Olivia looked as if she was in another world. I couldn’t imagine what she must have been going through—watching one of the people responsible for bringing her into the world try to take someone out of it. “You won’t need to testify,” Marion told her. “There’s enough here to convict.”
“Is it okay if I stay here with Kat tonight, I don’t want to go home yet,” Olivia asked Marion. Her place was probably swarming with reporters by now. “Sure,” Marion agreed.
I grabbed two spoons and a pint of chocolate ice cream from the freezer and took Olivia to Marion’s guest room where I’d been staying. We snuggled beneath the comforter and dug into the container.
“Do you hate me now?”
“What? You saved my life today,” I gasped.
“Yeah, from my attempted-murderer-of-a-father.”
“Liv, what your dad did isn’t your fault. If you hadn’t come back today…” I didn’t want to think about it. “…I wouldn’t be here with you now.”
“I’m sorry for the bitchy things I said to you the other night. I didn’t mean them. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Kat.”
“Me either,” I said.
Chapter 39
“Today is the day,” Marion sang. Then the curtains swished open, the morning light blinding me.
“The day for what?” I groaned, eyes closed.
“Your father is being released from the hospital today.”
“Shit,” I muttered.
“Language,” Marion snapped.
“Sorry,” I grumbled.
I rolled out of bed and robotically got dressed. Olivia and I had stayed up late talking about everything we’d done during our time apart, and I was still tired. She was too; she didn’t budge when I told her we were leaving.
I stumbled out to Marion’s Volvo and got in. “Where are we going to live?” I asked her. “Because I’m not going back to that house—too much bad juju.”
Marion laughed. “You and your father are going to stay with me for now. We’ll decide what to do about the house later.”
“Torch it,” I offered.
“I think I need to call my sister and find out what all she let you get away with in Slidell.”
I laughed. “When is the last time you’ve been home for a visit?” I asked.
“A while.”
“That’s what I thought,” I muttered.
“No offense taken,” Marion said.
I laughed. She was a little stiff; she could have used a good dose of swamp water to loosen her up.
When we arrived at the hospital, I hesitated before getting out of the car. It hit me that after everything my father had been through the ordeal wasn’t over yet.
“Have you told him what happened to him?” I wasn’t sure he knew. We hadn’t talked about it, and all Marion said was that he didn’t remember anything when he woke up.
“He knows, but not because I told him. His memory is slowly returning, which is a good thing for his recovery.”
“How’s he handling it?”
“As well as could be expected. He’ll just need a little time to move past it.”
“I think we all will,” I said.
My father was sitting in a wheelchair in his room when we arrived. “They won’t let me walk out on my own,” he complained. “It’s hospital policy,” Marion soothed, touching my father’s face in a way that made me wonder if their relationship status had changed. Casper did call Marion my father’s girlfriend when he was holding us hostage. At the time, I thought he was just being an ass, but maybe he knew something I didn’t.
“You look great, daddy. How are you feeling?”
“Brand new,” he smiled. “And ready to get out of here.”
A nurse wheeled my father down to the lobby and out the front doors where Marion’s car was parked. He thanked the nurse and stood up—without assistance—to prove he could have walked himself out of the hospital and got in the car.
When we entered Marion’s apartment, Olivia stood up from the couch. “Hey, Mr. P,” she said. “Lookin’ good.” I placed my hand on my dad’s shoulder, dreading breaking the news about Rick, but it had to be done. My father placed his hand over mine. “I know,” he said. “Liv and I had a nice talk on the phone when you and Marion were on your way to get me.” Olivia nodded in agreement, tears glistening in her eyes.
“Yeah, he was gracious, as always,” she said. “But I do have something to say to you, Kat.” Olivia crossed her arms over her chest, appearing annoyed.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“It’s just that now I understand why you’d want to live in swamp country.”
“Huh?”
Mason stepped into the living room from the hallway. He was just as heart-stoppingly beautiful as I’d remembered. He was wearing Khaki shorts, a polo shirt, and that LSU cap.
“Mason,” I gasped. He smiled. “What the hell are you doing here?” I asked.
“I came to see you,” he shrieked. “I thought you might like it. Your dad said—” “My dad!”
Of course, my dad.
“Daddy! What did you do?” I whipped around and asked him.
“Just offered the boy a ride is all,” he grinned. A ride? He’d sent a plane, I knew it. I turned back to Mason. “I called you five days ago,” I growled, holding out five fingers to concrete my point, “and you didn’t call me back!”
“So, that’s what’s got your panties in a twist,” he grinned.
“Yeah, that’d be it,” I said, my hands perched on my hips.
“Did you leave a message?”
“No. I didn’t think I had to.”
“Well, you should have, ‘cause the screen’s busted on my phone, and unless you leave a message, I won’t know you called. I like your hair, by the way,” Mason winked at me. I smiled. I couldn’t help it.
“You better now?” he asked.
“I guess,” I said, shrugging.
“Well, c’mon then.”
I jumped into Mason’s arms and held on tight. “I missed you, Cali girl,” he whispered.
I leaned back, taking Mason’s face in my hands. “What the hell happened to your neck?” he barked.
“Later,” I said. “There’s something I need to say first.” Mason’s mouth perked up, amused. I looked into Mason’s eyes and said the words I’d feared I would never get to say to him. “I love you, Mason Dugas.”
“I love you, too, Katara Parker; whether you’re standin’ right next to me, or two thousand miles away. I’m always gonna love you,” Mason said, softer. I kissed Mason and didn’t care who was watching. I know girls say they don’t need a man to complete them, but it’s certainly nice when you find one who does.
Olivia cleared her throat, breaking Mason and me apart.
“He’s so hot,” she mouthed. “Does he have friends?”
I laughed.
“I think I could fix you up,” Mason told Olivia.
Mason and I looked at each other and simultaneously said, “Ben,” making the other laugh harder.
“I look forward to it,” Olivia glowed.
“Speaking of love connections,” I said, eyeing my father and Marion.
“Life is too short not to follow your heart,” my father said. “I’ll be in very capable hands, my girl.” I couldn’t argue, but felt I should, because following my heart would mean leaving him. He was right, though. My heart wasn’t in Malibu. I didn’t belong there anymore.
I hugged my dad and Marion. Then I turned to Mason, putting my hand in his and asked him to take me home—to Slidell.
*****
LSU let me in with no problem. Olivia, too. She came to Slidell after seeing her mother off to Vermont. Mason and I introduced her to Ben, and they hit it off instantly. Liv, Shelby, and I rented a house near campus with enough room for Bit to move in, in the fall. Mason, Ben, and Cody officially lived in the dorms, but stayed with us most of the time. Garrett and Dixie got back together and she and I were so civil that we were in
danger of becoming actual friends if we weren’t careful. My dad retired from Manger, sold our house of bad juju, and married Marion in a sweet backyard ceremony.
JENNIFER DAVIS lives in Tennessee with her husband and two teenage daughters.
You can follow Jennifer on Twitter @JenniferDavis__
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