But I didn’t even care. I remembered how delicious the turkey sandwiches and milkshakes were and I was actually craving them now.
Poppy was stunned to silence.
“You’ll like their sandwiches, I promise,” my father said without looking at her. “Okay, angel. Where did we leave off in our discussion last night?”
He’d been trying to convince me to move back in with him. Which was clearly never going to happen.
“All that matters is one thing. Did one of you or someone who works for you kill my husband?”
“What?” Poppy said, like she was truly offended by the accusation. “It was the Locatellis. Their signature was all over the bomb.”
That’s exactly what my father had said. Almost word for word. I shouldn’t have given them so much time to make their stories match.
I stared at her, trying to see if she was lying. But…I couldn’t tell. Or maybe I just didn’t want to believe what I was seeing. Poppy looked calm. Composed. And…not guilty. “But you love car bombs,” I said.
“Of course I do. They’re so fun to set up. And the anticipation of waiting for your target to get into their car… Absolutely thrilling.” Her eyes twinkled as she said it. Not even the Botox could keep her from looking happy talking about her car bombs. “I have a video of one of my car bombs taking out the Locatelli heir. Would you like to see it? It’ll make you feel so much better. It was the perfect retaliation.”
Again, it was the same thing my father said. But the look of pure happiness on Poppy’s face was hard not to believe. She’d gotten a thrill from murder. I swallowed hard. What was I doing sitting here with these people? This wasn’t me. I wasn’t one of them.
My mind had been clouded last night. I’d been acting like a Pruitt instead of like myself. I wasn’t a monster. Miller had made sure I knew that. And I was pretty sure he’d be disappointed with my plan for revenge. He’d be disappointed that I was even in the city. Exposing our son to this toxic environment.
“Seeing one of your car bombs was quite enough,” I said. I just needed to get out of here.
Poppy frowned and leaned forward. “You can’t possibly think that bomb was mine. It was inyourcar. Not your husband’s. And neither of us would ever hurt you. We’re family. Blood doesn’t hurt blood. And honestly, the car bomb being in your car is a moot point anyway. Because Miller was family too. We wouldn’t have hurt him either. Right, Uncle Richard?”
My father nodded. His eyes searched mine, like he was trying to read what I was thinking.
I was supposed to be readinghim. Not the other way around. And I had no idea what to think. Because no matter what anyone said, I did always go back to one thing. The bomb was inmycar. Not Miller’s. It was in mine. Someone was trying to hurtme. The Locatelli thing made sense. A rival family trying to hurt my father.
I didn’t know if I believed their story or not. It didn’t matter, though. Because I wasn’t a murderer. And I was so done with this family. “Thanks for meeting with me. But I think it’s time Kennedy and I get going.”
“Angel, wait,” my father said. He grabbed my hand on the table, his cool touch sending a shiver down my spine. “I know we’ve had our ups and downs. But I truly am sorry about Miller. I’ve always just wanted you to find happiness.”
Tears started to pool in the corners of my eyes. I knew it was stupid…but a piece of me actually believed him. A piece of me believed everything he said. I’d always just wanted him to love me. For real. I’d wanted a dad that loved me unconditionally. And wasn’t that what he was saying when he said he always wanted me to find happiness?
“Like I’ve found with Matt,” Poppy said.
What?I pulled my hand out of my father’s.
“Matthew Caldwell,” Poppy said. “That’s what I was trying to tell you earlier. I completely forgot the two of you were an item a million years ago. I hope that there’s no ill feelings. I really want you to be happy for us.”
Matt was dating…Poppy? I just stared at her. I was over him. I had been for years. But if I hadn’t been? This would have been the final nail in the coffin. I guess he did always have a thing for brunettes. The image of him fucking that brunette in his swimming pool swirled around in my head. “Yeah,” I said. My voice betrayed me though, coming out all croaky and weird. I was over Matthew Caldwell. And I had no idea why my stomach suddenly felt upset. I quickly cleared my throat. “I’m happy for you, Poppy. For both of you.”
For just a second Poppy looked surprised by my answer.
Was she trying to bait me? What happened to blood not hurting blood?
Her surprised expression quickly turned to a smile and I shook away my thought. I probably just imagined the look.
“Really,” I said. “I’m happy for you. But I really should be going.”
“What about lunch?” my father asked.
“I’m suddenly not hungry. I’m sorry.” I didn’t wait for anyone to say anything else. I slid out of the booth and hurried out of the restaurant.
Kennedy quickly caught up to me on the sidewalk. “Are you okay?”
I took a deep breath, the stale city air not quite filling up my lungs. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
