He didn’t look ready. He looked scared to death of the idea. But him even recognizing it was a huge step forward. “Okay.” I thought hard, one major logistical problem rearing its ugly head. “I’ll have to get a bank loan to pay for it. I don’t know how long that will take, but it won’t be instantaneous.”
By which time, my father might have changed his mind. What I really needed was to cart him off to rehab this very moment, while he was sober and had the desire. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a children’s tale, and I didn’t have a fairy godmother who could wave her magic wand and make it happen. “I’ll make an appointment at the bank tomorrow.” Or maybe I could just rob it. I felt desperate enough.
The bedroom door swung open, Mac standing in the gap. “This seems like a good time to tell you that Cillian has said he’ll pay for rehab.”
Chapter Twenty-two
I stared at Mac, too caught up in what he’d said to remember to be annoyed at him. “What?”
“We all discussed it before you got here,” Mac said. “When we talked about what the best outcome might be, Cillian offered. I didn’t have to twist his arm.” He looked from me to my father. “All you have to do is say yes. Amrita’s here, poised and ready to work out the details. Cillian is insisting we find the best place. No matter where that might be.”
My head was swimming. One fact stood out among all the others, though. “Youallspoke about it.’ Who exactly is all?”
“Me. Finn. Cillian, obviously. And Amrita. No one else.”
Cillian appeared behind his brother. “What a surprise,” I drawled. “You’re still here. You haven’t gone out, after all.” I turned my attention to Mac. “Do you even know how to tell the truth anymore?”
Bright flags of color appeared on his cheeks. “I did what I thought was best. It wasn’t an easy decision.”
“My heart bleeds for you.”
Cillian stepped forward and offered my father a nod before turning to me. “Let’s have a conversation, shall we?”
In any other circumstances, I would have told him what he could do with that idea. But this was for my father. This was for the chance of a brighter future. And for that, I could swallow my pride and have one conversation to find out if he was serious, or if this was a huge cosmic joke.
I pushed past Mac to follow Cillian into his office. Any hope of finding Finn there was dashed when I scanned the room to discover we were alone. At least no one had locked me in and I could leave whenever I wanted. “So…?” I said when Cillian didn’t immediately speak. “Apparently, you’re falling over yourself to pay for my father’s rehab. Why would you want to do that?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do.”
The answer momentarily floored me with its simplicity. “And because Finn told you to.”
Cillian’s brow furrowed. “Does it matter whose idea it was? This is about helping a man whose wife died, and who consequently became estranged from his son. If he doesn’t get help, he’s going to…” He stopped short.
“You can say it. If he doesn’t get help, he’s going to die.” He inclined his head in confirmation that he’d been going to say exactly that. “Where is Finn?”
Cillian’s frown grew more pronounced. “He went out. He didn’t like the way this all went down. He especially didn’t like the idea of locking you and your father in a room together. He thought it was too heavy-handed.”
“I’m guessing that was Mac’s idea?”
Cillian nodded. “It’s funny. The longer he’s here, the more similarities I see between the two of us. People often accuse me of focusing too much on the end result.”
“Well, I’m happy the two of you are building bridges.” I didn’t sound happy. I sounded like someone who’d happily push them in a pit together and then have no qualms about filling it in.
“I understand you feel steamrollered, but look at the bigger picture. You and your father finally had a heart to heart. He’s agreed to go to rehab. And you don’t even have to worry about the financial ramifications of it.”
“And what will it cost me?”
Cillian’s little laugh said he’d been ready for that question. “You have nothing I want.”
“You’re not even going to ask me to stay away from Finn? Or from Mac?”
Cillian rolled his eyes. “What am I, a mafia don? If I tell you to stay away from Finn, I’ll have him to deal with, and I’d rather not sleep on the sofa until he forgives me. And much as I’ve tried over the years, I’ve never had any control over my brother.” He smiled. “Difficult men seem to be a constant in my life. And yes, I am including you on that list.”
“We don’t know each other. Not really.”
“No, we don’t.” Cillian’s words were quiet. A slow smile crept over his face. “Maybe that’s what I want. For you to give me a chance. Who knows, we might become the best of friends?”
“That’s a high price to pay.”
