Cassie shot her a sympathetic look. “Erika, I know he’s your father, but you’ve got to stop beating yourself up over needing his approval. You are a brilliant surgeon. Your patients are lucky to have you. Think about Tom and his wife—how grateful they were—and that was only one patient. You save thousands of lives every year. You can’t keep fighting for your dad’s acceptance. You don’t need it, friend.”

The stress of everything in the last twenty-four hours made her lips move before she could think. “You’re one to talk.”

“What does that mean?”

Shit. This was not the way she wanted to have this talk with her friend. In fact, now that she was leaving, she wasn’t sure she should have it at all. She bit her lip. What would be the point in getting into this now? It really wasn’t any of her business. It was between Cassie and Reed and their family. She’d been back in their lives for a week. Yet, she felt she owed it to Reed to call Cassie out on the huge secret she was keeping.

Still, she hesitated, searching for the right words.

“Erika, what did you mean just now?” Cassie sat straighter on the couch.

“Just that...” She took a deep breath. “Reed sent me into your office looking for the file for the corporate retreat...to get more information on your location.” She paused. Staying unemotional and unattached was the way she’d avoided situations like this one. How had she gotten tangled up in the Reynolds family’s dynamics?

“And?”

“And I saw a payment made to an addictions treatment center—for your dad,” she said, hating the look of hurt on her friend’s face, knowing she was the cause.

“Right. I’m not the most organized. I’ve been meaning to hire a new receptionist...to file things away and shit. Out of sight.” Cassie forced a deep breath. “Did you mention it to Reed?”

“No.”

Her shoulders relaxed. “Good.”

Erika frowned. “Good?” Anger rose in her chest. She hadn’t always been close to Reed, but she was now and Cassie’s actions—keeping this from him—upset her. The friend she’d known would never hurt her brother, and this would definitely hurt him. “You know your brother is still looking for him, right?”

“Yes, I do. Erika, it’s complicated.”

“So complicated that he doesn’t deserve to know his father isn’t missing? That you know where he is.” She fought the overwhelming sensation of guilt and hypocrisy. So did she and she hadn’t said anything. But this was different. Cassie was family.