probably realized you were home and sent the boy over to steal your heart. He's a vicious bastard like that." He shrugged and went back to his paper.

I turned to Parker and mouthed, 'What the fuck?’

He snorted and laughed as Dad glanced up and looked between us. "What?"

"Nothing, but there is a story there. Inquiring minds want to know what."

"None of your business," my father barked. "Don't forget to clean up the kitchen when you're done."

"I always do, Dad." I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to my brother as I got up and walking back into the kitchen to finally make my breakfast. "What's your plan today?"