Page 29 of Deception and New Direction

AsIlet him back in, instead of coming to me for a treat, he made a beeline for the garage door, which, seconds later,Jackcame walking through.Itwasn’t even nine o’clock yet, whichIfound made me a little gleeful that his date night had ended so early.Evenwith that positive note,Iclearly still had some residual jealousy in me—whichIhated—becauseIspoke beforeIthought better of it.

“You’re home kinda early.Datenight not go as well as you thought?”

There was definite snark in my voice, andIregretted asking.Mostlybecause it made me sound like a bitch—a jealous one.

“Date night?” he asked, his brow furrowed as if confused by my comment.

“You said you were meeting up with someone after work.Ijust made the assumption it didn’t go well if you’re already home, but it’s none of my business.”

Instead of responding, he just stared at me, a small grin tugging at the side of his mouth.

That haughty grin was more thanIcould take.Itwas one thing to know that he went out with someone.Itwas another for him to be smug about it.Decidingit was best to head back to my room beforeIsaid something else stupid,Iturned away from him and hollered forDashto follow.

11

JACK

She’d thoughtIwas on a date.

Granted,Ihadn’t actually given her many details about my whereabouts this evening, but it was interesting that she assumed my “meeting up with someone” was with a woman.Evenmore interesting was seeing the jealousy written all over her face.

I knewIshould have corrected her and told herIwas not, in fact, on a date, so she didn’t get the wrong idea.However, that would meanIwould have had to tell her whereI’dactually been, andIcouldn’t do that.Notyet at least.

I had decided to go visitHank.I’dwanted to learn more about her dad, but just in case things got bleak,Ididn’t wantRuthieto hear it.

Thinking back to our conversation had me both angry and smiling because that old man was wise beyond his years and too witty for his own good—a family traitRuthiemust have inherited.

WhenIshowed up,Hankwas waiting for me on his front porch.Ihadn’t given him much to go on, other thanIneeded to meet with him privately as soon as he has some time.Hisresponse had been not to put off tomorrow whatIcould do today, so we’d agreed to meet that night.

“If you’re lookin’ for my blessing to marry my granddaughter, you’ve got it, but somethin’ tells me she ain’t gonna be as easy to convince,”Hankannounced asIwas walking up the steps to his porch.

I chuckled, knowing he was absolutely correct. “She’sgot walls higher thanFortKnox.Iget the feeling she learned that young.Whichis the real reasonI’mhere, not thatIdon’t appreciate your blessing.”

Hank, who was sitting in his rocker, leaned back and crossed his arms. “Youain’t wrong.Andif you’re askin’ me why, you probably already know the answer.”

“I know her old man is a piece of work, butIneed to know how bad it really was,”Itold him, getting to the point of whyIwas here. “IfI’mgonna help protect her, and also get her to open up to me,Ineed the full picture.”

Hank grumbled and pointed to the chair next to him. “Boy, you best sit down.Thisis gonna take a minute.Youwant something to drink?”

KnowingImight be here for a bit,Itook him up on his offer. “Whatchagot?”

“For this conversation, we’re going to need something stronger than a sweet tea,”Hanksaid, getting up from his chair and going inside to grab some drinks.

After he came back, he didn’t waste time before giving me the details. “Floydalways had a knack for takin’ and not givin’ a damn who he hurt doin’ it.Hell, he treated his own wife like she was a damnATM.Inever understood what my daughter saw in that man, butIthink she stayed even when she knew he was bad because she didn’t want to leave the kids.Whenshe passed, my granddaughter was all he had left to squeeze.”

“Squeeze how?”Iasked.

“First, it was little things.Guilt-trippin’ her into cookin’ for them and cleanin’ their house.Thenit turned into makin’ her run errands for ‘em, keepin’ her close.Basedoff my conversations with her, she didn’t see those as bad things, butIdid.Hewas layin’ the groundwork—makin’ her think she owed him somethin’.Myguess is so that when the time came for her to inherit, she’d feel obligated and he could take his cut.”

My jaw tightened, thinking of this asshole doing that to his own daughter. “Shewas just a kid.”

Hank nodded. “Thatdon’t mean nothin’ to a man likeFloyd.Tohim, she was just another pawn.Onehe could cash in on when the time was right.”

“What about her brother?”Iasked, thinking of my own sister and howIwould have done a better job to protect her from that ifIcould.

“Jason?”Hanklifted his arm to rub the back of his neck as though there was built-up tension. “Hedidn’t hate her like their old man did, especially when he was younger.Thetwo of them got along well from the few timesIsaw them.Fora while,Iassumed he was tryin’ to protect her.ButeverythingRuthietold me after she moved here tells me that as he got older, he became more and more like his dad.”

I thought about all of this, and it made me realize a few things aboutRuthie—including why she was the way she was. “Shethinks she’s alone in this.”

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