“Not that it matters, but for the record, I wasn’t stripping. None of my clients ever saw me naked.” Except William.
“Do you judge Grand-Maman for what she did?”
“Of course not.”
“Then now you can see why the only person I’m angry and disappointed with is myself.”
“What do you mean?”
“If I wasn’t crippled, none of this would have happened.”
I furiously shook my head. “Don’t you dare blame yourself. You didn’t ask for this to happen, and you sure as hell didn’t deserve it. You have always been a good man—fair, decent, and honest. More than that, you’ve been a good father who sacrificed so much and worked overtime to be both mother and father. The person and father you are is the reason why I did what I did. If you’d been some asshole who cared only for himself, I wouldn’t have wanted to go to the extreme to see that we kept the farm and you had what you needed.”
Tears welled in Daddy’s eyes. “Thank you, Sophie. Thank you for your sweet, kind words, but most of all, thank you for sacrificing these last seven years for me and for Ansel.”
“Thank you for being such a wonderful father and person.”
“It’s me who should be thanking you for being such a wonderful daughter. “What do you think my mom would have thought about what I did?”
Dad’s expression momentarily became pained. It was something that happened whenever my mother was mentioned. “I think she would’ve been disappointed, but she would’ve tried to understand why you did what you did.” At what must’ve been my visible pain, Daddy shook his head. “She didn’t come from a family like mine. Her parents didn’t know how to love like mine did. She used to say she never felt loved until she married me and then when she had you.”
“Really?”
A sad smile pulled across Dad’s lips. “She loved you so much, Sophie. She used to say that every time she looked at you, it felt like she was winning a competition.”
Daddy’s image became blurry before me as tears once again filled my eyes. “I’m glad that she felt love, even if it was for a short time.”
“She did. I know she did.” Daddy sighed. “What happens now with your job?”
“I’m on paid leave until tomorrow night when they’ve called an emergency school board meeting to discuss what is to happen to William and me.”
“And what happens between you and William?”
I stared down at the quilt, my fingertip tracing over one of the diamond patterns. “We go our separate ways.”
“But why?”
I gave a mirthless laugh as I glanced up. “You really have to ask that?”
“I do. I’ve seen the two of you together—the way you looked at each other. When you two were together, you were so happy.”
“Well, that was before all this mess. It just seems like there are too many things against us. I mean, we both had baggage before, but how do you even begin to move on from something like this?”
“You work at it. Any relationship having is hard work.”
I sighed. “I don’t know if I have the strength it would take to make it work.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say anything like that. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you give up on anything in your life.”
With a rueful smile, I countered, “There’s a first time for everything.”
Dad shook his head. “This is worth fighting for, Sophie. William is worth fighting for. You have strength enough within you for the both of you. Just dig deep. The faith will come to you.”
Although I wanted to believe my father, I’d been through too much in my life to believe there could really be a happy ever after for William and me. But I didn’t have the heart to disappoint him anymore by telling him that. Instead, I merely nodded in agreement and tried to ignore the ache spreading through my chest at the loss of William.
Standing back from the mirror, I eyed my appearance. I’d chosen the most demure dress I owned. It was solid black with long sleeves, a high neck, and it hung past my knees. Nothing sexy or showy. I looked like death, which was appropriate on so many levels. The last time I’d worn it was six years ago to my grandmother’s funeral. Today I felt like I was attending another funeral—the one for my career as a teacher.
My hand went to my neck where my grandmother’s pearls sat. As I fingered the beads, I murmured, “Donne moi de la force, Grand-Maman.” More than anything in the world, I needed strength tonight, and it only made sense to ask for it from one of the strongest women I knew. A woman who had also done something morally questionable for the good of her family.
When my phone dinged on the dresser, I didn’t even bother checking to see who it was. William had been blowing up my phone with calls and texts since I’d run out of school. Just like I hadn’t known what to say to my dad or brother, I didn’t know what to say to him either. I was still too shell-shocked, and my emotions to jangled.
At the knock on my door, I turned around. I almost did a double take at the sight of Ansel in dress pants and a tie. I hadn’t imagined he would want to come with me to the meeting, but at breakfast this morning, he had passed me the milk and said, “I’m driving you tonight.”
That had been the extent of our discussion. I had neither agreed nor disagreed with him. Now he stood before me looking just like my father had when he was eighteen. In that moment, I realized my baby brother had become a man. It had snuck up on me in the years I was away and only home on weekends and holidays.
“We better get on the road,” he said.
I nodded. “Look at you dressed to the nines,” I mused as I crossed the room to him.
He grinned. “I have my moments.”
I reached out to straighten his tie. “You’re always handsome, but even more so when you’re dressed up.” Once the tie was straight, I cupped his cheek. “You look just like dad.”
“Speaking of, he’s going with us.”
My hand dropped from Ansel’s face. “What? But he’s not able to do that.”
Ansel stepped back into the hallway. My vision became blurry when I followed his gaze to where Dad sat in wheelchair. His best suit was considerably looser than the last time he’d worn it. Ansel had managed to conceal the buckle holding him upright in the wheelchair by running it underneath Dad’s jacket.
I quickly pulled myself together and forced a smile to my face. “Aren’t I lucky to have two handsome men to escort me to the meeting tonight?”
“That’s right,” Daddy said.
After grabbing my coat off the end of the bed, I joined them in the hall. “Well, let’s get this show on the road.”
Daddy gave me a reassuring smile. “It’s going to be fine, Sophie. Have faith.”
I exhaled noisily. “I’ll try.”
After getting into the van, we made our way into town. Because our town was small, the school board held its meetings at the justice center in one of the courtrooms. The moment we pulled into the parking lot, my stomach lurched, and I almost threw up.
“If you’re gonna barf, do it out the window. I just cleaned the upholstery,” Ansel warned.
Instead of giving him hell for being inconsiderate, I smiled. His comment was just what I needed to get my mind off things. He knew what he was doing because when I turned to look at him, he winked. “Thanks for the tip, douche bag,” I replied.
“You’re welcome, asshat.”
He eased the van into one of the closest handicap spots. I stayed in my seat while he lowered the ramp to allow Daddy to get out of his wheelchair. Once Daddy was out, Ansel rapped on my window, signaling that it was time for me to get out and face the music.
When we got to the door, a familiar figure stood waiting for us. I smiled as I dove into his arms. “Owen, it’s so good to see you.”
“Good to see you too, Mistress.”
I couldn’t help stiffening at him using that word. He must’ve notice because he said, “Sorry. I promise I won’t make that mistake when we’re inside.”
“Thank you,” I replied, as I pulled away. Owen had been playing with Mistress Venus when I blew into 1740 and took out Calla. He had immediately called me and offered his legal services, which I was more than happy to take him up on.
When Dad cleared his throat behind us, I smacked my forehead. “Where are my manners? This is my dad, Michael, and my brother, Ansel.” Motioning to Owen, I said, “This is my lawyer, Owen.”
“It’s nice to meet you both,” Owen said. He made sure to take my father’s hand in his when he shook it. Over the years together, I’d told Owen about Daddy’s condition.
“Are you going to make sure Sophie keeps her job?”
Owen smiled. “I sure as hell am.”
Daddy returned his smile. “Good. Then we’ll get along just fine.”
Owen reached for the door and opened it. “We should get inside. They’ll be starting soon.”
Although I tried to put on the emotional armor I wore as a Domme, I couldn’t still the jackrabbit beating of my heart or the trembling in my knees. Sensing my nervousness, Owen put a hand on my lower back and eased me through the door. Ansel and Daddy followed behind us.