Page 45 of Fright Night
“That isn’t the plan,” he sneers.
“No. It’s notyourplan. You got me the job to keep me close so I could learn from you. You wanted me to fall in love with politics.”
Mom chooses that moment to get involved, stretching her hand across the table. She’s always tried to play peacekeeper between Knox and his father, and now I’m included in the sides—Knox’s side. “Honey, Henry’s done everything to help you get ahead. Why would you want to go into debt with school and a business that might fail within the first year?”
For thirty-thousand reasons.
Knox’s fingers dig into my thigh, annoyed by Mom’s insult—as am I. “Why would you assume your daughter would do anything but succeed?” he snaps, voice sharp. “You saw yesterday’s event for yourself; she’s fuckin’ good at what she does.”
“Knox,” Henry hisses, his attention flicking to where Knox is attached to me. “Why are you even here? This is afamilymatter.”
“Heisfamily,” I argue, despite everything he and I have done this week that implies otherwise.
At the same time, Knox shrugs. “One day I plan on marrying into Oakley’s family, so figured I should see all the drama for myself.”
Mom’s mouth slips open, but it’s Henry’s fist coming down on the table that rattles my teacup. My face is hot because thatisn’thow I imagined telling them.
Shaking my head, I return to Mom’s earlier question. “How can I fail if I’ve never tried?”
A different waitress than the one who took Mom and Henry’s orders returns with a tray holding two tea cups. She rests them on the table, scans the rest of us but pauses on me. “Hey, you were working the Halloween event on the thirtieth. I remember you; I asked you for directions.”
Knox leans around me. “She was in charge of it.”
The waitress’s smile expands. “No way. Best Halloween event of the past few years. My daughter and her friends raved about it all day yesterday. Theylovedthe House of Mirrors.”
“Thank you.” Her compliment couldn’t have come at a better time, to help make my points. Points I technically don’t have to prove either.
Mom and Henry shift in their seats, but having said what I did, the topic of my career is finished. They can’t force me to work at City Hall and they can’t ban me from attending school. If it all blows up and fails, at least I tried.
Knox squeezes my thigh—something Henry latches on again, his eyes narrowing. “Did I not tell you to leave her alone?”
He did?
“You did,” Knox agrees.
“And?”
“And since when do I listen to you? I wanted her, she wanted me. The rest isn’t your business.”
“Oak?” Mom looks at me, imploring for the truth but feeling every level of embarrassment, and I only nod. “You two are siblings.”
“Stepsiblings,” we both chime, and then Knox adds, “For a year before my arrest. We were basically roommates and nothing more.”
Mom purses her lips but smiles faintly, suggesting she’s on her way to accepting it. Henry, however…is beet red.
“No.Knox, I told you to not go near her. You ruin everything you touch, and you’ll drag Oakley down too. You’re about to destroy this girl, mark my words. For once in your life, stop being selfish.”
Every fight I heard between them in the past returns with a hard hit. He was cruel back then, but he can’t have that kind of power over Knox anymore. Knox helped me; I’ll help him.
My hand lowers on top of his.
“Why do you hate your son? Why are you so determined to push him out of this family? Most importantly, why did you hit him all those times?” My voice lowers to not be overheard by other tables, though I really should be louder. Should speak up and announce to the town that the family man image of their mayor is quick to throw things at his son in a fit of rage. “Why was nothing Knox ever did good enough?”
Knox’s hand flips until he’s gripping mine. “Trickster?—”
“No.” I direct my glare to him for a moment, shaking my head until he understands why this is too important to let up on. “You hated Knox for your wife leaving. It wasn’t fair to him then or now. Henry, thank you for caring about my mom and me, but thisfamilyisn’t the town. You can’t manage us all.”
And then, Knox’s hand in mine, I pull him to his feet, reminiscent of the time he tugged me out of an uncomfortable brunch.
