Page 141 of The Persistence of Thornes
Katrina gives him a hard look, then makes her way out of the room.
With a heavy sigh, Caleb’s dad turns to Thayer. “Got any whiskey around here? I need a drink.”
I think we all might.
Outside on the porch, watching the kids play kickball in the street, I pull my coat tighter around me, trying to stave off the chill. While I’m shivering, the kids act like it’s the middle of summer, not a single one bothering with a coat or even a sweatshirt.
Casen sits on the front steps beside me, lips downturned as he surveys the game.
I bump his good knee with mine. “You’ll be back and better than ever before you know it.”
“I know,” he groans, his expression still flat.
He’s much better with the crutches now, and he’s figured out how to navigate most tasks, but I can imagine it’s still hard for him to sit on the sidelines so often.
I rest my cheek on his shoulder. “I love you, kid.”
He gently drops his head to mine a moment later. “Love you too, sis.”
We’re still sitting like that, watching Quinn chase after Soleil, letting her stay ahead of him, when a shadow falls over us.
I know who it is before I even look.
“Could we have a chat?” Katrina asks, peering down at me with an expression of pure judgment.
“Yes, of course.” I feign a smile and stand, dusting off the back of my jeans.
I follow her down the stairs and onto the sidewalk to the end of Caleb’s driveway.
Caleb catches my gaze from where he’s refereeing the kickball game. He’s tense, poised to run over, like he wants to play referee with us too, but I shake my head. Katrina might intimidate, but I’m used to people like her. At the end of the day, they’re just big bullies.
She turns to me, arms crossed in a defensive stance. I mirror the move, a shiver running down my spine that has nothing to do with the temperature.
I barely know this woman, but I don’t like her. It was clear the moment she stepped into the kitchen today that she’s cold. Calculated.
I can see it in her eyes—how much she dislikes me as well.
She nods her head to where Seda, Quinn, Soleil, and Georgia’s boys play.
“She’s not his, you know.”
Frowning, all I can muster is a confused “huh?”
The comment is so sudden and unexpected that it catches me off guard.
“Seda. He calls her his daughter, but she’s not his. Has he told you that?”
Though it’s a question, she doesn’t wait for me to respond before continuing to spew the venom I have a feeling she saved for this moment. As if this is her true reason for showing up today. To intimidate me, to try to scare me off. If that’s the case, I pity her. I can’t imaginebeing so miserable.
“Salem was his high school girlfriend. I always knew she was trouble. Ended up knocked up by the older guy living next door, yet somehow manipulated my son into marrying her. And Caleb? He was more than happy to swoop in and make it all better for her.” Every word that comes out of her mouth is dripping with disdain.
Face stony, she looks me up and down like I’m the dirt beneath her shoes. “That’s what he does. He takes in the strays and tries to save them.”
She’s chosen these words carefully, with the intention of wounding me. I know that, yet it doesn’t erase the sting they cause.
“He deserves better,” she goes on. “Someone right. Someone proper. A woman from a good family. A woman deserving of the Thorne name.”
She studies me once more, lip curled in disgust, silently relaying that, in her eyes, I’m not that person. After a heartbeat, she strides toward Caleb to say goodbye. From there, she heads straight to the Mercedes her husband has already started. Neither of them even acknowledges Seda.
