Page 32 of Sun-Kissed Fangs
“I don’t know if I can keep doing this,” Patricia said quietly. “Iwantto. For Lucas, if for no other reason, but… I’m just so tired.”
Her weak voice stunned Harper for a second. She hadneverspoken like that. She didn’t invite worry, didn’t complain, didn’t talk like this at all.
Except when she needed to go back to Shreveport. Though it had never been this bad.
“What happened?” Harper asked.
“What always happens. They pulled some legal trickery meant to extend the case because they know they can survive an endurance game longer than I can. They’re running circles around my excuse of a lawyer, too. He’s supposed to be on myside, but I don’t think he actually wants to be there. He didn’t even dismiss them when they suggested Lucas had been left alone in an unsafe environment.”
“That’s bullshit. You made sure Nell and I were here.”
“And they framed it as child endangerment.”
Harper could imagine that conversation far too easily. The truth was that Patricia was requesting government benefits after her partner died in the line of duty, and, in order to make that request, she’d left Lucas with two women who’d known him since he was a toddler.
But people didn’t care about the truth, only what it could be twisted into. In the eyes of outsiders, Patricia was looking to squeeze profit from a tragedy, and to do it, she’d left her kid alone with a stripper and a drug addict.
“Then drop the lawyer and get a better one.”
“I can’t afford a better one.”
“You can if you get a new job. Working literally anywhere else would be more lucrative than the Penny. And Nell can help. If she goes with you, then you can stand up to them.”
“We’re not doing that.”
“Why not? Darryl is paying you less than you’re worth, and Nell gets scared every time she talks to someone who isn’t a regular, because she can’t be sure anyone will help if he breaks the rules. If you asked around, you could both get work elsewhere, easily. You could move out of this shitty apartment and get into a better school district. It would be the right thing to do, for your family.”
Patricia put her hand on Harper’s. “Iamdoing what’s right for my family.”
Harper took a sharp breath, a sudden sting rising in her eyes. Though it wasn’t the first time she’d heard something like that, it hit like a gut punch every time.
Six years ago, Patricia had found a nineteen-year-old kid strung out in an alley, and rather than ignore her like anyone else would have done, she’d offered help instead. Proper food and clothes. A safe place to sleep. She had even been there when Harper had gone through such an arduous round of rehab that she came close to quitting several times.
Being sober in the club scene wasn’t supposed to be easy. But with Patricia and Nell around, it was just that. Them always working in the same place was partly for familiarity reasons, but Harper knew she was also to blame. Even if they never made her feel like that was the case.
Harper blinked away the looming tears. “You’d be better off if you were more selfish, you know that?”
“No, I wouldn’t.” Patricia put an arm around Harper’s shoulders, pulling her close. “If you weren’t here, things would be infinitely harder. We’ll make it through. No matter what happens or how bad it gets. But we’re doing so together.”
Another gut punch. Though, this time, Patricia’s touch softened the blow somewhat.
It would probably never vanish. That feeling of dragging other people down with you. Patricia kept insisting that wasn’t the case, but Harper had spent most of her life being told the opposite. It was all but ingrained at this point.
Hope and Henry never had to deal with that. They weregoodkids. Had gotten straight A’s and made valedictorian of their respective years, while Harper struggled not to fail most of her classes.
The only person who hadn’t made her feel like a fuck-up back then was her girlfriend, Karina, and she hadn’t used kindness to suppress that belief. She’d used numbing agents instead. Alcohol first. Then pills. Then harder things. And when she got boredand broke it off, Harper just replaced the clean stuff Karina had gotten her hooked on with anything cheap that provided a half-decent high.
No wonder her parents kicked her out. Seeing your daughter passed out on the front lawn lost its charm after the tenth time it happened. But as messed up as Harper had been, Patricia had still seen her as worthy of help. Same as with Nell before that. And with Evie too, years prior.
Patricia had been more of a mother to the three of them than the women who were supposed to carry the title. That she was being painted as nothing but a selfish gold digger proved just how unfair the world was.
They ended up sitting silently on the couch for several minutes. With Harper struggling to get the kind words to settle and with Patricia allowing herself to look as weary as she obviously felt. She didn’t shove the exhaustion away until the front door opened again.
“Shoes off first!” Nell grabbed ahold of Lucas until he’d kicked off his boots. He hurried to the couch, carrying a stack of pizza boxes.
“Nell said we can all stay up late and watch scary movies!”
“I don’t recall the ‘staying up late’ part.” Nell shrugged as she took off her jacket. “But I may have said the ‘scary movies’ part. Once you’ve done your homework. There isn’t that much left.”
