Page 78 of Wright Together

“Interesting,” he said. “But not to your old man?”

“It’s fine, Daddy,” Bailey said with a laugh. “They’re not serious enough for parental introductions. Don’t blow it out of proportion.”

I held back my wince. That wasn’t exactly true. If I had a parent I gave a shit about, maybe I would have introduced them to Whitt. If Gram were still here…

“Ah, so just one in a line of many,” my dad said with a laugh. He clapped Whitt on the shoulder. “Good luck with this one. She’s a fireball.”

“That’s why I like her,” he said, his jaw twitching.

Whitt wasn’t feeding into Dad’s ego the way that he wanted. I could see it now. He was going to go from obnoxious to so much worse any second. How could I extract us from this? I couldn’t let him be his normal self. Not in front of Whitt.

“We were just leaving anyway.” I scooted Bailey forward. She hurried out of the booth. “So, we’re going to get back to work.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Oh, so you are working again? I thought you must have quit since I didn’t get the full payment this month.”

I froze at those words, momentarily forgetting that Whitt was standing right there. “What do you mean? I sent the whole thing.”

“I didn’t receive it, Evie Jo,” he said. “You might want to recheck your accounts.”

Whitt tilted his head. I could see the questions in his blue eyes. I hadn’t told him about the money. I never planned to tell anyone about the money. Not ever. That was private. My dad was spouting this bullshit because Whitt was there. He’d found a new way to humiliate me and taken the hit.

“It’s all there,” I snapped. “I can provide receipts.”

“And you,” he said, turning on Bailey.

Oh no.

“Leave it, Dad,” I snarled.

“She’s grounded.”

“I am not!” Bailey said. “I have volleyball tryouts next week. We already talked about it. I have to be in the gym all weekend.”

“Yet I found you here, eating greasy food instead of practicing.”

“I can’t practice at all hours…”

“You’re telling me. I thought all you wanted to do was be in the gym.”

She pursed her lips.

“Plus, you got a C in your math class this summer. I don’t see why that would mean you would get to be out of the house with your sister.”

“You got a C?” I asked.

“Yeah, but…”

“Bailey,” I groaned.

Somehow, the man still got under my skin. He knew exactly what buttons to press, and it was too late to realize I’d fallen for one of his traps.

“Between the two of you, I’m over it!” Bailey said. “I’m doing the best I can. I don’t need you on my ass,” she said to Dad and whirled on me, “and I don’t need you to act like my mom. You’re not my mom.”

“I know, Bails, but…”

“Sorry about all of this,” my dad said to Whitt with his church smile. “Raising girls, you know?”

Whitt stared him down until my dad looked away. “Why don’t we get Bailey home?”