Page 128 of Sins of the Father

“Not true. Take her with you. Make it part of any offer anyone gives you. You’re in the C-suite. You can make demands.”

“There are so many more interesting places to work, Steven,” my sister claims.

“I’m boring, remember? Interesting and I don’t go together.”

Harper slaps my chest. “That’s not true, and stop staying that.”

“You’re the only person on earth who won’t agree with me.”

“I don’t think that,” Quinn adds.

“Me, either. And your skills are top-notch. Don’t let them think they have you by the balls, Steven. I’d go in there, lay down the law, and make it clear what you will and won’t do for your job. Harper, is it even legal for them to fire him over a political campaign?”

She shifts in the seat. “I don’t know. I’m not an employment attorney, and I don’t know Illinois law. But Jamison is right. You should consult a professional here.”

My phone rings, and I remove it from my pocket. I mutter, “Great.” I send it to voice mail.

“Who’s that?” Quinn asks.

“Mom.”

A text pops up. “I know you’re mad at me, but we need to talk. And I still want to see Hope.”

I reply, “Quinn’s back. Text her. Unless you’re coming clean, I have nothing to say to you.”

“I love you, Steven. Please, let’s talk today.”

“Are you going to fill me in on what I want to know?”

“What time can we talk?”

“Is that a yes or a no? I’m not dealing with your games, Mother.”

“Steven, give me a time.”

I scrub my face, frustrated.

Quinn grabs the phone from me and angrily types.

“What are you doing?”

She slides my phone across the table. “If she can’t be honest with you, then she isn’t seeing Hope.”

I read her message to my mom. “It’s Quinn, we’re home early. Pick Steven instead of the sperm donor or I’m done with you. This time, there won’t be any coming back.”

I groan. I don’t want to be responsible for Quinn and my mom not having a relationship or my mom not able to see Hope. As much as I’m mad at my mother, she’s still our mom. And the boy who’s always felt like it’s his job to watch out for and take care of her surfaces. “Quinn, don’t do that. It doesn’t have anything to do with Hope.”

“Sure it does. If she picks the sperm donor over you, she will do it to Hope.”

“Not necessarily. And she’s been dying to see her all week.”

“Then why hasn’t she?”

“She was supposed to but—” I stop, realizing what I was about to give away. I glance at Harper. “We’ve had a lot going on.”

Jamison’s eyes turn to slits. “What does that mean?”

Neither of us answer.

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