“I won’t fuck him,” she whispered.

He relaxed.

Completely.

And gave her a squeeze.

A goddamned squeeze.

He couldn’t stop it.

He knew why. He knew it. He knew he was fucked by it.

He shouldn’t care who she fucked.

But he did.

It wasn’t (all) about going ungloved.

It was much more than that.

Fuck.

Shit.

Fuck.

Yeah, he was drowning.

And he had to resurface.

Soon.

Chapter Eleven

A Perfect Goddamned World

Olivia

12:32 – Friday Afternoon

I sat across from Georgia at Rioja, barely having my ass to the chair and my purse set aside before I grabbed my napkin to shake it out and put it on my lap. This was my indication, regardless that she chose Rioja, a place I’d normally wish to linger, that I wanted this to go quickly.

“David’s disappeared.”

At her announcement, I casually finished laying my napkin on my lap and shared, “Not surprisingly, since he’d like to be somewhere far away to enjoy the seven million¸ six hundred twenty-three thousand, two hundred forty two dollars he stole from us.”

Her brown eyes went wired and her mouth got tight.

Georgia and I shared Dad’s straight black hair and olive skin. She got his brown eyes. Mom’s eyes were blue. I had no idea where my eyes came from. I just always liked the fact that there was something of mine that was none of theirs.

“I just finished finding it all half an hour before I left for lunch,” I went on. “And at this point, as petty as it is, considering I’ve been sharing my concerns about David for years, I would very much like to say ‘I told you so.’”

“Please be careful, Liv. I’m suddenly not in a good mood.”

I wisely decided, considering her moods occasionally could be like our father’s, to be careful. Thus I looked away, seeing a waitress coming our way.

Georgia already had a martini.

I ordered sparkling water with lemon and lime and a glass of Prosecco.

“I would suggest that as soon as possible Gill and or Tommy are dispatched to bring him back. And it would be helpful when they did that they bring back as much of our money as they can,” I stated when the waitress moved away.

My sister’s still angry eyes narrowed on me.

“Tommy?”

I tipped my head to the side. “He does need more responsibility, doesn’t he? Seeing as he has a growing family he needs to take care of. It’s time he stopped stagnating and moved up the ranks.”

Anger and sisterly tenderness warred in her features as she started, “Liv—”

I turned my attention to my menu. “Let’s order. I have a good deal to do and I have plans this evening.”

She said nothing. The waitress came back with my drinks. We ordered.

Then she said something.

“It’s been years. And now you’re over Tommy that easily?” she asked, watching me closely.

“I’ll never be over that,” I answered then went on foolishly, bringing up a topic I knew all too well I shouldn’t bring up, “A heinous lesson that was learned when there was no need to teach it. But still, although never to be over the lesson that was Tommy, I’m over Tommy.”

“You guys stole two million dollars,” she said carefully.

Yes. I was foolish to bring it up.

I did not want to go over old ground.

But I was so used to doing it when the frequent occasion occurred that my sister tried to explain gently what had been demonstrated not-so-gently, out of habit, I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “How can one steal one’s own money?”

“Nothing is anyone’s, babe, you know that. If it’s Shade, it’s all the Shades’.”

I nodded. “Oh yes, I do remember that being mentioned while boiling oil was being poured on my back.”

She flinched.

I kept talking.

“Okay, it has to be said that we’re at a stalemate about this that we should call for eternity. I’m over Tommy. I’m really over discussing this. It’s clear you agree with Dad that I did wrong and deserved to be punished.”

She tried to interrupt. “Liv—”

But I persevered.

“I’ve made it clear that I felt as a human being I should be free to work and earn my own money and have the right to pursue happiness with whoever I choose without threat of imprisonment and torture. I’m afraid I have rather strong feelings about that ideology, no matter how brutally I was proven wrong. Thus, we won’t come to an agreement or even a compromise. So allow me to live my repression with some dignity.”

She leaned toward the table and lowered her voice as she said, “Like I’ve said a million times before, we keep discussing this because you need to be careful about shit like that, sis. I’m not happy David stole from us but I’m glad you found it. Dad’ll be seriously pissed about David but he’ll be pleased you seem more on board, sorting that out, calling the order to get Gill and Tommy involved, taking care of family. But, you keep going the way you’re going, saying the shit you say, behaving the way you do, not letting that shit go…” She let that hang and finished, “You have to know, Dad doesn’t trust your loyalty.”

I let my eyes widen in faux shock.

“Really?” I asked sarcastically. “You can’t be serious, Georgie. Gee…that must be why he still watches my house.”