Page 444 of A Matter of Time

Normally, I would have reminded him, or anyone, that having siblings didn’t preclude one from being an orphan. At that moment, I remained quiet.

“And you’re the only one who does.”

Looking at him, I saw how empty he looked. Like he was all used up. I had never noticed that before.

“Say something.”

“Like what?”

He stepped closer to me. “Why did he pick you?”

“I have no idea.”

“You’ve never asked?”

“No.”

“He destroyed my family, you know.”

“How?”

“My dad—he stopped loving my mom.”

“Why?”

“Because she gave away his son. He can’t ever forgive her for not having any faith in him.”

“They were both in high school. He needs to cut her some slack.”

He smiled slightly, but it was bittersweet. “Yes, he does.”

I waited for what he would do next.

“She wanted him back so desperately.”

Every woman who met Dane Harcourt wanted something from him. Not surprising that his own mother was no different.

“And you, Jory, you’re the reason he wouldn’t give her a second chance. Why did he need his old family when he had you?”

The calm, controlled voice was way scarier than if he’d been yelling at me. I felt goose bumps rise on my skin.

“He hates me—my dad, my mom…all of us.”

“No.”

He nodded slowly. “You’re right. It’s worse than hate. He feels nothing for me, for any of us.”

Which was the truth.

“I thought maybe my dad had a shot with him—he didn’t know, after all.”

I was silent, not wanting to provoke him.

“It was so easy for my dad to ask for the money. Dane will do anything but spend time with him, or me. It’s like he’d pay us to stay away from him.”

Time required interest, which Dane didn’t have. Caleb was right. Money was easy to get; sitting around just talking, hanging out, that was asking for too much. Dane only spent time with those he truly loved.

Caleb made a noise then, like a whimper, and took a long breath. When I looked back at him, tears were rolling down his cheeks.