Page 58 of Floodgates

“There’s only half and half in it,” Alex explained. “Tracy doesn’t like sugar either.”

“Okay, good,” he sighed.

“All set now, princess?” I asked sarcastically.

“Well, no, actually,” he huffed out. “I thought Dad was getting me a scone.”

At which point my father started chuckling and went for the door.

“Don’t you dare leave,” I threatened him.

The way he was smiling at all of us when he turned back, like we were all just the greatest thing, would have distracted me if I hadn’t been having a nervous breakdown. “No, Dad,” I said dramatically, “I wasn’t aware that Joanna was getting married. Please tell me how that’s relevant here.”

“Well,” he answered, “unbeknownst to her, Joanna’s maid of honor, Celia, is the same Celia who has come between you and Breckin.”

It took a minute. I wasn’t really awake yet, and now I had no coffee. I squinted at him like maybe that would help with the clarity. “What?”

He cleared his throat. “Celia Hughes is downstairs in my kitchen.”

“Celia Hughes is downstairs in your kitchen?”

He nodded. “Yes. She’s there, and so are Breckin and Beth and a distraught Joanna. She’s concerned that you might hate her, and while I’ve only just met the woman, I would say that Celia would rather chew off her own foot than stay here a second longer.”

“So why is she staying?”

“Because presently she finds herself in the middle of a heated argument with your ex-boyfriend,” he explained.

“Well,” I sighed, “I guess I should go down and meet her.”

“What?” Alex choked on his coffee. “No! What the fuck for?”

“Hold up,” Evan grumbled from the other side of me. “Who’s Celia whoever again?”

We all turned and looked at him.

“What? I wasn’t listening. I can’t even see until the caffeine hits my bloodstream.”

“She’s the woman Breckin cheated with, idiot,” Alex barked at him, which was loud in the small bedroom and especially that close to my ear. “We talked about this all last night.”

“Lower your voice,” I ordered, crawling carefully over Alex since he was holding scalding liquid.

“You’re actually going down there.” Alex sounded incredulous.

“What am I supposed to do? Hide up here? Show everyone that I’m spineless and scared and weak? I haven’t done anything wrong. I didn’t cheat on anybody.”

“But, Trace—”

“No,” I interrupted, making a cutting motion across my throat. “Seriously, I’m going down there. I want to see her.”

“Fine. I’ll go with you,” Alex said, throwing off the covers to get up.

“No, you stay here with Evan. Dad’ll go with me.”

He looked like he might protest, but Dad silenced him with a simple gesture to be still. I opened the bedroom door, and Cord was there, poised to come in.

“Hi,” I greeted him, reaching for the cup. “That’s mine now. Evan has his.”

“I put half and half in it, and cinnamon, ’cause I know he likes it.”