Hustle Me (29 page)

Her eyes got real big. "What are you talking about?"
 

"Charlie, is she my sister?" I stood there staring at her, just waiting for her to give me an answer.
 

She shook her head from side to side. "Of course not! Why would you even think something like that?"
 

"Mom is there any way she could be. I need to know. The things I've done...we've been living together as a couple."
 

She put her hands up and grabbed my arms. "John, there is no way that Charlie is your sister. Come sit down."
 

I sat down and put my face into my hands. "This is all fucked up. I'm sorry for the language, but that's what it is. So did dad sleep with Charlie's mother too?"
 

"Is that what he said?" she crossed her legs and waited for my reply.
 

"No, he said to ask you. Was Joe my father?" It would have made more sense since I was nothing like my father and Joe and I had so much in common."
 

"I'm afraid your father has told you another lie. Neither of us had anything to do with Joe or Charlotte until she was already pregnant. They lived in another state. It wasn't until she got pregnant that they moved back. If you are worried about your father being her father, you shouldn't. When Joe found out Charlotte was having the affair, he went behind her back and had
Charlie tested. He said he couldn't go another minute not knowing, but it was never your father that he accused of being with his wife. Joe was such a heavy drinker back then, so it didn't surprise us when he accused her of cheating. Listen, it doesn't even matter now, because they are both gone, but Charlie was Joe's daughter."
 

"Mom, I don't think you understand. Was Joe my father?"
 

She put her hands over her face. "That son of a bitch implied that? He'd rather you think he wasn't even your father? John, Joe isn't your father. You were planned and no other man had my heart back then. I can assure you that you are no relation to Charlie. By the time that Joe and I were together, you and Charlie had both been born. I never would have let you continue a relationship with her if I thought that for a second. I am telling you that it is not possible."
 

Relief washed over me. The idea of loving my sister was natural, but having sex with her wasn't exactly okay with me. In fact, it made me feel sick to think about all of the things we had done together.
 

"It doesn't even matter now. I left her and the kid."
 

She put her leg down from being crossed and leaned in to grab mine. "What happened? Tell me that your father had nothing to do with it."
 

I pulled away from my mother and looked toward the window. "We couldn't find a way around saving the tavern. I didn't want her to have to choose me. Taking myself out of the equation gave her and Ryan the tavern. She will own it free and clear. I didn't have a choice."
 

She got up and started dialing a phone number. I stood up and grabbed the phone out of her hand. "Who are you calling?"
 

She grabbed her phone, but ended the call. "I was calling your father to let him know what he's done. This has to end, John. I can't take it anymore. I won't let him hurt you this way."
 

"Mom, I will deal with it my own way. Charlie will be okay. She's strong and she's a survivor. With or without me, I wanted her to be okay. That tavern is a legacy that Joe wanted her to have. I can't let her lose it because of Dad."
 

"He wanted you to be a part of it too, John." She was crying and I felt bad. It seemed like all I did was make women cry. The sad part was, I was the one keeping my feelings bottled up. I
was losing my patience and at some point I would lose my self-control and do something stupid. I needed to get out of town before I went running back to Charlie. She could never know the real reason that I left. If she found out, she would beg me to come back. No, she needed to think I lied about my feelings. She needed to hate me, because in case I didn't win that impossible billiards competition, she needed to move on.
 

"None of that matters anymore. I can't come up with the fifty grand and I can't sit around and watch Charlie and Ryan lose all they have left." It hurt so much to say her name. By now she would be devastated, probably blaming it all on herself. God, I missed her already. Just thinking that I could never touch her again was killing me inside.
 

"John, you can't give up your happiness. You have to fight for what you love and don't tell me you don't love that girl. I can see it in your eyes that you are suffering already. That pain isn't going to go away. It's going to linger and intensify. You will lose yourself in angst and shut down. Please reconsider your decision. Go back and tell her the truth."
 

I shook my head and leaned over to kiss my mother on the forehead. "I'm sorry I stayed away from you for so long. It was never about you. Mom, if you love me like I know you do, please leave him. Take what you can and leave. You know people that will help you get away from him, or you could come with me."
 

She looked up and smiled. Her hand reached up and touched my cheek. "My sweet son, I do love you so, but I can't leave. This is the life I've chosen. It's not so bad. I just stay away from him and he leaves me alone. You have the chance to be happy. Please, don't throw it away."
 

I tried to wipe away the regret that I know showed all over my face, but it was an inevitable task. "I'm doing this because I'm in love with her, with them. I need to know they will be happy."
 

She stood up and hugged me. "I'm so proud of the man you've become."
 

I pulled away from her and kissed the top of my mother's head. "I appreciate that. Listen, I know I came here ready to battle, but I actually need a favor. I kind of left my stick at the apartment and I'm playing in this big tournament in three weeks. Do you think you could lend me a couple grand? I hate to ask, but I can't go
back and pick it up. I can't look her in the eye and will myself to walk away. I think it would be too hard for either of us."
 

My mother walked into the other room and when she came back out she had her purse. She dug inside of it and pulled out a wallet. "This is a card that your father doesn't know I have. It's for emergencies. I used my maiden name."
 

I looked down at the card and traced the numbers in my fingers. "Are you sure?"
 

"Of course." She sighed and closed my hand on the card. "You are my son. The PIN number is your birthday. I want you to be happy. I just wish there was some way I could help you work things out with Charlie. She's good for you."
 

I shook my head and looked away from her to hide the pain on my face. "If there was a way, I would do it too. I love her and she makes me want to be a different person, but I need her to be happy. It's the most important thing to me."
 

She shook her head again. "What if her happiness is because of her love for you?"
 

It was hard to let myself think about that. I hated thinking about Charlie being miserable. The fact that I could be the cause
of that pain shattered my heart. "I can't think like that. She has her brother and her business. Dad assured me that if I walked away, the tavern would be hers free and clear. I signed over my share. I did everything he asked. I just need to get the hell out of here."
 

She put her arm on my shoulder and looked right into my eyes. "I do hope that you keep in touch with me, John. You are the most important person in my life. It was terrible not knowing if you were okay."
 

The door closing caught our attention. My mother frantically motioned for me to hide and I ran into the other room. Since I was parked out on the street, it wasn't obvious she had company.
 

"You are never going to guess who paid me a visit." My father's voice filled the room. I ducked back into the kitchen to avoid being seen.
 

"Did you see John again?" I appreciated my mother keeping me a secret.
 

"That little bastard is hell bent on saving that damn tavern. Did you put him up to it?"
 

"No and please don't call him that. He is our son. When are you ever going to be able to treat him the way a father should treat a son?"
 

I couldn't see either of them, but my father's voice was getting louder. "No son of mine takes up with Joe McNally’s daughter."
 

"This has nothing to do with them and you know it." My mother had changed. She was standing up for herself and I wasn't sure if I needed to be proud of her or afraid.
 

"It has everything to do with it. If his mother wouldn't have whored herself around with my so called friend none of this would be happening." I clenched my fists and tried to keep my cool while my father started to go off on my mother.
 

"Maybe if you would have paid more attention to your wife she wouldn't have found comfort in someone else." I heard the slap and didn’t hesitate as I lunged my body into my father. We both went flying down on top of the coffee table, causing it to collapse underneath of us. I grabbed the collar to his shirt and yanked him up to be face to face with me. "I did what you asked. Leave her alone," I screamed.
 

He smiled like he was still in control. "I should have known you'd grown up to be just like your whore of a mother. Just look at the two of you, still in love with the McNally’s even though they had nothing to offer you. You're both a disgrace to our family name. Get the hell out of my house, John."
 

I shoved my father onto the floor as I stood up over top of him. My mother was leaning back against the corner and I pointed toward the steps. "Go pack a bag, Mom. I'm not taking no for an answer. We're done with his shit."
 

He stood up and brushed off his designer clothes. "You leave with him, you will never come back," he threatened.
 

I turned toward her again and saw the fear in her eyes. "Mom, go pack now!"
 

She ran toward the steps before turning back to my father. "You took away my happiness and ruined my life. I signed over the tavern. So help me God, if you don't keep your word and release the lien and I find out you went back on your word, I will kill you myself." I spit on his shiny black shoe and looked right in his face. "You're dead to me."
 

He held up his arms as I started walking out of the room. "How far do you think you can get with no money? Do you really think your mother can live in a car like her loser son? That bitch has lived like a queen for over twenty years. She can't live without me."
 

My mother came running down the steps with two large bags. She dropped them at the front door and walked up to my father. With all of her might, she slapped him hard across the face. "Rot in Hell!"
 

I grabbed her bags and held the door open as she walked out. My father stood in front of the collapsed coffee table. I raised my eyebrow and waved a bag in the air. "Later, fucker!"
 

Driving away with my mother in the car was the best feeling that I'd had since leaving Charlie. Sure, I still didn't have a way to be with her yet, but my father had lost the one thing he tried to keep. I wanted him to suffer. It was what he deserved.
 

Chapter 33
 

Charlie
 

Three weeks after Jammer walked out of my door my heart was still torn apart. The harder I tried to be mad and forget about him, the more I wanted him to walk through that door. I knew I was being ridiculous. Maybe it was because it was my first real love. People say that the first love is the hardest to get over, I believe it now.
 

I waited three days after Jammer left to start calling him. Sometimes I think I just dialed the number to hear his voice on the voicemail. I knew it was a far cry to expect him to actually answer, but I still couldn't help myself. If he was just using me before, then he really hated me now. I was sure by now he had hooked up with his next conquest, probably keeping that relationship short, so he didn't have to deal with the drama that he had with me. Still, I couldn't help but feel like we had something special. I was fully aware that he was gone and not coming back. His letter had made that clear. The fact the he called me Lena seemed to be a far-
fetched plea, since I hadn't heard from him one time since finding the letter.
 

After getting my brother on the bus to preschool, I was off to my appointment at the attorney’s office. They claimed they had some new paperwork for me to fill out, but gave me no details. I was positive that it was regarding me not being able to come up with the fifty grand to save the tavern. With Jammer gone, my finances were even worse, considering I had to hire someone new. Sure, I paid Jammer, but he never really took the money. Every single time I counted the register, he had put back what he had earned, or at least half of it. Maybe he did it because he felt sorry for me, but either way, I appreciated the gesture. I was happy that my brother had finally stopped asking when Jammer was coming home. I think every single time I heard it my heart broke again.
 

The attorney's office wasn't too far of a drive and I hated the atmosphere in the place. For some reason it gave me the creeps. The front desk person saw me to the conference room and asked if I wanted something to drink. To be honest, the last thing I could imagine doing was drinking when I felt like I was
about to vomit. My regular attorney walked in with someone I had never even seen before.