"Yes, but after what happened last time, your dates don't usually last longer than one night."
"Thanks for making me sound like a pig." I cross my arms in disbelief. Most parents would approve of their son being in a relationship.
"We're still dealing with Hannah," she reminds me. "What did we tell you?"
"Patricia," my father warns, but she ignores him.
"Did you at least do a background check on her? Make sure she's not another one?"
"Oh, my god … " I groan, brushing a firm hand through my hair. "Not every girl is going to be like Hannah. She's not like that."
"And how do you know, Bentley? You need to be careful. You aren't just a typical guy-"
"Yes, I know." I roll my eyes at the same lecture she's been giving me for two years. "She's an intern," I spit out needing to get her off my case.
My father's eyes go wide. "Your intern?" he asks slowly, and I know I really fucked up now.
"Yes, but it's not like that," I say quickly.
"Do you have any idea what you're doing, Bentley?" he scowls. "Apparently you aren't ready, son, putting the company at risk. Not to mention breaking a hundred company rules."
"It's not like that," I say again more firmly. "She isn't Hannah. I've checked her out already. She attends the University of Nebraska. She's a senior and is graduating this semester."
My mother walks toward me and places a hand on my cheek, her eyes finally going soft. "Just be careful, son." My father follows suit and doesn't even look me in the eye as I step out of the way for them to leave.
I exhale as I hear my front door closing. Flustered, I pace the floor until I regulate my breathing. This couldn't have been worst timing.
"Ceci?" I call out as I walk down the hallway back to my room. "They're gone now. It's safe to come out." But she doesn't respond. "Ceci?"
I push my bedroom door open and look around, but she isn't in here. "Ceci?" I call out again with fear laced in my voice.
I run to the door and whip it open to see that her car is gone.
She left.
Chapter Eleven
Cecilia
I CRY MYSELF to sleep every night until it overcomes me, and I have no other option, but to pass out. The hurt, the betrayal, the lies. I've caused it all.
I overheard Bentley's mother yelling at him. Hannah.
Why did she do it? Did Bentley love her? Who was she exactly? Answers I didn't deserve to know. Answers that would soon force my lies to crumble down around me.
I can't hurt him. Not after what he's already gone through. I don't know anything about this Hannah chick, but I know enough from Toby and his mother's screams to know she's bad news and that she royally fucked Bentley over.
I ignore every call and email from Bentley. I know I have to deal with my consequences soon. I know he won't just let it go. Let me go. But I'll have to convince him, though.
It's taking me days to read and dissect everything in my dad's files. Although it's a summary of it all, I find myself Googling the terms to even know what they mean. I don't want to rush through, it's my only piece of hope-I'm reading it thoroughly, word by word.
Simon knocks on my door Friday afternoon with a suspicious grin and a grocery bag. I narrow my eyes at him as he lets himself in.
"Come in," I mock. "What are you doing here?"
He spins around and eyes me carefully. "I've known you for years, Celia. Long enough to know when something is wrong. You've been off all week."
I tilt my body forward, chancing a glance inside his bag. "And you've brought me cookie dough and ice cream?" I tease.
"I'm not a chick," he retorts. I raise my eyebrows at him and he sighs in defeat. "But you're a chick, so of course, I brought you junk food."
"I knew there was a reason I keep you around."
"Well, I'm kidnapping you. Pack a bag and meet me at the car."
"Wait, what?"
"You haven't told me to fuck off all week, so that's when I know there's something wrong." I laugh at his bluntness.
"Fine," I groan. "Meet you in five."
Simon lets me dig into the cookie dough on the ride to his house. I've been sleeping over at Simon's for years. His parents are super laid back, and I secretly think they are hoping something happens between us, but it's never going to happen. Simon is like a brother to me.
I had shoved the file in my purse before we left, because, at this point, I'm out of options. Simon's extremely smart, so if there's anything to be deciphered from my dad's case, Simon will figure it out.
"Okay, girlfriend. I've sugared you up, gave you caffeine and ice cream, and even let you walk around in those hideous yoga pants. Time to spill."
My spoon stops mid-way to my mouth just as I was about to devour another spoonful. "Hideous?"
"Well, they aren't exactly attractive."
I shrug, shoving a spoonful of ice cream into my mouth. "Good thing I've turned lesbian. Girls dig yoga pants."
He rolls his eyes and laughs at my dramatic speech. "You couldn't be a lesbian if you tried. You enjoy dick too much."
I spit the ice cream out, shocked at his words. "Simon!"
"You and Cora think you talk quietly at lunch when you discuss your little girl shit. I can hear every word," he confesses.
"Oh, my god, that's so embarrassing." My face heats at the thought of Simon hearing all the juicy details from last year when I dated Jason. "No, I'm erasing this whole conversation out of my head. Never happened."
"Whatever you say, sweet bottom."
I gasp loudly as my eyes dramatically bulge out of my head at the words he just said. Sweet bottom.
"I so hate you right now. I cannot believe you heard all that last year."
"Every word, baby," he taunts.
Sweet bottom was Jason's nickname for me. At the time, I thought it was cute, but now I cringe just hearing it aloud.
For the next hour, I tell Simon everything about my internship at Leighton Enterprises. I leave Bentley out of it, but I explain how I applied, interviewed, and used Casey's transcripts to get inside. He was both impressed and worried about me, knowing the serious repercussions if I were to get caught.
"You are insane. Seriously."
I also describe the dreams and flashbacks about my dad. I tell him everything I remember about that day, and how my mother never seemed bothered that it ended up a cold case.
"Wow … that's intense, Celia."
I tilt my head toward him, silently begging him to understand my reasoning. "Simon, I need your help."
"You know I can't say no."
I smirk. "I know."
I spread out some of the papers that I want him to take a closer look at-the evidence, the background history of his job, and his financials.
"What exactly are you hoping to do, Celia?"
I shrug, feeling hopeless. "I just need to know, Simon. I know my mother is hiding secrets from me. She won't tell me anything. She hid that piece of paper about Samuel Anderson on it. I need to know that my dad was a good person and that whoever did this gets the justice they deserve. I know I'm in over my head, okay. I'm not that crazy. But I can't just walk away. I have to at least try.
Hours go by and eventually, I fall asleep on Simon's bed. When I wake up, he's curled up on the other end with papers in his lap. I notice the energy drink in one hand as he holds a piece of paper in the other.
I glance over to his clock on the dresser. It's after 4AM.
"You're still up?"
"Yeah," he says excitedly. I adjust myself on his bed, sitting upright. From the looks of it, he's completely wired.
"Read anything good?"
"Celia … this is all good stuff. Like, I think I'm finally figuring it out."
"Figuring what out?"
"Your dad's finances-they're all over the place. One month he deposits thousands of dollars, the next he's in the negative. For someone with a steady job and salary, it doesn't add up."
"So what's that mean?"
"Well, it explains why your mom and dad were fighting about money, why your mom was hysterical about the money he spent."
"So you think it has something to do with his death? Like maybe he owed someone a lot of money and he couldn't pay them back?" My heart begins racing as I try to put the pieces together.
"I don't know. Maybe. It's too soon to know for sure. There's a lot more in this file I have to go through yet."
"But what if does have to do with money. I mean, we live in a nice neighborhood, and always had nice things. We lived on one salary and yet never went without."
"Perhaps there's a reason for that." He looks at me sympathetically, silently telling me what I've feared this whole time-my dad wasn't a good guy.
Bentley
The last thing I was prepared for was Ceci leaving me-again. I wasn't sure if she was upset about my parents coming in or if it was something else.