Page 98 of Wrecked
I run a hand through my hair and take a deep breath. “I was arrested, but Adam made a deal with me—community service and probation. Here’s the thing. Adam knew I wasn’t driving the car. He had his proof the very next day. He made me feel like a criminal for weeks.” I look up at my father, and a knot forms in my stomach. “You knew everything.”
“I made a few guesses along the way.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I knew it was under control.”
I slump into the couch, the worn-down cushions molding around me. “You knew Adam had it under control.”
“No.” He puts the book down on the side table and leans in—his elbows on his knees, his hands out toward me. “I knew you had it under control.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
He laughs lightly. “Let’s just say, I like to see how my books play out, one chapter at a time.”
I turn my head away from him. Crossing my arms, I let out a huff.
“You’re not mad about the community service,” he says.
I raise a shoulder and shake my pinched mouth. I’m mad about everything. I’m mad about nothing. It all seems so simple. It all seems so trivial. Maybe I’m the problem.
“I let him into my kitchen, Dad. I showed him who I was on the inside, and he made me feel like a fool.”
My father takes my hand from my lap and holds it in his hands. “Do you know why your mother and I mortgaged our home for you?”
“Because you’d do anything for your children.”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret. I would never have given that money to Emma.”
My head shoots up, surprised by his statement.
He whispers, “She’s too uptight.”
I want to laugh, yet I’m too confused. His comment is true. Half-true. Emma can be a lot of fun, but when it comes to work and dreams, she’s a little frigid.
“And Luke,” he continues, “he’s too distracted. He’ll probably change his major ten times before he graduates. And that’s okay. It’s his choice to make.”
He squeezes my hand tighter. “But you, my dear Leah, have always been strong in your conviction and bright in spirit. You have the gift, the gift to make people laugh and sing, and the brains to balance books and solve problems others don’t foresee. You’ve known from a very young age what you wanted to do, and you’ve never let up.
“The difference between you and Emma is, you know how to live. One day, your sister is going to crack. She is too focused, too determined. But you? You find joy in everything. That is a rare and blessed gift. The work will be hard, the days will be long, but you’ll always enjoy life, no matter what.
“That is how we know you’ll succeed. Your mother and I, we’re not investing in a bar. We’re investing in you.”
Tears rise up behind my eyes. I know they’re glassing over because I’m curling my brows in to keep them from falling out.
He tilts his head down to catch a glimpse of my eyes. “For someone with so much confidence, you sure act insecure. That pains me. It’s like all this flair you present on the outside is your way of protecting your heart from being broken.”
A stray tear falls down my face. I wipe it away. “I know I’m amazing. I also know what others think of me. I don’t care what they think. All I care about is my family.”
“And?” he pries.
“My friends.”
“You’re forgetting someone.”
His words make my heart ache.
“Adam has thought the worst of me for years. And I…well, I suppose I’ve been doing the same to him, too.”
