I remember how I was at fifteen, and I sure as hell don抰 want any boy like me chasing my daughter.
揇ad, focus. If he basically called me a loser and ghosted梥orry, 'respected my space'桰抎 just assume it was over.?
揑 didn抰 call her a loser. Not once,?I clip.
揘o, but you implied she lives in a warzone where bikers shoot at mafia dudes every day for their drug money.?
揌ardly.?I stare at her.
揓eez, I saw it in a movie once... Anyhow, you crapped the bed. You made her feel like less, like she was stupid for taking care of me. You came off like a big gross snob.?
揧ou two keep twisting my words,?I say bitterly. 揧ou抳e known me my whole life, Destiny. Have you ever heard me shit on the homeless even once? Have you forgotten the times I brought you to my charity events, where I gladly served them coffee myself? I could抳e easily passed it off to a subordinate.?
揧eah, well. Not until that day at Eliza抯 place棓
揥hen I was upset梖urious梩hat my beloved daughter was robbed and assaulted??I exhale slowly. 揧ou and Eliza can call me a Scrooge on steroids, but facts are facts. There抯 no denying the fact that crimes are sharply higher there, and wherever there抯 more crime, the more you抮e likely to be a victim. Numbers don抰 lie.?
She sighs. 揧ou are so determined to screw this up, aren抰 you??
揑抦 not,?I flare, unsure why I抦 taking love advice from my fifteen-year-old daughter. I punch down the privacy screen. 揟om, take us back to the office.?
揥ill do, Mr. Lancaster.?
By the time he抯 turning around, the rain is moving in sheets. If I stuck my hand out the window, I抎 barely see it in this mess.
揗r. Lancaster,?Tom says a minute later.
揧eah??
揑f this weather gets much worse, I might need to pull over for safety.?
I nod when he looks back in the rearview mirror, but I抦 not feeling generous.
揋oddamned great,?I mutter. 揘ow I抦 going to be delayed by weather.?
揋ood news梥he抣l be delayed by the rain too if she抯 leaving,?Destiny says. 揃ut why are we going back to the office? How will that solve anything??
揝he works fourteen-hour days. It抯 a miracle if she ever ducks out before seven o抍lock unless I make her. I抣l simply catch her there and apologize right now. I抣l make this right.?I pause. 揂nd you, young lady, are staying in the car.?
揘ot fair!?she hisses.
I nod firmly, holding in a chuckle.
Grinning, Destiny reaches across the car and hugs me with all her might.
At least I抳e won one of my girls back.
揥hat was that about??I say.
She stays in my arms, though, just like she used to when she was a little girl. 揃ecause. I don抰 want Eliza to stop talking to me just because you were a mammoth jerk棓
揅ome on. I don抰 think she抎 shut you out.?
揝he hasn抰 texted since we left her house that day...?Destiny looks down.
揑 suppose that was my fault,?I admit. 揑 told her you weren抰 allowed to talk to her. I scared her away when she was just trying to help.?
I feel a phantom boot pressing into my gut.
She goes quiet before raking me with a slow, worried look.
揑抳e also been worried about you, Dad. Like what happens when I go off to college? You抣l be all alone. I hated the thought, but then you found Eliza and I just...I thought you抎 finally be okay.?
My daughter has the heart of an angel.
I hug her, stroking her hair like I did when she was a toddler. I抦 perfectly aware I don抰 have many moments like this left.
揇estiny, it抯 not your place to worry about me once you抮e gone. I take care of you,?I say firmly. 揘ever the other way around. Not until I抦 eighty years old and drooling from a morphine drip. Okay? I抦 fine. I抣l make it right with Eliza because I care about her and it抯 the right thing to do. Still, if she doesn抰 want me in her life after what I pulled, that抯 not your problem. I抣l survive either way. You抣l still go off to school and start your life. I抣l be here in this cloudy damn city, growling at people and running my company the best I can.?
揂nd you抣l never eat or sleep without someone at home to tell you to do it,?she says, laughing.
揑抣l set alarms.?
She laughs. 揥hatever. Thanks for the pep talk, Dad.?
I let her go and tap my phone. I normally spend these long commutes reading office emails because it saves me time.
But there抯 a message in my inbox I抦 not expecting.
I抦 not prepared for it. The subject line is Resignation Notice.
The message couldn抰 be clearer.
I can take my job and go straight to hell. Eliza is already off to San Diego.
She抯 already left the lab.
She won抰 be checking messages.
I lost my chance to mend anything without even knowing it.
揊uck,?I mutter under my breath.
揥hat抯 wrong??Destiny leans over my shoulder, her eyes wide.
I still have the email open. She must catch just enough before I angrily close the app and shove my phone against my leg.
揙h. Oh, shit,?she whispers.
The word isn抰 angry. It抯 exasperated and sad.
揕anguage,?I warn, sucking a breath between my teeth and releasing it slowly. 揗aybe I can catch her before she leaves.?
揝he抯 not going to talk to you now, Dad.?She slaps her thighs. 揢gh, I hate this.?
揑 thought you wanted me to try??
揑 did. I do, but now it just seems hopeless. I抦 sorry.?
I grind my teeth, hating that she might be right.
Unless I get my jet ready for an overnight trip to California, I抳e lost Eliza and I have no one to blame but my own jackass self.
揑抦 sorry,?I add because I know Destiny is just as devastated.
揥e抣l survive, I guess. Eventually.?She sighs, flicking her hair over her shoulder in irritation. 揃ut Uncle Troy was right.?
I look at her slowly.
When did she talk to Troy?
揂bout what??I ask neutrally.
?..eh, it doesn抰 matter anymore.?
揧ou and Troy talk a lot lately.?I hope my nonconfrontational tone pulls something out of her. His name has been coming up a lot lately, and I need to understand why.
I抦 not sure I抦 comfortable with the attention he抯 been giving my daughter, even if he抯 just trying to be helpful.
I抳e known him forever, and that抯 the problem.
Troy might be a decent man and one hell of a workhorse, but he抯 not anyone who should be handing out major life advice. Not when he抯 a lone wolf who never fully grew up and got his own shit together.
揥hat was he right about, Destiny??I work to keep my words gentle.
揈verything.?She locks her hands together, wiggling her fingers.
Shit.
She looks like she抯 on the verge of tears.
I pull the privacy screen up.
揃aby girl, what was he right about??
揌-he抯 just棓 She rolls her shoulders and a tear slides down her face. 揌e抯 been helping me, okay??
Now, I definitely need to know.
揌elping you with what??
揌e梙e told me I don抰 have to dwell on Mom抯 suicide. She was part of my life once, but that抯 over and it抯 nobody抯 fault, Dad. What happened to her doesn抰 have to ruin my life梠r ours. I need to put it behind me and...and I have.?Tears stream down her face. She sniffs and wipes them away with the back of her hand. 揑抳e been coming to terms with it. I just wish you would too. If you had, none of this would抳e happened.?
I blink. 揥hat do you mean? I dealt with it a long time ago. The fight with Eliza had nothing to do with your mom.?
揟hen why hire a PI棓
I stop cold.
揌ow did you know about the investigator??I swallow harshly.
I always got the feeling Dess knows more than she lets on. She抯 a bright kid, so it抯 hard to hide anything from her, but she couldn抰 have just guessed this.
揟roy told me,?she whispers.
Dickhead.
Of course, he did.
Even after I asked him not to.
揇estiny, there were a few loose ends and I wanted a second opinion. The man came to the same conclusions. That抯 all.?
揥hat loose ends? Was it the robbery that got you so upset? You know it抯 not Eliza抯 fault I was attacked, right??She stares at me, her soft-blue eyes hurting.