Page 71 of Pleasure Island
“Damn you, Dad,” I said under my breath.
Stalking into the living room, I threw myself down on the couch and crossed my arms over my chest, staring up at the ceiling with eyes that burned.
I was pissed off, and I felt hopeless.
Dad had interfered with my life before, but this time…for some reason, this time, it felt worse.
Because it’s Liam, a little voice inside me whispered.
I sniffed again, telling myself I didn’t want to cry. Tears clogged my throat though, and after a few more stubborn minutes, I rolled onto my belly and buried my face in the pillow.
Tears streamed from my eyes, and I let myself cry some of the frustration, anger, and misery out.
I don’t know how much time passed before the tears faded.
Too much. Not enough.
My head still pounded as I sat up, swallowing the bile that burned in my throat.
I was tired of this. Tired of Dad interfering, tired of him scowling at me about the way I lived my life.
Tired of trying to please him.
“I’m done,” I said softly.
In the back of my mind, ever since Millie had been here, I’d been wrestling with a decision, and in that moment, I made it.
I was going to move to Pleasure Island.
* * *
I mademyself take something for my headache and brewed a cup of tea before I sat down to call Millie.
I wanted to get my mind settled – and sound somewhat calm – when I called my grandmother.
Part of me was a little unsettled at the decision I’d made. I’d lived in this city my entire life, had thought I’d live here a good while longer.
But as long as I was here, my father would try to intervene in my life.
If it wasn’t for him, you wouldn’t have ever met Liam to begin with.
I silenced that train of thought, mostly because I wasn’t ready to think about Liam yet. I’d think about him later – hopefully much later, once the ache inside me had faded away.
And it would. It had to.
The sooner I got on with my life, the better, I told myself. And with that thought in mind, I dialed my grandmother.
She came on the phone before the second ring, and despite the lousy day, I couldn’t help but smile at the sound of her voice.
“How are you doing, darling?” she asked.
I closed my eyes and told myself not to think too hard about that.
“Well enough,” I lied. “Look, I’ve been thinking about your offer.”
“Oh?” Interest lightened Millie’s voice. “Have you come to a decision? Do you have questions?”
“No.” I braced myself then said in a rush, “Let’s do it. I’ll move to the island and take over.”
