His Best Friend's Sister in the Show Me State - Jessie Gussman Page 0,3
all day.”
Athena managed to not snort over that, but she wanted to.
She also wanted to call him out and point out that all he had to do all day was find himself more alcohol and get drunk.
Which was obviously all he’d been doing every day for a long time.
He was living off his parents’ money, another thing that he’d had such an advantage—he could have been anything with his brains and his parents’ wealth and his affable and friendly personality.
He could have done anything, been anything, gone anywhere.
And yet look at him. The only thing different between him and a homeless bum was that he had a home.
Thanks to his parents.
Preston probably looked worse than a bum right now.
His situation was assuredly worse, because he’d thrown away so much.
Joyce obviously was having trouble trying to figure out where to start. Athena allowed her time to think.
There were reasons why Joyce never told Preston about Liam, and there were reasons now why she was.
They were her reasons, whether or not Athena felt they were legitimate. It didn’t matter.
The snake tattooed around Joyce’s neck moved as she swallowed.
“Liam, would you go sit in the car, please?” she finally said, as though realizing this might not go the way she wanted it to, and she didn’t want her son to get hurt.
“Can I play games on my iPad?”
“Of course.” Joyce put a hand on her son’s shoulder.
Athena said, “Would you like me to go with him?”
“No. Please stay. You said you would.”
That was the whole reason Athena was here. She hadn’t wanted to be a part of this. Except she kind of was.
“Why don’t you come on out here and sit on the porch, if you’re not going to invite us inside,” Athena suggested to Preston, pleased that she was able to keep her voice modulated and almost kind. When she wanted to sound frustrated and angry and, yeah, hurt.
Because if Preston had loved her, he wouldn’t have allowed himself to be like this, not if he felt she was worth living for, instead of turning his back on everything and basically waiting to die.
Preston didn’t say anything but sighed, like he was put out, which he probably was. He stepped out, spreading his hand around. “You can see there are no chairs. But you’re welcome to sit on the floor if you want.” He kinda sneered.
Joyce lifted her chin while Athena ignored him. She waited for Joyce to sit down before she sat on the step next to Joyce.
Preston closed the door and walked over, leaning his shoulder against the porch post. “I take it the boy’s mine.”
Athena’s throat tightened.
Obviously, he’d had a relationship with Joyce, a more-than-friends relationship, considering she had his name tattooed on her arm and they had a child together.
Athena had only found out a week ago, and she’d mostly gotten used to it, but it still hurt.
Not that it mattered now. But if it was true that there was a fine line between love and hate, she wished she knew where that line was so she chould cross it. She felt like it would be easier if she hated him.
“He is.” Joyce lifted a shoulder that wasn’t exceptionally thin.
A person couldn’t tell by looking at her that she’d be dead in three months. Or less.
“And there’s a reason you’ve kept that from me. A reason you’re telling me now.”
Maybe they should have been questions, but they weren’t.
“There is,” Joyce said, almost defensively. Athena felt bad for her. This was a difficult conversation to have, and Preston wasn’t making it any easier.
“So am I to find out about it anytime today?”
“How about you just relax. You could, oh, I don’t know, try to be a little bit nice?” Athena couldn’t keep her mouth from moving.
Preston didn’t used to be a jerk. He didn’t used to be a sloppy drunk. He didn’t used to be any of the things he was now.
Maybe she was just in love with memories. Except she kinda felt like once you loved someone, you didn’t just quit. Not if it was true love, which took work and time and effort, except she’d never had to work to love Preston.
She’d always had to work to hide her feelings.
“I didn’t tell you about Liam because, as I’m sure you can figure out, your family has a ton of money, and your mom has a lot of influence. She would have tried to take him, even if you didn’t want to.”