Wild Tendy (IceCats Book 2) Read online

  “How do you know that?”

  “’Cause I know you can’t afford it,” he says bluntly, and my blood boils as traitorous tears fall down my face. He’s admitting to it without admitting. What a bastard. This man is not my father. My father was kind. He was a great guy. He loved us. He loved himself, and he would never do this to us. This man…I don’t know. One thing is for sure, though.

  “I hate you,” I sneer as I blink through my tears.

  The line goes dead, and I let my head fall to the counter with a thud. It hurts, but not as bad as the sob that racks my body. I feel it everywhere. I don’t understand how a man, a father, could do this to his children. Especially after everything I’ve done. I’ve kept Callie and myself alive through everything. I tried to help him. Tried to get him help, but he didn’t want it. Oxycodone and alcohol were and are more important than us.

  I want to blame it all on the cancer, but the cancer didn’t make my dad take my mom’s pills. He did that on his own. To cope with what was happening. What the hell did I get to help me cope? Nothing. I was the strong one. Hell, I still am. And damn if it isn’t hard as fuck. I have no choice, though. I’ve got to keep Callie stable. She is going to do great things, and I can’t let the burdens that keep weighing on me affect her.

  I swallow hard as I sit up, wiping my face free of tears. He doesn’t get my tears. He already took enough. And hell, I can’t change him. He is on his own; he is no longer my father. That may be a bit harder for Callie since they used to be so close. While I was close to my mom, Callie was close to Dad. They were two peas in a pod, so I know this won’t go over well. But we’ll be okay. We’ve always been okay.

  When my phone rings, I see it’s my landlord returning my call. “Dusty, how’s it going?”

  “Good, Aviva. How are you?”

  “Living my best life. Listen, my dad broke in last night and stole all my money—”

  “You’re still paying me, though?”

  “Yeah, I have that. Focus, Dusty. I need to get him off the lease so if this happens again, I can call the cops on him for trespassing. Please help me.”

  “I’ll need his signature to do that.”

  I roll my eyes. “You didn’t need it to put me on the lease, and you sure as hell didn’t need it for me to pay you monthly. Would you like to go after him from now on?”

  I’m met with silence, and I find myself crossing my fingers. It’s silly, but my mom always used to do it. “Let me call my dad,” he says finally.

  “Ugh! No. Dusty Senior hates me.”

  “He doesn’t hate you. He just doesn’t like how hostile you get.”

  “I wouldn’t get hostile if he hadn’t raised my rent when he knew damn well I had just lost my mom!” I’m not going to make it. My blood pressure is through the roof, and I’m pretty sure I’m about to stroke out. “Please, Dusty. I need to make this happen.”

  “Let me call him. I’ll call you back.”

  The line goes dead before I can ask him otherwise. I drop my phone to the counter and let out a shout.

  Could my day get any worse?

  When my laptop sounds with an email, I see that it’s from Dominica. The subject is, The payment schedule you requested.

  Of course it can.

  Fantastic.

  I open the email to find prices I wasn’t expecting. Leotards, warm-ups, and meet fees, oh my! I’m not gonna make it. I feel the stroke coming. At the end of the email, she tells me they don’t mind helping me out. I just can’t seem to allow her to. I’ll figure it out. Maybe I can sell some stuff. Or maybe I’ll win the lottery. Gotta buy a lottery ticket for that, though. I can buy one when I go out for the mayonnaise.

  Oh my God, I forgot to get the mayo!

  I glance at the clock, and I only have thirty minutes to get to the store and back before we open. Man, life is really coming for me today. I slam my laptop shut, but then because I’m worried, I reopen it to make sure I didn’t crack it. When I find I didn’t, I shut it again, a little more gently, and rush out with my keys, throwing my phone into my purse. I get into my Kia and head toward the store. My mind is going a million miles a minute. I have so much to do today along with running the shop. I’m gonna have to pull money out of Callie’s savings account, and that alone has me almost in tears. That money was for college and her boob job. I’ll put it back; I always do.

  I’m heading south toward the store when my phone rings. I reach over to my purse, digging into it as I try to watch the road. It keeps ringing, taunting me, and I worry it’s Dusty. When I finally find it, I see it is Dusty. Frantically, I answer it as I bring it to my ear.

  “Hello?”

  And then I look up. Just in time to see myself driving right into a bright-red car’s ass. There is no way I won’t hit it. I brace for impact as I slam on my brakes. It doesn’t matter, because I hit the car. Hard. I hear the crack of my car and the car in front of me. Pain radiates through my head, and instantly, I deem this day complete shit. How else can it get any worse?

  But the disaster isn’t over, for Dusty says, “Listen, Dad wants to sit down with you and discuss it. But I don’t think there’s a way around needing your dad’s signature.”

  I wish life would use lube when it fucks me.

  Chapter Four

  Nico

  “How’s the new therapist?”

  Coming through my Bluetooth, my mom’s voice is full of tension. She didn’t like that I switched therapists, but the last one moved to start a family with her husband. I had no choice but to wish them well. My mom always calls after practice, and usually I love talking to her. But today, I’m beat. I want to go home and pass out. Practice was tough after our loss last night. Our power play was shit, and Coach was not happy. So he tortured us today. The last thing I want to talk about is my therapist.

  “I like her. She’s right out of school, but everyone thinks she’s amazing. She came highly recommended. She actually interned with some of the best therapists in New York. She moved here for her family.”

  “Is she pretty?”

  “Why?”

  “Future wife?”

  I laugh. “Mom, I cannot get involved with my therapist. I need her to help me, not distract me.”

  She isn’t my type either. Too supermodel thin. I like my women a little thicker than Ms. Amaya Jenkins. Plus, she looks like she’s nineteen. A baby.

  “Fine. I just think it’s time to settle down.”

  “What? I’m too young to settle down,” I say in an almost joking manner. I mean, I was just thinking about settling down after watching Chandler and Amelia together with the twins, but that was yesterday. It wouldn’t be bad, especially if it were with the person who was made for me. Problem is, I don’t know if that person is out there. As my mom says, I’m pretty special.

  “When you find someone to be with, I won’t have to be so overprotective.”

  I snort. “You’ll still be overprotective, and you’ll have her do your dirty work.”

  “Exactly.”

  Her laughter warms my heart. “I’m too young, Mom.”

  “I had you at twenty.”

  “Mom, that was a poor life choice. Should have waited,” I tease, and she laughs.

  My sperm donor ran out on her when I started having health issues. Back then, there wasn’t much support for my situation, but my mom loved me enough for two parents. I had a damn good life, a full life, and it’s all because of her. When the doctors said I needed something to focus all my energy on, she’s the one who put the glove on my hand. It was my grandpa’s old glove, and I was fascinated by it. He played hockey his whole life. He didn’t make it into the NHL, but he worked his ass off for what he had. He’d go from playing for the local team to working in the factory back home. I miss him. I miss my mom, but there is no way in hell she can be here.

  She has a tendency to smother me.

  “Ha. I bet your grandfather and grandmother would agree,” she laughs, and I smile. “So, are you any closer to