Page 116 of Tattered (Lark Cove 1)

“Shall we change the subject?” Joan offered. “Thea, remind me what you do in Montana.”

“I manage a local bar and restaurant.”

God, just saying it out loud sounded pathetic. How was it that in one dinner, these people had taken away something I’d always been proud of?

Well, forget that. I wasn’t going to be ashamed that I made a living serving drinks. The waiters coming in and out of the dining room tonight had nothing to be ashamed of and neither did I.

“The bar has been in my family for years.”

“Your family?” Thomas asked, tuning into the conversation. “What family?”

My head whipped to his end of the table. His expression was knotted in confusion—Thomas knew I didn’t have family. Because he’d looked into me. He probably knew more about my heritage than I did.

Did Logan? Had he had one of his assistants dig into my past too? He’d been so patient and understanding, letting me dodge the subject of my childhood. But maybe that was because he’d already learned everything there was to know.

I couldn’t confront him about it now, not with his father’s question hanging in the air.

What family?

“My family.” Hazel and Jackson might not share my DNA, but they were my family.

“So you run a bar.” Alice polished off her third glass of wine. The waiters had been refilling it constantly. “No wonder you jumped all over the chance to trap Logan.”

“Excuse me?”

“Alice,” Logan shot across the table, “one more word and I’ll have you escorted out.”

Sofia shushed her, scooting her water glass closer, but even Logan’s threat didn’t stop her loose tongue.

“Oh, Logan. Don’t you see this is all just a trick? She’s obviously a gold digger. Are you sure this kid is even yours? I mean, look at her.” She flung out a hand, nearly knocking over her water as she snickered. “The least you could do is cut her hair if you wanted to pass her off as his kid. She’s like a wild little animal.”

Bitch.

Charlie’s entire body flinched and I instantly took her hand.

The waves of anger coming off Logan crashed into my shoulder. “Get her out of my sight.”

From nowhere, Phil the butler appeared along with one of his helpers. It took them all of twenty seconds to hoist drunk Alice out of her seat and away from the dining room. Her protests echoed down the hall for a moment until they stopped with the sound of a slammed door.

“What were you thinking, inviting her here?” Logan snapped at Sofia. “Why would you do that?”

“I just wanted to have a friend over.” Sofia huffed. “This is my house too.”

“Your taste in friends is worse than it is in husbands.”

Sofia gasped. “Alice had a point. How do you know she’s not just out for our money?”

The look on Sofia’s face was full of regret as the words filled the room, but it was too late. She’d said them and Logan was not going to be forgiving.

I almost felt bad for her.

The glare Logan sent his sister gave me chills. “Say one more word and I’ll revoke your ability to withdraw from your trust fund. Maybe if you went with a little less from now on, you’d be more respectful of the people in this room.”

“What?” Sofia screamed, shooting up from her chair, teetering to the side from her own cosmo buzz. “You can’t do that! Dad is in charge of the trust funds.”

“Not anymore.”

She held his gaze, her face paling when he didn’t falter. She spun to Thomas. “Daddy?”