I grab Sophia’s hand and take her back to our place before my father has a chance to appear.

“Jesus,” I lock the door and plant my head against the wall. “She doesn’t know, Soph.”

“Well, don’t you think she should?”

“Yes, of course I do, but it’s not our place to tell her.”

“I know, but this sucks. I didn’t go over there to see her, I went to... how could your father... so he’s kept... uurgh, fuck I’m pissed. I want to smack him. And Ivy never knew about this either?”

“From what I’ve heard, no.”

“What a shit ass way to find out.”

I rub my eyes free of tears and pull her into a hug. “I don’t know what to do. I basically told my father to fuck off.”

“Good.”

“No, it’s not good. I can’t keep up this charade in front of my mother forever. We have to talk about it eventually, I mean, they live next door to us. Fuck, I can’t stand the sight of him right now. And what do I do about Ivy? Am I supposed to talk to her? What? I’m losing my shit.”

“Cove, you’re putting all of this on yourself, and it’s not your problem, it’s your father’s. Don’t take responsibility for his mistakes. I think you need a day to just chill. I know that doesn’t make much sense coming from someone who’s a ball of anxiety like me, but you’re too emotional to do anything about it right now. Nothing good will come from you speaking with him when you’re ready to punch your fist through the wall.”

I take another beer out of the fridge and wait for her to give me hell about my drinking, but she holds back. Sometimes a man just needs to get piss ass drunk. “When the fuck did you get so smart?”

“It happens,” she smiles. “So you’ve got a sister?”

“A half-sister, and that means you have a sister-in-law.”

The alarm on my cell chimes as a reminder that it’s time to open the Scarlett; Haverty’s probably already on his way and my mother should be leaving soon.

“Soph, why don’t you see if you can catch a ride with my mom, I really need some time to myself.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea? To be alone, I mean.”

“I’ll be fine. I need a swim, and like you said, time to chill, maybe cry my eyes out too, but I’d prefer not to have an audience for that part of my evening.”

She nods and flashes a cute grin, being overly supportive and patient this afternoon.

“I’ll get ready, but you need to promise me something if I’m leaving you alone.”

“What’s that?”

“If you swim, do it now, not when you’re wasted. I’m not going to say much about the alcohol you’ve consumed today, for obvious reasons, but if you’re getting shitfaced, stay safe. No pool, keep off the terrace, and if you’re drunk later call Haverty for a ride to work. Those are my requests.” She takes long strides up the stairway to our bedroom. I love that woman. “And Cove,” she calls back. “One other thing. I know this doesn’t help, but I’m sorry.”

My heart softens as she speaks. I follow her every move as she dresses in her usual attire for the night; a black above the knee dress, heels, and her hair pulled up with a few strands tucked behind her ears. She subdues my mouth on her way out, and brings me out of my shitty mood, at least for a brief moment.

The loft is dead silent once she’s gone, and all I can think to do is set up another shot... and then another, as I pace and question my life.

CHAPTER SIX

“Hey, Babe. You doing alright, still alive?”

“Yeah,” I laugh. “Tanked off my ass. Haven’t felt this good in a long time, Beautiful Dove.”

“Careful what you say, my drunken goofball.”

“Well, you know what I mean. I always feel great with you, Soph, but fuck it’s nice to be consumed with liquor...you know... yeah. Fuck yeah,” I laugh again.

“You coming in soon¸ or gonna stay home tonight? It’s a madhouse in here by the way.”

“Home. No, I’ll come in. Yup. How ‘bout an hour? I’ll call Hav to... whoa.”

“Whoa what?”

“Nothing. Shit, almost dropped my beer. Gotta go, Dove.” I place my cell in the front pocket of my sport coat and notice the driver peering at me in the rear view mirror. “You nearly hit that black cat a second ago. It’s bad luck to have one of those things cross your path. I can only imagine all the shit that could go wrong if you ran over it. Good swerve.”

“Practice. You come across a lot of strays on the city streets after dark. I try my best to avoid them. Sorry about the beer spillage, did you get any on my seat?”

“No, It’s about empty. Thanks for letting me drink in your cab by the way.”

“Not a problem. We’ve got one block to go.”

“Can you pull along side the house, or just past it?” I ask.

“Surprising someone?”

I nod with a drunken grin and pull some money out for the fare. Sophia will cut my dick off if she finds out about this, but I can’t get Kaitlyn out of my head, even after a swim and a shitload of alcohol, I need to find out more from her. Now that I know what the fuck’s going on, I’m pissed that she would ask me to give her daughter a job. The sneaky bitch wanted me to find out, or she was trying to bring Ivy into the scene for my father and her to connect. He’s seen her at the bar and I wonder if he even recognized her as his daughter. He said he wasn’t a part of their lives... fuck these asinine games.

I stand outside a door the size of Texas. Kaitlyn lives in a painted lady, as I often hear my mother and others describe these massive renovated Victorian homes. It’s all girly and shit, painted yellow, purple, and green, with flowers on the porch and a white wicker rocker. I wonder where the fucking lemonade is. God, I’m in a foul mood again. I should’ve brought my flask along. My ass is about to hit the ground from the shots I had before I left, but I could always down another at times like this.

Her door opens a moment after my first knock. Crap, she’s in a robe. Damn it. My eyes scan her body and stop on her bare legs. Okay, yeah, I’m a dumbass. This was a fucking bad idea.

“You look devilishly handsome, Cove.” Her fingers push into the front of my pants and I’m pulled inside. She locks the door and I manage to step away before her hand reaches further down and snags my dick.

“Cut the shit, Kaitlyn. People like you disgust me.”

“People like what?” She brushes her body alongside mine and I stumble back.

“People who want to fuck the son of the man who fathered their child. People who play dirty games to get what they want. You know your daughter was assaulted, right? And yet you’re gonna fucking attack me, after everything’s that’s happened today. You whore.”

“Such harsh words coming from an Everton,” she pauses and takes the Paul Jameson article from her purse, which tells me she’s seen my father some time after he left the Scarlett this morning. “I did see my daughter today, and yes, I’m devastated that such a thing would happen to her, but not surprised. I told you she...”

“Wait. What did you say? Not surprised? That’s bullshit. No parent who cared about their child would say such a thing.”

“No parent who cared about their child would ignore her for her entire life either. Is that how your father treated you growing up? Is that fair? Was he around for you, or did he disappear like he did with Ivy? Did he protect you from the bad men, Cove?” She waves the article in front of my face.

I want to smack this woman. My fists clench, my heart pounds and I’m starting to feel dizzy. “Why do you have the article? Did you set it by your money so Ivy would come across it, hoping it would eventually get back to me or my father?”

“It’s the only photo I’ve ever found of your father, besides the ones involving his court case. If I decide to talk to Ivy about him, then I believe she deserves to see the face of the man who abandoned her. Don’t you?”