Page 125 of Hollywood

“Is that any way to greet your old man? I’m here to help you out. You said you needed your money back.”

I sagged against the side of the building, a shaky laugh bubbling out. “Really? Shit, thanks, Dad. I was starting to freak out.”

“Sure, sure. You’ve gotta trust me. We can always work something out.”

His phrasing pinged an alarm in the back of my mind. Istraightened. “Work something out?”

“Yeah. You need your money, and I need supplies.”

I shook my head. “Dad…”

“Your bosses don’t have to know! What’s a little fertilizer missing from the shelves, right? Inventory is a tricky business.”

My throat grew tight, an ache blooming. “You want me tosteal?”

“It’s not stealing,” he said. “It’s just a little inventory mismanagement. They’ve got overages built into the budget, Tex. You know they do! We can both get what we need here.”

“I can’t do that.”

“You’re the one who needs money!”

“Yeah, the money I loaned to you. Money you promised to pay back. This is not the same. You’re asking me to commit a crime.”

He scoffed. “As if you’ve never done that before.”

His words cut deep. I’d done that for him. For his dream. And why? He’d never once thanked me for it. He wouldn’t thank me for this, either, even if it was his idea this time.

“I’m on parole. I’m not risking prison. Or my job. I like the owners.”

“More than me?” he challenged.

“Right now? Yes.”

“Goddamn it, Tex. Why are you always your own worst enemy? You had an amazing life ahead of you and you ruined it! Now,thisis a step too far?” He scoffed. “This is nothing.”

“I was trying to save the greenhouse!”

“I don’t mean that. I mean your goddamned torn ACL. You had to go be a stupid fool and lose your football scholarship.” He spit on the ground. “I was so disgusted with you. Fucking hell, Tex, we could be livinglargeright now. Instead, we’re fighting about money. I give you chance after chance and you keepfuckingup!”

“I know I was stupid! I was young and reckless.”

“You sure as hell were!”

Hooking up a sled to a car and taking a wild ride during winter break had seemed so fun. But when I got on that sled, and the car took off, they hit a patch of ice, fishtailed wildly, then spun. I’d been flung around like a rag doll.

“I paid the price for getting that injury. But how isthismy fuckup?” I demanded. “I’m trying to do the right thing.”

“You wouldn’t be in this mess if you’d just kept working with me. Neither of us would be.”

That was some fuzzy math if I’d ever heard it.

“That’s not true. Besides, I needed to be here.”

“Why?”

“You know why. I needed to help Hollywood with his little girl. His ex had a car accident and?—”

“So?” Dad cut in. “Why is he more important than me, huh? Or your sister? Youhaveyour own family.”