“Why not?” She offered me a playful, one-shouldered shrug. “He told me to call him Daddy.”
“Twenty years ago, back when our parents dated for eighteen months, yes. But you aren’t ten years old anymore, and they haven’t been together forever. It’s just getting weird, Isabel.”
“Seems like I’ve gotten under your skin.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Why would you want to do that?”
Shealwayshad her reasons, her agenda, and it was always something shitty. And my father wondered why I despised her and wouldnevertrust her.
“Because I have an opportunity for you, actually. Since it seems like you can’t get a job all on your own. One Daddy said I should come to you in person about.”
Howdarethey talk about me and my career behind my back. This was why I avoided them all as much as I could. Some people had shitty families, but I was pretty sure mine was one of the worst ones. I didn’t know anyone who had to endure the same nonsense I did.
“I don’tneedany help from you, Isabel. I’m doing just fine on my own.”
“Looks like it,” she scoffed while pointedly looking around the bar in disgust. Against her, I was on the side of the bar. How dare she! “You know, you really don’t need to let your pride get in the way…”
“I’ve already got another job sorted, so you can get out of here.”
Her hands rested on her hips as her perfectly sculpted eyebrows hit her bangs. “No you haven’t. Don’t be so ridiculous…”
I jutted my chin out, allowing my anger to take a grip on me. “I’ve just been offered a job at the Design department at NYU actually, so your opinion means nothing. You can just leave.”
I didn’t dare meet Rod’s eyes. I didnotwant to witness his reaction to my lie…but maybe it wouldn’t be a lie. I mean, Icouldget the job, couldn’t I? I was just announcing it early, that was all, to get rid of Isabel who had absolutely no right or reason to still try to be in my life. If he’d met her before, he’d understand why I’d say anything to be rid of her. Now, I justhadto make sure I secured that job so it wouldn’t be a lie. Otherwise Isabel would become more insufferable than she already was, and that was saying something.