I placed one hand on my hip. “So, Arlene, tell me. Why does Father Dearest hate the quarterback so much? I’m guessing you know.”
Her blue eyes narrowed to pinpricks. “He’s your father. He worries about you.”
That was a big, fat lie. “The only thing my father worries about is his reputation. Where is he?” He and I were going to have a serious talk.
He won’t talk or tell you the truth.
“He’s indisposed. You can talk to him at dinner.”
My lips thinned out, debating whether to continue sparring with the woman who made my skin crawl. I brushed past her, bumping her shoulder. “I’ll find him, even if he’s in the bathroom.”
Click. Click. Click.
The sound of her slingback heels echoed as she hurried to catch up with me. “He asked not to be disturbed.” The poor thing sounded worried. To a fault, I couldn’t blame her. Anytime anyone interrupted my father, they got their head sliced off. But I wasn’t just anyone.
I stopped in the large archway that led to two spacious rooms overlooking the veranda and the backyard. I could usually find my father on the veranda by the pool or in his office, which was located in another wing of the house.
Baxter, Arlene’s prized possession, wagged his tail as he jumped down from one of the sofas.
I squatted down to pet the Maltese. “Hey, boy.” At least someone in the house greeted me with happiness.
Arlene picked up Baxter. “Haven, why are you so rebellious?”
I straightened and rolled back my shoulders. “I haven’t done anything of the sort unless you call liking a guy rebellious. You were a teenager once. What did you do when you liked a boy?” I wasn’t mocking her. I was asking her a serious question.
She sighed, smoothing a hand over her blond updo. “Okay. I get it. But Ryker is only going to break your heart. I had a Ryker James when I was growing up. The only thing to come out of falling for a boy like him is heartbreak.”
I wondered if she knew about my father’s affair. If she did, she was handling it well.
Baxter wiggled in her arms, so she put him down. The dog scrambled back to his spot on the couch.
“I’ll be the judge of my love life. Neither you nor my father will have a say in that whenever I fall in love.”
“Seems to me you’re in love,” she said nicely.
“How would you know?”
“Haven, please. Have you examined the picture that’s all over the news of you and Ryker locking lips?”
I didn’t need to look at the picture again. I’d already studied it over and over again and reminisced about how tingly that kiss had felt.
A smugness blanketed her face. “And the news outlets are raving about how Ryker snagged a senator’s daughter.”
I wish it were true.
It is true. You just haven’t admitted it to yourself.
I spun on my heel and padded through the opulent mansion, passing expensive paintings on the walls, artifacts that my father had brought back from many of his overseas trips, and crystal vases filled with fresh flowers.
When I passed the gourmet kitchen, a spicy aroma floated out. It smelled like the burritos or tamales that Roya was famous for. Maybe dinner wouldn’t be so bad after all.
My father’s deep baritone voice grew louder as I wound my way down a hall into another wing. Arlene was right. He would probably be livid if I disturbed him. His office wing was off limits to everyone in the house, other than Roya if she was cleaning, his security, and his aides if they were at the house to work.
“Lorna, don’t worry about my daughter. She will not be going anywhere near Ryker. I promise. Yes, your daughters have full access to him now.”
The air jetted from my lungs as I froze outside his door.
“Listen,” he said in a tone that permitted no argument. “When I say I’m going to do something, it gets done. Now I will not discuss this any further. I will send it over.”
