Page 69 of Worth the Risk

“I assure you she’s not after my money. I’m offended you are unfairly judging her when you don’t even know her.”

“Calm down, Leo. I was only saying you need to be careful, that’s all. I worry about you and Sophie. You must understand why I would question this. I never thought Emma would do it either, and after twenty years of marriage, she took the money and ran. Understand that I come from a place of love.”

This all comes back to what my mother did to him, and my anger deflates.

“I appreciate your concern for me, but I ask that you trust my judgment on Kylie. She couldn’t care less about our money. She wouldn’t hurt someone just to make a dime. Give her a chance.”

He sits back in his chair and nods. “I shouldn’t have questioned your judgment. If you believe you can trust her, I’ll try to trust your choice. I love you and only want the best for you.” He gives me a smile that I can see is sincere.

“Thank you. I love you too. You know not every woman is Mom and will do what she did. I thought that way too and didn’t want a relationship, but Kylie changed all that.”

He nods again, and with that, I know he will respect our relationship. I get up and head to his office door before I turn back to him. “Love you, Dad.”

“Love you too, son.”

* * *

When I enter the living room, I make a mental note that I need to move. I planned to find my own place after college, but when I found out I’d be at the Pocono casino for a bit, I chose to wait until I came back. Now I’ll have to fast-track my search. When Kylie comes up, I won’t have her staying here. We’ll need our privacy.

When I head to my room, the elevator doors ding and Amber strolls in.

That’s odd. My dad, Sophie, and I are the only ones who have the code for the penthouse.

“Hi, Leo. Is Sophie here?”

Ignoring her question, I ask, “How did you get up here? Only me, Sophie, and Dad have the code.”

Shocked by my question, she says, “Oh, Sophie gave it to me a while ago. I’m sorry. I’ll have the doorman call up next time.”

I nod while making a mental note to change the code. Not that Amber would do anything wrong, but we still don’t give out the code.

Amber is clearly waiting for something, and I remember her question.

“I thought Sophie told me she was meeting you at a restaurant when I spoke to her this morning?” I’m quite sure that is what she said.

“Oh, yeah. You’re right. I guess I forgot,” she says but continues to stand there.

Whatever she’s waiting for, I have no idea.

“It was good to see you. I’m going for a shower. See you later,” I say, trying to dismiss her.

She doesn’t move.What is going on with her?

“Do you have a moment to talk?”

What could she have to talk to me about?

“Yeah, sure.”

Sitting on the sofa in the living room, she pats the seat next to her, inviting me to join her.

When I do, she says, “Leo, I have something to tell you, and I hope you won’t get mad.”

“Go on.”

“When we were at the pub Friday night, someone told me some things about Kylie.”

If I wasn’t paying attention before, I am now.

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