Page 91 of Sins of the Father

“No, it won’t. And my driver’s license was in my purse. And Jamison’s cash...oh God! There was probably five hundred dollars I had in there I took out of his safe in case I needed to buy something for Hope this week.”

“Jamison won’t care. He’ll only be glad you’re okay.”

She pulls her head back. “You can’t tell him. I don’t want him or my family to know.”

“Harper, you can’t hide this. Vivian, Chase, and Anna know something is going on.”

She closes her eyes tight. “So, everyone is going to know?”

“No, you don’t have to tell them everything you told me, but they aren’t liars, and neither are you. When Jamison asks Chase if he saw you this week, it’s going to come out. Those two are tight. You know that.”

The car pulls up to Vivian and Chase’s building.

“I don’t want to go in and answer questions right now. Please don’t make me.”

I tuck her hair behind her ear. It looks naked without her diamond studs. “Okay. I’ll get Hope. You stay here.”

“Thank you.” She sniffles.

I kiss her, but she barely returns my affection and scoots off my lap. “Please tell them I said thank you for watching Hope. Tell Anna I’ll talk with her tomorrow.”

I hesitate, not wanting to leave her, but eventually step out to get Hope.

When I get inside Vivian and Chase’s place, I tell them Harper is fine, and she’ll talk with Anna tomorrow. When they ask what happened, I say it’s not my business to tell, and they will need to speak with Harper about it on another day.

I quickly get Hope, thank them for watching her, and leave.

Harper buckles Hope in the car seat. Hope is already asleep and barely stirs. When we get to the penthouse, Harper puts her in the crib and says she’s taking a shower. She will barely look at me.

My initial reaction is to give her space, but my desire to make everything okay wins. I step into the bathroom to check on her, and she’s weeping under the water. I strip down, get in the shower, and pull her into my arms while she cries about her grandmother and being a loser.

“I have nothing of my grandmother now,” she sobs.

I hold her tighter. “What do you mean?”

“She gave me the earrings on her deathbed.”

Seeing her in so much pain makes my heart feel like someone is taking a razor and slicing it.

All night, I hold her tight, and when she finally goes to sleep, I continue to kiss her head and stare at her.

The next day, she tries to put on a good face, but the light in her eyes is gone. She avoids looking at me, and when I try to pull her back into our world, it doesn’t work. It’s as if she’s broken, full of shame, and I’ll be damned if I don’t figure out how to piece her back together.

I kiss her goodbye for the day. Instead of going to work, I go to my place and take cash out of my safe. Then I go to the southside. I wait in my car until I see the pawnbroker. As soon as he unlocks the door, I go inside.

“Are you Vinnie?” I ask.

“Yep. Who wants to know?”

“My girlfriend left her phone here last night. She pawned her jewelry.”

“Ah, yes.” He removes his leather jacket and throws it on a stool. His white T-shirt shows off his beer gut and the thick gold chain around his neck matches the yellow of his teeth. He pulls the phone out from under the counter.

“Can you show me what she pawned?”

He walks to the end of the counter and pulls out an engagement ring and wedding band.

“Where are the earrings?”

---