“I know a hell of a lot more than you,” she spits, and I draw back.
I realize nothing she has said so far is incriminating, and I need to regroup. I hate myself for doing this.
“Yes, you probably do, Mom. But I know it’s not okay to steal from someone.”
“It’s not stealing. We’ve been over this. It is me taking what’s mine before it’s taken from me.”
“That’s a fatalistic attitude, Mom.”
“It’s a realistic attitude. Can’t you see that I’m doing this for you?”
“But you aren’t. You are including me in something illegal. You faked my birth certificate, for fuck’s sake.”
“Language,” she says, and I fight the urge to laugh. Her being concerned over me saying the F-word at a time like this is insanity. “As I said, it’s for you, and if you don’t want to help me with that, that’s fine. But I’m very disappointed.”
My heart sinks. I can’t talk about this anymore. I feel battered with her reasoning, like she’s gaslighting me, conning me into feeling bad enough to help her. I’m beginning to doubt her story about my dad since it seems like she’s the villain in this narrative, not the victim.
We pull up at the restaurant, and I grab my phone from where it was stashed, hitting End on the recording and stalking toward the front door. I glance around, but I don’t see the boys’ black SUV anywhere, and I feel a hint of relief. Maybe they won’t be with Chester. But then my chest tightens again when I think about meeting him for the first time. It’s weird that I’ve been living off his dime for so long, having never actually seen him in person. And now, the air around us will be filled with tension and anger.
Perfect.
27
Corbin
I almost feel like an interloper, as if I shouldn’t be a part of this, but Brock and Bodhi wouldn’t let me back out of it. I drum my fingers on the table in front of me. The only sounds coming from our table are the occasional shift of Bodhi beside me and the clicking of Brock’s phone as he texts.
“There he is,” Bodhi says beside me, and I jerk my head up.
I watch Chester Montgomery approach the hostess station before she cuts a glance our way, one that Chester follows. His face breaks out in a smile as he strides over. He’s every bit the doting father, something I’ve always longed for, and in a way, he’s who I view as my dad.
“Boys,” he says as he reaches the table, looking each of us in the eye as if we are equally important to him. He removes his suit jacket, placing it on the back of the chair before sitting down. “Linda will be thrilled to have the family all together.”
“I bet she will,” Brock says, and I watch his body sway as Bodhi kicks him under the table.
“I haven’t met Landry yet. Do you boys like her?”
“Some more than others,” Bodhi says, smirking, and I send a glare his way.
Chester glances up from where he’s perusing the menu. “Hmm?”
Damn, I wish we weren’t here to do what we are about to do. I wish he had picked someone different. For all of our sakes.
“Nothing. How’s the business?” I ask, fully interested in the answer.
Chester isn’t a self-made billionaire, but he’s the reason the Montgomerys’ millions turned into billions. He’s a savvy businessman, and I hope to be like him one day.
He is a real estate developer, buying up land and turning a profit. But he does it to help people. Instead of building multimillion-dollar houses or condominiums, where the only people who can afford them are those of his tax bracket, he’s made his mark on the economy by purchasing land from banks at reduced rates and building affordable housing for the middle and lower class. He’s the reason many families have a roof over their heads, and I respect that. I admire him, and I’m hoping when I graduate, I can get a job somewhere within his company. A fact I haven’t told anyone, even Brock or Bodhi.
“Splendid,” he says, looking at me with a smile. “We are breaking ground on a new apartment complex in Florida this week. How have you been, Corbin?”
His attention warms me, makes me feel important, and I sit up straighter.
“Doing good, sir,” I say.
Bodhi snickers beside me, but I ignore him. They don’t get my fascination with their family business or how I crave their father’s attention. But they’ve always had him; he’s there for them at the drop of a hat. And since freshman year when I met him, I’ve had his attention, too, and I can’t lose that.
“Do you have any internships available for after graduation?” I sit forward, and he furrows his brow before pulling out his phone.
“Let me ask my assistant,” he says, tapping on his screen for a moment and then looking back up. “I’m not sure all the spots are filled. Of course, Brock and Bodhi will be working with me. I didn’t know you were interested. I’m glad to hear it.”
“I am. I’d love to work off-site somewhere. Even out of state.”
That’s preferable. Grab Abe and go.
My heart cracks a little when I think of Landry, not knowing if she would be open to it. I know she wants to go to art school.
“I’ll see what I can do. Oh, here they are,” he says, looking up.
The four of us fasten our eyes on the front of the restaurant, where a pale Landry and calm Linda are standing. Landry turns slightly, her eyes meeting mine, and I itch to go to her, to wrap her in my arms. She raises her hand in a small wave, and I smile.
God, the way this girl has changed me in such a short time.
We stand as they approach.
Chester pulls Linda into a hug before saying a jovial, “Surprise.”
Maybe we should have said it to him first.
“Chester? What are you doing here?” Linda says, hugging him back and successfully morphing her confused face into one of a wife who is happy to be surprised by her husband at lunch.
“The boys invited me to lunch, and I knew you’d be in town, so I wanted to surprise you,” he says, the joy on his face sending a pang right to my gut.
Except for him and Linda, we all know what’s coming, and it’s hard to act normal.
“Sit, sit.” He gestures to the empty chairs, and Linda sits next to him.
Before Landry can sit, she’s enveloped by Chester as he pulls her in for a hug.
“The mysterious Landry,” he says with a chuckle, and she smiles at him. “It’s so wonderful to finally meet you. I was so upset you couldn’t make it to the wedding.”
Chester is the only one oblivious to the confused look that she shoots Linda’s way. Looks like someone wasn’t invited.
“Yeah, me too,” she says. “It’s good to meet you too, Mr. Montgomery.”
As if the whole upcoming scene of outing Linda isn’t awkward enough, we have to watch a stiff Landry and happy Chester make introductions halfway through our first semester of school.
Landry sits down in between me and her mom.
“How did it go?” I whisper to her.
She flashes me a quick thumbs-up before grabbing the menu, attempting to look busy with perusing the selections.