Page 50 of Cody


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She turns back to me. “Why don’t you take a few days apart and process everything?” She takes her own sip.

Oops. I forgot to tell her about Joseph and my apartment being ransacked. “Well, kind of hard to do since I’m staying at his place.”

She starts coughing.

I pat her on the back. “Are you all right?”

She coughs a few more times. “No! You can’t drop that bomb while I’m taking a drink. Why the hell are you staying at his place?”

“Because Joseph struck again.”

“He didn’t! He got your money?How?”

I glance away, embarrassed. “I forgot to change my passwords.”

She lets out a long sigh. “You know that threat about hiding a body? I can apply it to Joseph instead.”

“No, thank you. As much as I wish Joseph would disappear, I’m not going to be the one to take him out.”

“I’m surprised he hasn’t already been taken out. Isn’t he always in debt to some bookie?”

“He is, but then he gets his trust fund payment, and he starts over.”

“What a waste. He could do so much good with that money.” Connie’s gaze moves to a man standing in line.

I take another sip and lean back, enjoying the hum of conversation in the coffee shop. Even though we are discussing my ex-husband, I can’t stop smiling. “Money isn’t everything,” I tell her.

Connie turns her stare to me, then shakes her head. “I’m not sure I’m fond of sappy Lucy. Hey, wait. You distracted me. I need to know why you’re staying with Cody. And what do you mean by his place? He has a place here?”

I fill her in.

“Huh. Well, that was nice of him to offer you somewhere to stay, but that doesn’t make up for what he did to you.”

I lean over and give her a hug. She has always been on my side. She’s the best friend I could ever have. “No, it doesn’t. Thank you for looking out for me. But he opened up about what really happened, why he left.”

She sits up straight. “He did? I’ve missed a lot. Damn, Lucy, I’m sorry I’ve been so busy. That trial took over the last several weeks of my life, and it sounds like I haven’t been there for you.”

I squeeze her arm. “He told me the night he walked me to my car.”

“Wait, we met for drinks that night. You said he didn’t say much.”

I shrug and take another sip of coffee, but my friend’s stare is unwavering. “I’m sorry, I had a lot to process. He told me why, and then he asked for a second chance.”

“Holy shit, Lucy. Why didn’t you call me before now?”

I scan the other patrons in line for coffee. “You were busy with the trial, I didn’t want to bother you. And that night at drinks, I just wanted to hear your dating stories.” I mean that. Connie has had some crazy experiences.

She leans back. “Next time bother me. I could have talked to you in the evenings after court. Now, tell me, what was his reason for leaving?”

I bite my lip. I’ve never told Connie how controlling my dad is. She has some idea since he cut off my trust fund when I refused to let him control me any longer. But she doesn’t know the way he held it over me long before that, threatening to take it away anytime I didn’t do what he wanted. I had feared losing it, too. But now, I feel lighter. Freer than ever. Well, until I heard my dad tried to get Cody’s mom to break us up.

“My dad,” I finally admit.

Connie’s brows furrow. “You are going to have to explain.”

“My dad got Cody’s mom drunk, ensuring she would get in a car accident on the morning of his last final. He missed his final when he went to the hospital, and he wasn’t allowed to take it at a later time. It lowered his grade, so he didn’t meet the requirements of the scholarship, and therefore couldn’t go to Havenwood with me. And yes, before you ask, my dad interfered every step of the way.”

“Holy shit.” Connie’s eyes are wide. “You said he was controlling, but that is next level shit.”