Page 94 of Impurrfections

She grinned. “I can’t wait to see that lobby. Arthur says it’s pretty luxurious. If there’s anything, anything at all, that I can do to help this project, let me know.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled.

Other people approached us, congratulating Arthur, slapping his back, clasping my hand. Voices rose in support of the shelter, talking about how great it would be, asking about volunteering, offering help. I stood there like a block of wood and let Arthur and Shane respond, managing a smile and “You’re welcome,” now and then.

Shane must’ve noticed how out of it I was, because, after a few minutes, he began steering me to the door. We had to stop for a couple more greetings in the echoing hallway, but we finally made it out into the cool evening air.

“Whew,” Shane said. “That was interesting.”

I choked. “You could say that.”

“How long has it been since you saw your dad?”

“I was five, so you do the math.”

“Seriously?” Shane paused to stare at me. “He never came back once?”

“If he did, my grandparents never told me.”

“No wonder you looked so surprised.”

“I barely recognized him.” Something inside me still vibrated with that shock.

“Fuck. That’s messed up. And then he asked you for money for your half-sibs? The kids he didn’t ditch on his nasty parents? Wow.”

“For all I know, he ditched them on someone else. I didn’t even know they existed.”Did Papa spend time with those children? Play games with them, care about their lives?It shouldn’t matter, but the little boy I’d once been who’d waited for his father to come back ached at the thought that Papa had simply replaced him.

Shane shook his head and rubbed my back. “What a fucking piece of work.”

As if conjured by the words, my father stepped out of a doorway ahead. My heart slammed against my ribs. Papa faked a smile. “Thibault? Can we talk?”

“Can you fuck off?” Shane retorted.

My father sneered at him, and said to me, “Alone?”

I slung my arm across Shane’s shoulders. “I doubt we have anything to say to each other, but whatever you want to say happens in front of him.”

Shane put his hand over mine but let me carry the conversation.

My father cleared his throat. “I’m sorry I didn’t see more of you when you were a child. My parents wouldn’t allow it.”

Ihatedthat part of me hoped that was true. “You know what? I was your kid. You didn’t need their permission.”You could’ve taken me with you at any time.

“I signed over custody.”

“Whatever.” I gritted my teeth. This had to be about the money. I wasn’t going to let him get to me. “Say what you want to say.”

“I just think it’s a shame we haven’t spent more time together.”

“To do what, exactly?”You could’ve found me at any time in the last nine years. I never changed my name. How many Thibault Lafontaines are there in California? You never bothered.

“Well, to get to know one another.”

“Have you changed in some fundamental way that’d make it worth my while?”

Papa blinked. “I’m your father. Doesn’t that count for anything?”

“It obviously didn’t twenty-five years ago.”

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