Page 52 of Roll With The Punches
Chapter Fourteen
Emma wasn’t crying.
Brandon hated that he’d basically set Emma up for this while thinking he was being a “responsible” parent and doing the “right” thing, even though it’d gone against his better instincts.
Never again would he second-guess himself when it came to Emma.
Plus, he now simultaneously hated and pitied Tracey, but it didn’t change the fact that Tracey had, in fact, put her husband over her daughter’s well-being.
Again.
That also pissed him off, because even though Tracey hadn’t meant to, she’d used his guilt against him and it had backfired to hit Emma square on.
“Start from the top, sweetheart.”
He wasn’t sure if Emma’s lack of tears was a good thing or not.
He mentally reminded himself to make sure he and Stuart gave Jeff a well-deserved blow job later that night for his quick and sneaky thinking to rescue her.
It was still a couple of minutes before she spoke. “I know I shouldn’t hate Mom, but I sooo hate her right now.”
“I don’t blame you. That’s a very valid feeling.”
“Last night, I thought I’d be here through dinner, that Corey wouldn’t be here until late tonight. I was going to text you about that today once I knew for sure. This morning, Mom started off kind of being vague about things. Then Pat comes in—which was weird that he had the day off today, but whatever—and asks her what time his parents and the Goober were supposed to get there this afternoon.
“That’s when she got that ‘oh, crap’ look she gets and her face turned red, like it always does. Especially when it’s something I know is Pat’s idea and she doesn’t really want to go along with it, but she gives in anyway.”
He nodded but didn’t interrupt.
“I stared at her and said well, I guess one less for dinner would mean more leftovers for them, and I turned around and went back to my room to pack. When I came out, I saw through the living room windows he’d moved his car behind mine. Then Pat got in my way and asked where I thought I was going. I told him I was going home, and to move his car. He told me no, I wasn’t, and I said watch me. Get this—I guess his parents wanted to talk to me about sending me and Corey to some special summer camp or something. One their church puts on. They wanted to ‘invest in my spiritual future.’”
“Okay.” Brandon had to interject. “Besides the fact that you havenointerest in their religion, you’re in summer AP classes, and have swim practice?”
“Thankyou! That’s exactly what I told him. He said I should forget about college because I would never make it. That the AP classes I was taking were a waste of time. And that as far as swimming went, that was stupid, and a waste of money, and I’d never get a scholarship from doing it, anyway. That he was tired of them having to spend money on me being on swim team.”
“He did, did he?” Brandon growled, struggling not to turn the car around and go beat the crap out of the guy. Pat and Tracey hadn’t contributed anything to Emma’s swim expenses and coaches’ fees in the whole time she’d been living with him full-time.
But he hadn’t told Emma that, because he’d easily been able to absorb the cost with Jeff and Stuart contributing to household expenses every month.
“Yeah. I told him he had until the count of three to go move his car before I called you, and he dared me to call you. I was already filming with Grace’s old phone. He started to reach for my phone, and I told him if he laid a hand on me I’d tell the cops all about how he molested me. Which made him freeze long enough for me to go lock myself in my room. And that’s when I called you.”
He winced. “So you have yourself on tape threatening to make a false allegation against him?”
“Yeeeaaah, see,thatpart I didn’t think through. I wanted to buy myself a couple of seconds to get away from him.”
“Well, that was quick thinking on your part.”
“Yeah.” She fell quiet for a moment. “Is it weird that I both feel sorry for Mom and hate her at the same time?”
“No, it’s human.”
“I could tell this wasn’t her idea, that Pat was pushing it. But she didn’t fight him, either, and she should have. After this morning, I’m pretty sure she’s scared of him.”
“I’m sorry I talked you into going, sweetheart.”
“Are you really calling your attorney?”
“When we get home, yes. I want to know what to do next.”
