Page 3 of Between Love and Loathing

Once I stepped into the SUV, he told his driver where to go. Everyone knew the Miltons lived on a hill together, one wing for my sister and me, the other for my mother and Carl.

In my late twenties, the setup was getting old, but now my mother was mourning.

“I don’t know if I’m going to even sign it.”

“You have to.” He pulled his phone out, typing away on it. “And then just let me handle all the details.”

My heart squeezed at giving up another opportunity, but as we got closer and closer to my family’s estate, I lost more and more confidence in being able to pull this off. My family probably needed me here anyway.

Dominic and I didn’t say much to each other the rest of the ride. He must have figured he could convince me of everything later. Yet, when we got to the gated driveway of my home, my mother and the man I knew as her lover were outside.

Drunk.

Again.

“Oh, Jesus,” I whispered because this time my sister was out there too, waving wildly at them. I shut my eyes once and breathed in and out before I said, “You can just drop me here and please don’t …”

I glanced at Dominic as he took in the scene. Melinda Milton was a put together woman in public. Beautiful blonde hair, high cheek bones, thin and willowy, but mean eyes. She’d always had a glint in them and now, as she approached the vehicle, I knew her and her lover’s wrath would be turned on me.

When I went to open the door and get out though, Dominic pushed a button and the door didn’t open at all.

I whipped my head to him. “Let me out.”

He hummed as if he was considering and then shrugged. “She can talk to you here.” And instead of giving me a choice, he rolled down the window.

My mom wasn’t at all deterred. She and Hank peered in as she snarled, “Did Carl give you more than what I got?”

“Can we talk about this later, Mother? I had a doctor’s appointment today, too, and—”

Her posture tightened as her hands wrapped around the window edge. “You want me to ask how that went?” When she rolled her eyes, her whole body moved and Hank’s thick hand held her steady. “I hope they told you what I did. You’re ridiculous, and you’re fucking fine. Now, what did Mrs. Johnson say?”

The brush-off of my doctor’s visit should have been the last straw, but I kept trying. “I’ve been given the opportunity to open a bakery outside of Florida with Mr. Hardy.” I pointed to Dominic and tried to draw her attention to him, tried to make her see that having Hank out here right after Carl’s passing, acting this way, wasn’t acceptable.

“Are you kidding me?” she spit and then smoothed her blonde hair that was normally so perfect, so in place for everyone but us. “Where?”

“California. But, Mom, we have the spas, right? Nothing will change—”

“Everything changed the second Carl left us with less than everything he had. That man was always an asshole, but he really wanted to ruin my life when he died.”

Carl Milton was never cruel to her. He gave her most everything she wanted aside from themorethat she asked for. My mother had wanted every share of his company when he’d had the heart attack that took his life. When she didn’t get it, she’d been furious. “It’s not that bad—”

“Anastasia!” my mother screamed over her shoulder and then shoved at Hank. “Hank, get her out of the car.”

Hank yanked at the door, his dark eyes wild. “Open this fucking door.”

Chewing at my lip, I glanced at Dominic and whispered, “Please.” But right as I did, Hank slammed his hand hard on the side of the car and I saw Dominic’s eyes change.

Before, they’d been empty, devoid of any emotion for me. Now, there was anger as he peered around me to say quietly, “Hit my car again, and I’ll be the one getting out of it. And you won’t like the result.”

My mother’s lover wasn’t big compared to Dominic. “Fuck this,” he grumbled backing away and spitting at my mother, “Handle your stupid children, Linda. I’ll be back later.” Then he was stomping off to another car as my mother’s tears started.

“This is all your fault, Clara.” Her vodka cocktail sloshed back and forth in the glass. “Get inside so we can talk about this.”

As Hank drove away, I closed my eyes. “Please unlock the door,” I asked Dominic again.

“You giving in to them so easily?”

I hated that when I stared into his green eyes, I saw disappointment filling them as I nodded. He sighed and pressed the button, his gaze following Hank’s car rolling down the driveway.