Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 60905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
“But your name wasn’t Gidon back then, was it?”
For the first time, faint surprise flitted across his face. “No.” He cleared his throat. “Gideon was my father’s name, too, and since he’d abandoned me, I went by my middle name, John, for years.”
Obviously, he’d reclaimed his name at some point.
But none of this answered any of my real questions. I picked one at random. “How’d you get the car? We had to sell it after he died.” Times had been tough, and my mom’s salary hadn’t gone far. Nor had the meager life insurance policy my dad had had.
“I was thinking about him a couple of years ago and I decided to track down his car. It took a while, but I found it in the end.”
“But why?” I felt faint, and I wanted to lean against the car, but years of conditioning made that impossible. My dad had always taught me to protect the finish on the car at all costs.
“It’s a good car,” Gideon said.
“Not that. Why didn’t you tell me who you were? Do Brady and Cole know?”
“No.”
I took a step back. “You three planned that whole massage mate deception for weeks, if not months, and you never told them that you knew me? That’s messed up.”
“Look, I—”
“You lied to them and to me. And you continued to do so. Why?”
“You were the one who came after us first. If you hadn’t, you would’ve never been on my radar.”
I barely heard him. “Why did you do this?”
“Lila, if you’ll just—”
“Why?” I repeated. “The way you touched me, and never admitted we used to know each other as kids.”
“No, we didn’t.” His voice was quiet.
“What?”
“We didn’t know each other. Not well. The only thing we had in common was that we both lov—admired your dad.”
“So that’s how you repay someone you admire? Someone who helped you? By tricking his daughter?”
“That’s not what I—”
“That’s exactly what you did. The question I’ve been asking for the last five minutes is why.”
“You know why,” he said, raising the volume of his voice for the first time. “Or you should.”
“Tell me.”
He shook his head. “When you came after us, I looked you up, of course. You looked a little familiar, but it took me a while to place you. James is a pretty common last name after all. But when I realized you were your dad’s daughter, I almost didn’t believe it at first.”
“Why not?”
“Because every single thing about your life is like a slap in the face to the good man he was.”
I took a staggering step back as if I had been slapped. My heart pounded painfully in my chest as I looked up at him. “What?”
“He was a good man. Decent. Moral. And just look how you live your life. Selling yourself, your image, your body for money. If he could see the way you lived your life, he wouldn’t even recognize it. It’s like you threw away everything he taught you.”
Gideon paused for a breath as I stared up at him in horror. My heart was no longer pounding hard against my ribcage. In fact, I couldn’t feel it at all. It was like Gideon’s cruel words had stopped it.
“I thought, if I met you, and got to know you, I could help you get back on track—for his sake. Because if he saw the way you lived now—”
I couldn’t take anymore.
I whirled around, sprinting back inside. I grabbed my purse and my jacket and ran out the front door.
Behind me, I heard the garage door opening and Gideon calling my name, but I ran down the sidewalk, trying to outrun his terrible accusations.
I turned a corner at the end of the street and ran on. I could still hear him, but grief was giving me strength. Eventually, I ended up at a little park, and Gideon was nowhere to be seen.
Good. I didn’t ever want to see him again.
I took out my phone and used an app to call for a call.
For too long, I’d stayed outside of my world. It was time to return to it.
27
LILA
“Lila, why don’t we make a video about that new ice-maker you got last week?” Penny asked. “I’ve been playing around with it, and it’s awesome. At just the touch of a button, you can make slushies or smoothies. Want me to make you one?”
“No thanks.” I barely looked up from the sofa I’d been spending a lot of time on.
“How about we go for a walk? I know how much you enjoy people-watching on Michigan Avenue.”
“No thanks.”
Penny sighed as she knelt down next to me. She picked up my wrist with two fingers and pretended to take my pulse.
“Very funny.”
She signed. “Brady and Cole keep calling and texting.”
That made me open one eye. “Are you interested? They’re great guys.” Great guys that I missed so badly it felt like a physical ache.”