Page 96 of Where You're Planted

To Charlie, Tansy asked, “What did Briar tell you about the house?”

“First, I want you to admit that you asked my daughter to lie to me.”

“Ineverasked her to lie.”

“Bullshit.”

Tansy reached for Charlie’s arm, insisting, “IswearI didn’t.”

Jack bristled behind her.

Charlie jerked his arm free but quickly clocked Jack’s displeasure and raised his palms in surrender. “Well, you sure as hell didn’t volunteer the information yourself. How many times have I asked about it, Tansy? How many times have I offered to help? Hell, it was bad enough to imagine you two in some fuckingshelterfor the night and then bouncing aroundpeople’s couches for days. Especially after Itoldyou to come to Dallas. I can’t stop picturing you two in a boat in the middle of that storm. And the effect it’s had on her…”

“I know,” Tansy said quietly.

It felt like a knife in Jack’s side to see her capitulate to this asshole when he knew how hard she was working to move on. He drew in a breath to defend her, but she sensed him at her back and gestured for him to wait.

“I’ve always put her safety and well-being first. You know I wouldn’t let her live in an unsafe house. YouknowI’d go hungry before she ever missed a meal, give her my own clothes to keep her dry.”

Charlie nodded grudgingly.

“And, okay, the reno has been slow, butmyroom was completely finished and safe before we moved back in.” She crossed her arms and lifted her chin, finding new confidence. “I actually made a lot of progress this past week on so many things. Briar’s room is—”

“The point is,” Charlie cut in, “that you never told meanyof this. If I’d known y’all were cooking meals on a hot plate in a bathroom, that your place didn’t havewalls, you’d better believe I wouldn’t have just let you stay there with her.”

“Letme?” Tansy asked.

“Yeah. I have a right to know the state of the house my kid’s living in and to intervene if it’s not adequate.”

Jack heard Tansy swallow hard. Those crossed arms became a hug around her middle as she hunched inward. Her voice was small when she replied, “Intervene? What exactly does that mean?”

Charlie threw up his hands in an angry shrug. “I don’t know, Tansy. I’m not—” He glanced at Jack, huffed a frustrated breath. “I’m not threatening you, okay? I just— I wouldhave helped. You should have let me help. Even if you won’t let me back intoyourlife after all this time…” He licked his lips and shook his head.

Jack had made nearly the same exact plea to Tansy just two hours ago.Let me help you.

“You can’t keep me out of her life. You promised you wouldn’t.”

Jack mentally willed Tansy to hold her ground, to tell him that his offers were too fucking little, too fucking late.

But she said none of this. She hunched farther in on herself. “You’re right.”

“What?” Jack breathed.

“He’s right. He’s Briar’s father.”

“Nowhe is.”

Charlie pushed around Tansy to grab Jack’s shirt. “Hey, fuck you. I don’t even know who the hell you are, but—”

“Stop it! Both of you!” Tansy slipped back between them, a firm hand on each of their chests, and pushed them apart.

Jack’s heart thrashed wildly against her palm like a startled bird in its cage.

“Let me show you the house,” she said to Charlie. “You’ll see. Whatever Briar told you…I’ve fixed a lot more this week. Floors. Cabinets. Her room. There are only a few projects left and then it’s all cosmetic touches.”

“No,” Jack said. Like hell was he letting her take this guy to her house, let her waste her time trying to proveanythingto Charlie. She owed him nothing. Jack was willing to give her space to process where she stood withhim, but that didn’t extend to letting her asshole ex dismiss how she’d clawed back her home, piece by piece. He couldn’t do it.

But Tansy and Charlie both ignored him.

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