My parents smiled then Dad put on his philosophical face. “I wouldn’t allow fate to make my life for me. When fate stood in the way, I shoved it aside and took what I wanted. You need to do that with this girl. Can’t let fate push you around.”
Smiling up at Dick Barnes, I couldn’t deny he built a good life for our family. He worked hard, made smart decisions, and never allowed fate to call the shots. I also couldn’t deny he found a great woman with my mother. She was the dreamer who kept Dad from losing himself to the job. Mom was his muse.
“I’ll take another stab at talking to her.”
“If you can’t find a way, get Cooper to do it. You know how he loves controlling things. I’m sure he’ll want to help.”
“True, but once he starts meddling, he won’t stop. I don’t need him giving me pointers for the rest of my relationship with Lark.”
“Lark,” my mother said, testing out the name. “She had such a sweet smile. I could look at that smile for the rest of my life. Yes, go kick fate in the balls and get me a daughter.”
“You have a daughter.”
“A new one, I meant. Preferably one who likes to visit more than Anna.”
Grinning at the thought of my alpha chick sister, I finished my juice and stood up. “I’ll focus on a first date then worry about getting you a more compliant daughter.”
Dad chuckled then turned to the last member of our golfing party. Graham was like a shrunken version of my dad. Also unlike Dad, he had a habit of blurting crap out.
“I heard a majority of white males in prison have tattoos,” Graham announced while studying the cobra tat running up my neck.
“What’s your fucking point?” I growled down at him. When Graham shrunk under my tone, I grinned. “Just kidding, man. Plenty of my white clients are criminals too, but they’re just people.”
“My brother cheats on his taxes,” Graham blurted out.
“Who doesn’t?” Dad said, taking my mother’s hand as they started for the cart.
I grinned at Graham who smiled back. There were moments in life when I wondered how someone managed to survive with a lack of social skills. Staring down at Graham, I was having one of those moments. Fortunately, he spouted stupid in front of me rather than those criminal clients of mine.
Chapter Three - Lark
Larry had only been my stepfather since I was fifteen. He was the latest in a long line of losers. While the richest and most stable of the bunch, he was still a jerk. Yet, my mom adored him.
Blonde, blue eyed, and fit, Margo was an attractive woman who never had trouble finding a man. She had trouble attracting nice ones though. One drunk after another gambler, she was always in a bad relationship or between one. My dad was a criminal. Raven’s dad too. Phoenix’s dad had been married and tried to shoot my mom when she wouldn’t have an abortion. This attempt on her life was why she came back to Ellsberg. It wasn’t enough to make her change her bad taste in men though. Another loser came along then another. Eventually, we ended up with Larry.
They had a strange relationship. She was his submissive in every way. He told her what to wear, how much she was supposed to weigh, and who she could talk to. He controlled her every waking moment. If she deviated from the schedule he set, she was punished in various ways from withholding affection and food to ignoring her to spankings.
Their relationship horrified me, but I saw how much my mom loved the whole thing. Not just Larry, but his need to control her. She thought it meant she was special. I thought it meant he was a freak and she needed therapy. I never said anything though because I didn’t make waves. I was the middle child and we just kept our heads down. At least, that was what I read once and it did fit me.
Raven was the oldest and she didn’t keep her head down. In a rage, she was like a bull storming through a China shop. In our roller derby team, she was known as the Chicknado because she would skate into a crowd of girls and send them flying.
When Larry came into our life, Raven did try to make the best of the situation. We lived in a nice house and were able to share a car with our mom. Going hungry was never a concern and Larry wasn’t a drinker, druggie, or gambler. He just wanted to tell us how to think.
Raven dodged the old man most of the time. Everything might have worked out, but Larry heard one of his girls was running the street with a loser. He decided his son Dylan would tail Raven everywhere to make sure she behaved.
My stepbrother had a mohawk and tats. He looked scary, but Raven feared no man. Even if she did, my sister would react in violence to any challenge. She squared off against Dylan and they beat the crap out of each other. After she and Dylan left the hospital, Larry gave her an ultimatum. Behave or get out.