Say You Still Love Me(127)

“Yes,” I answer curtly.

“And I assume he’s happy?”

“Yes.”

He sighs heavily. One-word answers drive him insane. “I received a delivery this afternoon.”

“Okay . . .”

“From Kyle. Twenty-five thousand dollars cash, in a navy-blue duffel bag. Half of the money he accepted from me thirteen years ago.”

I should feel anger, but all I feel is my heart aching at the sound of his name. “He was at our office? Today?” When I came in this morning, Gus informed me with big brown concerned eyes that Kyle would be taking a personal leave until a more suitable building placement could be found for him.

“I would think so. To the lobby, anyway. Gus hand-delivered the money to me. There was a letter with it, saying that he’s trying to get a bank loan for the other half of the fifty.”

“That’ll take him forever to pay off.” And he’s been saving his money for so long.

“Perhaps.” Dad’s phone chirps in his pocket, but—shockingly—he doesn’t reach for it.

“Why are you telling me this?”

Dad pauses, as if considering my question. “It surprised me. That he would bother paying it back. Some might call it a respectable act.”

“Oh, so what are you saying? That you like Kyle now?”

“Far from that.” Dad snorts. “Paying me back fifty grand to try to get back into your good graces that are worth a thousand times more would be a smart move, and he’s not a stupid guy.”

“And that’s what you assume he’s doing? That he can’t possibly just be in love with me for me?” Maybe that’s what hurts most about all this—the thought that Kyle has been manipulating me all along. That I bought everything he was selling to me like a love-struck fool.

Dad’s eyes wander over the evening horizon—a sky painted with pale pinks and golden yellows and hints of mauve, the promise of another hot summer day tomorrow. “No, I’m quite certain that is not the case,” he admits with reluctance, then sighs. “He was just a nervous boy, that day Greta put him through to my office line, when he was looking for money to help his friend’s family. I could hear the shake in his voice.” He smirks. “But the kid had guts, I’ll give him that.” The smirk falls off as quickly as it came. “And maybe I should have handled things differently. But I was shocked at first, that the little shit would have the balls to contact me. And angry. I assumed it was a shakedown. That’s why I told him off instead of listening. And then, when he brought you into it, when he threatened to reach out to you if I didn’t pay . . . well, I lost my temper. You were already going through enough, with the divorce. You seemed to be on the cusp of finally getting over that summer, going out with friends again. I didn’t want him back in your life. I wanted that messy summer over with. That’s why I agreed to help the Vetter family out, on the condition that he disappeared from our lives for good. And I didn’t ever want to see him again.” My dad’s lips twist with disdain. “And then the bastard shows up on my doorstep holding your hand last night. Imagine my surprise over that. What a set of balls.”

I sigh. “I didn’t know about any of this.”

“Because I didn’t want you to. I didn’t want that accident hanging over your head for the rest of your life, especially for a boy you worked with one summer, and I knew you’d feel responsible.”

Aren’t I, though? I supplied us—Eric—with so much alcohol that day. Far too much. Maybe I do deserve part of the blame for how badly he got hurt. A hollow ache fills my chest.

“So, you helped Eric, right?” There’s a hint of a threat in my tone. If he didn’t, I’ll never forgive him.

“I did.” He studies his wrinkled hands. “It seemed like a smart move to head off any problems, in case they figured out who you were and were desperate enough to try to sue us.”

I roll my eyes. “How charitable of you.” Would the Vetters do something like that? Likely not, but stranger things have happened in the court of law.

“Deny it all you want, but I’ve dealt with too many of those types of people in my life to try to pretend they don’t exist. But the Vetters . . . they aren’t like that, at all.” A wry smile touches his lips. “His father reminded me of your mother’s dad. He refused my money at first.”

“How’d you get him to take it?”

“I went to his wife. At least she could see reason. They were going to go bankrupt, and then what good would they be to the boy once he got out of the hospital? So, I cleared their debt and helped renovate their house to accommodate him. Paid for a few other things.”

“That sounds like more than a hundred grand.”

“It was.” His eyes narrow on the patio stones. “I can’t tell you how many nights I’ve lain in bed, thinking that it could have been you tumbling down that hill.”

I sigh. He’s making it really difficult to stay angry with him. “How bad is it, Dad?”

Instead of answering, he reaches into his pocket to pull out a slip of paper. He hands it to me. It’s an address in Pennsylvania. “I’ve made sure he has everything he needs over the years.”

“Except his friends,” I mutter bitterly. Does Eric wonder why Ashley and I haven’t visited?