Page 13 of Whirlwind

“I chase the work. The photography. Not the—”

“Yes, let’s talk about work—you haven’t been coming in to the office much lately. Is this a new life trajectory? A little of this, a little of that? Recklessness? Irresponsibility?”

I grit my teeth. His bitterness a slap in the face. When he was uptight, feeling cornered, when things weren’t going his way, he lashed out at everyone around him, even me, Mom, and Jessa. This trait had become particularly ugly since…

I was used to it, but this one stung deep inside, because if there were two things in this world that I was not, it was reckless and irresponsible.

“Actually, I’m changing trajectories. Breaking up with Ladd is the beginning.” I shifted my weight, shifting my attitude into my old friend, irony. “Do tell, isthisyour trajectory—good times with the boys on the weekends? Does Mom know about these business events you host? By the way, is it a specific company expense? I did recognize your banker and your accountant at your table.” He remained cool, unmoved. A spur spiking my flesh. “You’re a regular here, aren’t you, Dad? Could you put in a good word and get me a job tending bar here? I’m sure, my tips would be wayyyyyy better here than at Pete’s and the Grand put together, don’t you think?”

His eyes glinted in the half dark. He leaned in closer to me, his crisp cologne filling my nostrils. The expensive fragrance he always wore. Mom had just picked up a new bottle for him last weekend. My insides swirled with sour at the spicy citrus scent. Another low growl emanated from his throat. “You will not say anything about this to your mother.”

“Oh?” I crossed my arms tightly against my chest, my mass of silver bracelets digging into my skin. “I won’t?”

“No, you won’t.”

“Why the hell not?”

He slanted his head. “Be very careful. Your mother and I are just fine. Don’t you dare screw with that. You don’t want to set her back. You remember what that was like, don’t you?” His voice was even, low. In control.

“Oh, I remember all right. I was there.”

“Don’t start, Violet. Don’t you dare.”

I let out a scoff, and staggered, my hand shooting out to the wall.

His hard glance shifted over me. “You’re drunk.”

I straightened myself, my heels grinding into the floor. “And you’re—”

“I’m doing all this for our family.”

“Copping feels and getting a hard on at the Tingle is for me, Jessa, and Mom?”

“Don’t confuse business with everything else.”

“I’m not confused here.”

His eyes narrowed. “You need to play nice with Ladd.”

“That’s our business.”

“It’s about Powder Ridge.”

“It’s personal!”

“Well, the timing of your personal revolution is terrible. We’ve all been working hard on this project. It’s huge. Once in a lifetime, and you know that. There are so many pieces involved, and I’m juggling all of them.”

“We’ve all been juggling.”

“Ladd and his mother’s investments are a major, essential piece. I can’t have them pulling out of this agreement just before the auction because of emotions and hurt feelings. Why are you upsetting the goddamn apple cart now?”

My back hit the cold, hard concrete wall. “What do you want me to do?”

“The auction is in less than two months. You couldn’t have stayed with him until then?”

“Why are you so worried about the auction? We’ll get the property we want. We don’t have any competition. Plus, the sections we want are in between Ladd’s mine, and our ranch. It makes no sense for anybody else to buy it but us and Ladd.”

“We don’t know that for sure, Violet. And we need the money Ladd and his mother are investing. Otherwise, that golf course and the lodge aren’t going to happen. You know how she is about her only son. If they pull out in the next few weeks, we won’t be able to get that property. Plus, we’ll be short the cash we need for the entire build and it will all fall apart.”

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