Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 68698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68698 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 275(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
“Good,” he said. “They’re going to be okay without you?”
I didn’t technically run the store at all. I couldn’t.
I’d tried to go that route in the beginning, and was shown very quickly why that was a bad idea.
That’s when I hired not only Theresa, but Barry and Martine.
Barry worked the opposite shift from Theresa, and Martine worked where the two others couldn’t fill in, or on weekends when one of them needed a day off.
“Yes,” I answered. “I’ve made it that way.”
He looked at me oddly, as if he didn’t quite like that answer, but I cleared my throat and said, “I didn’t turn the shower off downstairs, and I’m not sure how much hot water you have…”
He got the hint and nodded. “I’ll be back.”
Then he was gone.
I locked the door for good measure, then stepped into the shower.
I groaned at the feel of the hot water spraying all around me.
By the time I was through, I felt refreshed, jealous, and pruney.
I found my bag outside the bathroom door, and a note that said here’s your phone stuck to my phone.
I took my phone and bag, then threw the note away in the trash, trying not to be sentimental about a damn note with three words on it.
That’s when I saw the message waiting from Folsom.
Folsom: call me ASAP.
I called her as I started to pull the brush through my damn tangled hair.
At least I remembered that.
My curly hair was a damn disaster and would’ve been even worse had I not brought my wet brush.
Folsom answered on the first ring, letting me know she’d been waiting for me.
“Your dad,” she blurted.
I frowned and dropped my arm to my lap before saying, “What about him?”
“Aodhan called me last night and asked me to look into why you weren’t able to call him. That’s because you were blocked from calling him. Since you’re still on your dad’s phone plan, he called the cell provider and asked them to block Aodhan’s phone number. That’s why you haven’t been able to get ahold of him,” she explained without taking a single breath.
Irrational anger started to fill me at that.
“What?” I all but shrieked.
He did what?
“Yep,” she confirmed. “He called almost to the day that you told me Aodhan left. He blocked his number, as well as his mom’s landline, as well as his grandparents’ landline.”
I was flabbergasted.
Utterly shocked and saddened all at once.
“You’ve got to be shitting me,” I finally said.
“No,” she sounded off.
Mad and ready to kill someone.
“I’ll call him,” I said, hoping to rein in her temper.
It was legendary.
I’d been holding her off for years from hurting my dad the way he hurt me, but this time, I wasn’t quite sure that I would be able to.
“You better do it now.” She paused. “You can just hold on. I’ll connect you. But I’m listening in.”
I rolled my eyes.
She and I used to do this all the time.
At first, it was because she wanted the moral support when she talked to her child’s baby daddy. But it’d turned into moral support for everything. Making doctors’ appointments, talking to important people, making lawyer appointments and changing wills. Making large purchases like the sale of that apartment building.
“There,” she said. “Let him have it.”
Then the phone started to ring.
“Yeah?” my dad answered, sounding miffed.
“Dad,” I said carefully. “I just got some news.”
“What kind of news?” he asked, sounding hopeful. “Have you fired your doctors?”
I rolled my eyes. “No. But I did get informed that you blocked Aodhan’s number on my phone so that I couldn’t call him, and he couldn’t call me.”
There was a lengthy pause and then a snort.
“There was only one way he would move on,” my father said. “And that was to block him so you wouldn’t call him back and guilt him into staying.”
My mouth fell open in shock.
I mean, I knew that he’d had a part in keeping me and Aodhan apart but…to go as far as to make it to where I could never talk to Aodhan? That was heartless.
“Dad,” I croaked. “What about your daughter?”
“My daughter stopped being my daughter when she chose sex before marriage,” he growled.
I all but fell over in surprise.
I mean, logically, I knew he knew that I’d had sex with Aodhan. I mean, he’d all but caught us parking at the end of his dirt driveway with half my clothes missing.
“And continued not being my daughter when she continuously chose medical bullshit over natural, healthy healing,” he continued. “And perpetuated a lie just to get people to feel sorry for her.”
That last part hadn’t really been surprising. I mean, logically, I knew that he thought I made it up.
If he trusted the medical community, he would think I had Munchausen syndrome—where I tried to get sympathy or attention by faking illnesses.
I only wished I was faking my POTS. Maybe then, I’d be able to live a normal life.