Powerful (The Driven World) - Kathleen Kelly Page 0,21
him. Anger radiates off my very being. We stare at each other, dislike and distrust permeating the air.
“Um, do you two need a room?”
Both our heads snap in the direction of Athena’s voice, and simultaneously, we step back from each other. Athena has a smirk on her face, moves between us, grabs Todd’s hand, and looks up at me.
“Your dad is ready to go. He’ll need to stay off his foot for a good long while, but you can take him home.” She turns her head to Todd. “And you can take me home.” Athena looks back at me. “See you tonight at the rehearsal dinner.”
Todd glares at me, and the two of them walk hand in hand back to his police cruiser where he opens the door for her, turns and waves at me, then he gets into the car. My gaze rests on Athena, who looks happy. The anger that threatened to overwhelm me moments ago dissipates.
“Mr. Livingston?” I turn my head toward the voice, it’s the receptionist. “Your father is ready to go. The doctor would like to have a few words with you before he does.”
I nod and look back to where Athena was, but the cruiser is pulling away, and she’s no longer visible.
“Thank you,” I say as I scrub a hand over my face. “Lead the way.”
Chapter Ten
Athena
“Holy mother! Did you see me? Did you see me all up in his grill?” Todd practically shouts at me.
“It was a bit hard not to. What the hell was that all about?”
“He smelled bad.”
Laughter erupts from me. “He was on the docks with his dad. They were probably helping one of the boats pull in their catch.”
“The guy thinks he’s got dibs on you. I was just making it clear that he isn’t good enough.”
“Okay, did he say he had dibs on me?”
Todd glances at me, a smirk on his face. “No, but it’s a guy thing, I could tell. So, I set him straight. I told him he wasn’t good enough.”
“For a moment there, I thought you two were going to come to blows.”
Todd nods, his head moving up and down so fast he reminds me of a bobble head. “I know, right? Me in a fistfight over a girl.” Both of us laugh. “I-If only my dad could see me now.”
From the little I know about Todd’s family, they try extremely hard to accept his lifestyle, but they always hope he’ll find a nice girl and get married. As far as I know, he’s never taken a man home to meet them.
Todd stops his cruiser at the bottom of the hill to my house. “What time tonight?”
“What?” I ask.
“I heard you say rehearsal dinner. I am your pretend boyfriend, I should be there.”
“The rehearsal is at five at the chapel, then dinner at the yacht club.”
“Do you need me to come to the chapel and fight Kris for you or meet you at the club?”
I smile broadly at him. “I think with my family around, I’ll be able to handle myself around Kris. So, the yacht club?”
Todd nods. “Remember, you’re my pretend girlfriend, I don’t do cheaters.”
“You don’t do girls, full stop.”
Todd waves a hand in the air at me. “Pfft! Technicalities. What time?”
“Dinner reservations are at six.”
“See you then, girlfriend,” replies Todd with more pizazz than usual.
Laughing at him, I jog up the stairs to my home. Seeing him and Kris facing off against each other was kind of funny. The last time I saw that look on Kris Livingston’s face, I was fifteen. But I’m not fifteen anymore, nor am I so easily won over.
Chapter Eleven
Kris
Dad is sitting in the truck next to me. The doctor said at least six weeks off his foot, and thankfully, it’s not broken only badly bruised, and he has to keep it elevated.
“You okay, son?” Glancing at him, I nod. “You’re quiet.”
“Sorry, Dad. Just a lot on my mind. How are you feeling?”
“Old. I’m sorry I wrecked our time together.”
With eyebrows raised, I glance at him again. His eyes are downcast, and he’s twiddling his thumbs.
“Dad, you didn’t do it on purpose, and you didn’t wreck our time together. I’m still here.”
Pulling into his driveway, I turn off the truck and swivel in the seat to look at him. His lips are in a hard line and turned down on one side. Dad lets out a puff of air and turns his head to look out the window.
“Yeah, but I can’t do anything with you now.