Read Online Whisky State of Mind by Karlene Blakemore-Mowle - Free Book Online Page B

happy working where I work.” 
    “You think I’d bring you back into this life if there was any chance you could get mixed up in something?”
    “How would I know? When I left, you were about to be arrested…and what? I’m supposed to just accept you’re now clean? I’m supposed to know you? Well I don’t. I don’t know you. I’m not that little girl you left behind. I’ve grown up… I’ve changed.”
    ”And so have I. Look, baby girl, I don’t expect you to welcome me back with open arms. I just want to be back in your life again…someday. I wanted to start with today.”
    Sky eyed her father warily as he came to a stop before her. It hurt so much to be this close and yet still feel so angry.
    “I don’t know.” Damn it, she was so confused. It was so much easier to hate him when she wasn’t face to face with him. Everything about him brought a stab of memory. She’d loved her father so damn much. He was her world…and then he abandoned her. I’m sorry…I don’t think I can do this right now,” she said, fumbling for the door knob behind her back as she edged away from him. “I need some time to think,” she mumbled, unable to look at the pain in his eyes her retreat was causing.
    “That’s okay, darlin’,” he said quietly. “You take some time to think it over. I’ll be right here.”
    God damn it! Her eyes were burning with unshed tears as she slipped through the open doorway and headed back down the hall. She didn’t want to hurt this much again. It was bad enough the first time around.
    ****
     
    “You know, he’s really trying to fix things,” Sawyer said without taking his eyes off the road ahead. She’d been turned away from him and looking out the window the entire trip back.
    He’d looked up as she’d hurried past him at the bar and had to break out into a jog to catch up with her outside. He had a feeling this first visit wasn’t going to go as smoothly as Johnny had hoped it would. He’d tried to tell him she was still mad.
    She didn’t answer, just kept her gaze fixed on the street flashing by as they drove.
    Usually he was fine with silence. Most of the time he found women never knew how to shut up. There was nothing wrong with enjoying another person’s company without having to fill in every minute with endless chatter. However, Whisky’s silence was beginning to irritate the hell outta’ him. 
    “You weren’t in there very long.”
    “Long enough,” she said quietly.
    “Did you at least hear him out?”
    “Yep.”
    “He was probably expecting too much too soon…but he just wanted a chance to explain.”
    “Why the hell do you care, anyway?” she demanded.
    He glanced across at her briefly, glad that at least she’d stopped the silent treatment. “Because I know how much it means to him.”
    “You think a lot of him don’t you,” she said quietly.
    “If it wasn’t for him, I’d probably have ended up in prison . He’s like a second father to me.”
    He saw her nod slightly, then turn back to look out the window. “Well, at least he wanted to be a father to one of us.”
    Her words, spoken with such sadness stabbed at his heart. What did he say to that? He knew Johnny’s reasons for staying out of her life were legitimate. He’d sacrificed his daughter—giving her to two people he knew would poison her mind toward him, but he’d done it because there was a very real threat to her safety if she’d stayed with him. Still, he could see how knowing her father had practically raised someone else’s kid, would feel like the worst kind of betrayal.
    “He loves you, Whisky. He never stopped.”
    Her shoulders shook a little as she took a breath and in the reflection of the window he saw her squeeze her eyes shut tight. He felt her pain, it filled the car like some kind of tangible thing and he wished to God he knew what to do or say to make it better. He knew his limits though—and had a feeling anything that came out of his mouth right now