Thrust: Bad Boy Racing Romance (Fastlane Series Book 2) (11 page)

I laughed out loud. I couldn’t believe what she was saying.

“Listen to yourself… You
let me
run off? You didn’t
let me
do anything, Mom. This is
my
life.”

I could hear my mom about to cut me off. I took the opportunity to do it to her first.

“No, no. No.” I growled, restraining myself with everything I had. “You’re going to listen to what I have to say or I’m going to hang up on you. Do you understand?”

My mother remained silent for a few seconds before muttering a response.

“Fine, Dani. Fine.”

“Mom, I am
really tired
of having the same conversation with you over and over
and over
. None of you have
ever
supported me in my career. Not you, not Dad, not my brothers…
none of you.
”

I paused, swallowing hard and trying to keep my emotions in check. I’d conditioned myself to keep my tears at bay where she was concerned. Even so, in a situation like this, she had to know how this news about my dad would affect me. Her manipulative behavior cut deeper than ever.

“But hey, you know what, Mom? I’m actually okay with all of that. It really doesn’t matter to me anymore what you think. I'm proud of myself and what I’ve been able to accomplish. And just because I didn’t want to stay at home in Pennsylvania and squeeze out grandbaby after grandbaby for you, that doesn't mean that I don’t care about what happens to Dad.”

My mother cut me off.

“Dani,” she said, exhaling like it took an immense toll on her. “If you cared, then you would help.”

“Ahhhhh!” I screamed, unable to stomach any more. “Didn’t you hear a word I just said? You know what? I’m done with this conversation. Done!”

My mother scoffed into the receiver.

“That’s about what I expected from you, Dani.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

My mother cleared her throat.

“I don’t know, Dani. Whatever you want it to mean I guess.”

I pulled the phone away from my face, hovering my finger and readying myself to disconnect the call. It was the last thing I wanted to deal with right now. Even so, something gnawed at me, preventing me from going through with it. I lifted the phone back to my ear and exhaled.

“Mom,” I began, running my fingers through my hair. “I’ve had to go out and fight for everything I have,
everything
.  Meanwhile every time I turn around, you’ve got your hand out. I’m just sick and tired of it. Don't you understand?”

My mother wasted no time in responding.

“No I don’t, Dani. Not at all. You are
so ungrateful
. I don’t know how I failed you as a mother. When did you become such a nasty person?”

I froze in place, utterly still. There was no reasoning with her. We could go round and round like this for hours, hell, maybe days. Nearing the end of my tolerance for her drama, I exhaled and prepared to hang up.

This time, for good.

“I’m not sending you any money, Mom. I’m done helping people who don’t appreciate it, or me. If you need to talk to me about Dad, that’s fine but don’t call me like this again. Do you understand?”

My mother groaned.

“Dani, someday when your father and I are gone you’re going to be sorry you ever acted this way. Given the way you behave, I’m not surprised you're still single and…”

That was it!

I hung up on her, slamming my phone down on the nightstand next to my bed.

“God dammit!”

Shaking my head and biting my lip, I paced back and forth across my bedroom for several minutes. In spite of non-stop arguing with them over the years, I’d always hoped that my parents would somehow come to respect the chances I took in life and the things I achieved because of it. I plopped down on the edge of my bed. With my elbows on my knees, I dropped my head into my hands. This was absolutely the last thing I needed right now.

Everything with Marco was up in the air. It was only a matter of time before Bernard and Leopold hounded me again about getting the deal done. And, in spite of my anger towards my mother for her behavior, I felt terrible for my dad.

For several minutes I sat there, mulling over my options. The truth was that I didn’t really have any. Things were shitty and not getting better anytime soon. At last, I stood from my bed and made my way towards the bathroom to shower. I still had a long night ahead and no time to waste feeling sorry for myself.

DANI

In spite of my maddening conversation with my mother, I managed to get myself together enough so that I was only about fifteen minutes late that night. The good news was, I knew I’d still be early. If there was one thing that was true about my friend Chloe Baxter, it's that she measured being on time by
hours
instead of minutes.

I sat at our usual table. When I first came to New York years earlier, we ate together here frequently. After catching up with some of the staff, I’d just taken my first sip of Chardonnay when I saw her enter the restaurant. Looking in her direction, I waved. Chloe smiled and waved back before she turned her attention to the hostess, hugging her. On the way to the table, she stopped and did the same with the bartender, until at last she walked towards me.

“Oh my God, Dani,” she began, shuffling her feet rapidly in my direction and extending her arms outward for a hug. “I totally didn't think you were going to come out tonight!”

I stood from my seat and we hugged. Moments later, she leaned away from me. With her hands wrapped around my upper arms, Chloe frowned.

“What’s wrong? What’s going on?”

I shook my head. I didn’t even know where to begin.

“I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

Chloe pushed her lower lip out, exaggerating a pout. I waved her off and sat down, changing the subject immediately.

“Tell me what’s happening with you.”

Chloe flung her blonde hair away from her face with a quick flip. Her blue eyes sparkled with eagerness. She slapped the tabletop with her palms of her hands, pressing them flat and leaning towards me.

“Oh my God… Oh. My. God. I didn’t tell you.
Did I?
”

I eased back in my chair and picked up my wine glass, shaking my head.

“Tell me what?”

“My show, you know, for my collection… It’s back on!”

“That’s amazing!” I began, smiling to the best of my ability. “How did that happen? I thought the whole thing got canceled.”

“Yeah like, I mean, it did, but it didn’t – well, not really.”

After taking another sip of my wine, I put the glass on the table. “What? You’re not making any sense right now, Chloe.”

“Right, sorry. It was the sponsors you know? Something happened, I mean, I don’t really know what, not exactly or anything. But anyway, the only thing I know is the show is back on, and I am super excited! I’m freaking out!”

My former roommate was a budding fashion designer. They say opposites attract in romantic relationships, but where Chloe and I were concerned the same held true for our friendship.

Even though we couldn’t have been more different from each other, we clicked from the moment we met. Most of the time, I didn’t envy my friend’s Bohemian lifestyle but at times like this when my own existence seemed like an anchor around my neck, her free spiritedness brightened the dark cloud gathering in my mind.

“That’s wonderful, Chloe. I’m so happy for you.”

While I spoke, the waitress dropped off Chloe’s cocktail.

“Thanks babe,” Chloe said, looking up at the server.

She immediately turned her attention back to me.

“You know I’m not going to let you leave here without telling me what’s going on with you, Dani. You know that right? Right?”

I kept my eyes fixed on her until she finished speaking. Once she did, I looked away.

“You see, you see!” she began, putting her drink on the table and pointing at me. “Something is
obviously wrong
, Dani. Why are you being so weird about it?”

I exhaled.

“I’m not being weird. There’s just nothing to say.”

Chloe leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms and glaring at me.

“What?” I said.

She tilted her head downward, lowering her chin towards her chest. She thinned her lips and shook her head at the same time. We sat there in a stalemate, looking at each other for several seconds. I knew her well enough to know that I’d never get out of here without telling her something.

“I really don’t know what you want me to say. It’s just… I've got a lot going on, that’s all. Nothing more.”

Chloe uncrossed her arms and dropped them into her lap.

“Uh, Dani,” she groaned. “I’m not stupid.
Obviously
, you have a lot going on. You always do! What I don’t understand is why you won’t tell me about it.”

The safest story to tell her would be the one about my argument with Mom. Chloe was familiar with the friction I dealt with there. Telling her about what was happening with Marco on the other hand – I shuddered to think about it.

“It’s um, it’s my mom.” I began, wiping my index finger across my nose. “Well, technically, it’s my dad.”

Oblivious to my attempts to change the subject, Chloe frowned.

“What’s wrong with your dad?”

I spent the next few minutes explaining his health situation. Since Chloe was more than familiar with the history between my mother and me, it didn’t take long for her to figure out why I was on edge. I was fed up with them insulting me but at the same time begging for my help financially.

Unfortunately, I knew that wouldn’t go far with Chloe. Orphaned as a child, it wasn’t until she turned twelve her now-parents adopted her. Because of that, she had a strange perspective I should have been grateful for the ongoing conflict I had with my mom and dad. From her point of view, it was far better than having no parents at all. Early on, when Chloe and I first met, I really didn’t understand why she felt that way.

In fact, it used to piss me off. But, as I got to know her better, I realized why she felt that way and how growing up without parents made her feel the way she did. I didn’t expect much in the way of sympathy from her about this latest disagreement with my mom.

“So,” Chloe began, arching an eyebrow. “What are you going to do about your dad?”

I shook my head.

“Right now, nothing. There’s still some stuff that has to be worked out with his doctors. I need to cool off right now, more than anything.”

Chloe took a sip of her cocktail.

“Okay,” she said, placing her drink on the table and nodding at me. “What else?”

DANI

“What do you mean?”

Chloe scoffed. “Come on Dani, I know there’s more. Just tell me.”

I shook my head. “No, really, there’s nothing else to say.”

She nodded, leaning across the table at me using her elbows for leverage.

“Oh really, so like, why is it that you disappeared for an entire week without telling me anything about where you’re going or what you’re doing?”