“Let’s not rehash this. It does nothing except upset us both.” Neither of them enjoyed discussing the times they’d missed out on as father and daughter.

“Humor me, would you? I’ve had nothing but time to think over the last few days.” He grinned, but he had that determined look in his eye she’d seen more than once in her grandmother’s-usually when she was in commander mode.

“Go on,” she said, indulging him.

“I’m not saying I never thought about the fact that I fathered a baby, but I knew I was too young to do anything about it. The army was going to be my family and I had nothing to give anyone, including your mother. Though you should know I did offer to marry her.”

Molly couldn’t help but smile at his inbred chivalry. They’d discussed so much about the past, but each time something new and interesting came to light. “Let me guess. She said no.”

He nodded. “Didn’t want to trap me, she said.”

“More like she didn’t want to trap herself,” Molly muttered in disgust.

As they’d figured out by putting the pieces together, Molly’s pregnant mother had taken off for California, met the wealthy man Molly had believed to be her father and passed the pregnancy and baby off as his. For Molly’s mother, Francie, it had been the first in a series of money-dictated marriages. Whether the pregnancy had been a mistake or part of a grander plan nobody knew for sure, but one thing was certain. Francie would never have hitched herself to a husband with only an army salary to his name.

Until Francie returned from Europe and was willing to have a conversation that consisted of more than “I have to go, I have a spa treatment in five minutes,” they’d never know all the missing details.

“The day I realized you were my daughter and the day I found out you’d become an attorney, I was as proud as I could be. But the best part was when I realized just how much we had in common. You chose real estate law and I chose the real estate business. I didn’t have to raise you for you to be just like me. Finding that out gave me comfort and told me we’d get over the past and make it through the awkward beginning because we were family, and you were my daughter.”

Molly hadn’t realized her eyes were filled with tears until one fell and she wiped it with the back of her sleeve. He loved her. He wanted her. Emotional tears of joy, now those she could handle. She wished she’d had the general raising her, but she’d settle for being grateful he was in her life now.

“Even Jessie will come around in time,” her father said.

“Now I know you’re delusional.” Molly grinned.

“She’ll grow up eventually. I just hope I’m around to see it and not locked away in a damn cell.”

Molly’s stomach cramped in pain. “We’ll get you out of this mess,” she promised.

“It’s not your problem.”

“I’m not going to let you go through this alone.”

Her father rolled his head, stretching his tense muscles. “I should’ve seen what Paul was doing to the business,” he said, talking more to himself than to Molly. “I knew he could be an angry son of a bitch back in the service and I knew he was having personal problems lately. His behavior was more and more erratic and I shouldn’t have continued to trust him on the financial end. Now the damn police think I have motive to have killed him.”

Molly leaned forward. This was the first she’d heard of Paul having problems and it gave her hope that maybe more had gone on in that office than anyone knew. “What kind of personal problems?”

“Nothing you need to concern yourself with.”

Molly frowned. “I hate that stubborn independent streak of yours.”

“At least now you know where yours comes from, young lady.”

She shook her head in frustration.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you…” Her father trailed off, his tone suddenly uncertain, one thing the general never was.

“What is it?”

“Whether or not I end up in jail when this is over-”

“You won’t! ”

“Well, either way, I’d like you to consider coming into business with me. It’s not the greatest offer seeing as there’s nothing left at the moment. Paul drained us completely and Sonya needs a piece of the profits so she can live comfortably and raise Seth. But there is the existing real estate, mortgaged though it is. And I need a lawyer to try to undo some of the mess Paul created. You said, yourself, you’re licensed here. Then there’ll be the fixing of our reputation and the buying of new property,” he said, explaining to Molly what she already knew.

Her father bought and sold land and buildings, sometimes holding on to the property until the market brought a better price, sometimes turning it over quickly for a nice hefty profit. But the fast-moving nature of the business had enabled his partner to shift money around and hide his embezzling. Still, he envisioned a future for his business and for the first time she imagined being a part of it.

Since her move here, she’d filled her time with volunteer work with senior citizens, which had led to small jobs doing real estate closings and trust and estate work. She loved helping the older people and though they couldn’t pay much, their gratitude was worth everything. Rent hadn’t been an issue because she lived with her father, but she knew soon she’d have to move out and find a more permanent job.

Never in her wildest yearnings had she envisioned being part of a family business. “You really want me to work for you?” she asked this man who was constantly surprising her with fatherly gestures.

He shook his head. “I want you to work with me. At least you’ll be a partner I know I can trust.”

Molly began nodding before she could even think things through. “Yes!” She rose from her seat, eager to hug him, only to feel the guard move up from behind.

“We’re fine.” Frank waved the guard away and then met Molly’s gaze. “And here I thought you’d have better offers,” he said.

“Never,” she assured him.

And he’d needed to be reassured. Despite his teasing tone, Molly had caught the uncertainty in his voice when he’d asked her to join him in business, and she heard it again now. He still wasn’t sure of their relationship or where it was going, just as she still feared he’d change his mind about her and ask her to get out of his way like Molly’s mother always had.

Obviously they still had a lot to learn about one another and they needed time to trust in the other’s feelings and commitments. Time that, thanks to his arrest, might just be running out.


***

JESSIE SAT in her bedroom and sorted through her nail polish and picked Marshmallow, a white Essie brand color that she liked because it matched all her clothes, but she wished she’d bought the lavender Opi color she’d seen in Sephora instead. Purple was soothing, at least that’s what she read in Seventeen magazine, and Jessie needed something soothing right now.

Everything in her life was a mess. Her dad was going to spend the rest of his life in jail, her grandma was getting older and might die like her mother had, and her sister, Robin, would probably need to finish school. That would leave Jessie with nobody but her new half sister, Molly, to watch over her. And then where would she be?

Jessie’s eyes filled with tears and she wiped them away, working on her manicure instead. When she was upset she’d usually go next door and bitch to Seth, but how could she bother him when he was dealing with the death of his dad? Her uncle Paul? Her dad’s best friend. The same person her father had been arrested for killing.

The kids in school were whispering things behind her back and she had to get through lunch alone because Seth had been called to Guidance to talk to his counselor. Today had been really bad for Jessie. Even the girls she hung out with were being meaner than usual, avoiding her like they could catch what her father had done by hanging around her. So she’d come straight home from school instead of staying after for more torture, but there was nothing to do here. Her grandma was downstairs teaching herself to knit and Robin had gone back to school until the weekend. That left only Molly.

Jessie hated her, even if hate was a strong word, as the commander liked to say. She hated the way her dad looked at Molly. Like he could do it forever. And she hated how Molly got along with everyone in the house except for her. Even the bird talked to Molly and the stupid bird only talked to people he liked. Jessie didn’t see anything to like about Molly.

She pulled a tissue from the box by her bed and wiped her eyes, knowing she was messing up her mascara. Deep down she knew she was being a bitch to her half sister, and giving her grandma and her sister a reason to snap and be mad at her. She didn’t care. Nothing was going right. It was even that time of the month.

She flopped onto her bed at the same time the doorbell rang.

“Seth!” Jessie jumped up fast because she couldn’t think of anyone else who’d come by to visit. Excited to see him, she pulled open her bedroom door and ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time. She needed a friend and she needed one now.

She swung open the door and came face-to-face with a stranger. “Uh-oh.”

If the commander found out she’d opened the door without asking who it was, she’d smack her over the head with her cane, so Jessie immediately slammed the door in the stranger’s face.

The doorbell rang again.

“Who is it?” Jessie asked.

“Daniel Hunter,” the stranger said through the closed door.

She didn’t know anybody named Daniel Hunter, which meant he was still a stranger. She glanced around but neither Molly nor her sister or grandmother seemed to be coming down to see who was at the door.

“I’m a friend of Molly’s,” he said loudly.

Well, that changed things, Jessie thought, and she yanked the door open wide. “Why didn’t you say so?”

“You slammed the door in my face before I had the chance.” He shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and grinned.

Jessie’s stomach fluttered like it did when the hottest guy in school winked at her as she passed by his locker. Not knowing what to say, she looked him over instead. He wore a black leather jacket and dark jeans, and behind him on the street she caught a glimpse of a motorcycle. Cool. She didn’t know anyone who rode a bike.

He studied her right back, looking at her for so long, she shifted from foot to foot. His eyes were really a golden color and he was cute for an older guy. Not just cute. Hot.

“Is Molly here?” he finally asked and the flutters in Jessie’s belly disappeared.

Molly. Jessie had forgotten that’s why he was here. It always came back to Molly. “Yeah,” she muttered, not pleased this cute guy wanted her half sister.

She turned toward the stairs. “Hey, Molly, there’s an old guy here to see you!” Jessie yelled loudly because when she’d passed it, the guest-room door had been closed. Jessie refused to think of it as Molly’s room. She couldn’t stay here forever. At least Jessie hoped not.

“Old?” He burst out laughing.

Jessie’s cheeks flamed. “Older than me,” she said, embarrassed.

Molly’s footsteps sounded at the top of the stairs. “Who is it?” she asked.

“A guy named Daniel who wears a leather jacket and rides a Harley. If you ask me, he’s too cool to be your friend.”

“I don’t know anyone who rides a motorcycle or whose name is Daniel.” Molly hit the bottom step and looked up at her visitor. “Hunter!”

“That’s what I said. His name’s Daniel Hunter and you obviously do know him,” Jessie said.

Because her half sister’s eyes had opened wide and she ran her hands through her hair as if she suddenly cared about what she looked like. Jessie’s gaze flew from Molly to leather-jacket man and back to Molly again. He couldn’t take his eyes off of Molly and vice versa.

Very interesting.

“You’re going to take my father-our father’s-case?” Molly asked him.

Jessie’s mouth opened then shut again. “He’s the lawyer? The guy you-”

“Do not say it,” Molly said, warning Jessie in a stern voice she’d never heard from her half sister before. Not even the other day when Jessie had deliberately crossed the behavior line.

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t going to say…you know.” Jessie stepped closer to Molly.

For some reason, she didn’t want to piss off her half sister right now. She wasn’t sure she understood why, but she did know she wanted to watch what happened between these two. It was better than an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, she thought.

“Are you saying I don’t look like an attorney?” he asked.

Jessie turned toward him. “I haven’t seen many that look like you,” she said, feeling herself blush at her admission.