“Huh, and your dad said you never slept.” Based on the way she crinkles her nose when she glances over my shoulder, she appears to find my room lacking. It’s not my fault that the only thing my dad kept in here after I moved to Seattle was my old twin bed.

She walks over to where my duffel bag sits open on the floor and nudges it with her foot. “Is this all you have still?” Her tone changes then, pity lacing her words.

I cross one arm across my chest, grabbing my shoulder hard so I don’t say something I’ll regret. Yes, it’s all I have. Yes, it’s all that’s mine. Yes. Yes. Yes. It’s fine.

Allison shifts her weight. “We expected your first report tonight. Your dad wanted me to check on it, since he’s held up at the aquarium thing.”

Oh. Right. I was supposed to do that before I went to bed. Oops. And then the rest of what she said hits me, and okay, sure, it doesn’t bother me that both he and Gray did the charity event and neither of them invited me. It’s whatever.

Allison lifts up one of my shirts strewn across the floor, frowning. “If you won’t send it out with the wash, you should at least have our girl steam the wrinkles out before you wear it again.”

“You don’t steam T-shirts, Allison,” I say, ripping it out of her hand and tossing it on top of my bag.

“Well, at least put them in the dresser, then,” she grumbles. “We’re all stuck together for a while. Might as well make the most of it.”

“A while?”

“At least till the end of the month,” she says.

nonononononono

I thought I’d have more time. I thought it would be different. I thought—

“That’s not enough time,” I blurt out, because two and a half more weeks sounds like nothing at all.

“Not enough time?” She turns back toward me. “Enough time for what? We already know what they’re doing. We just need you to find us a new angle to approach a deal, and your dad will take it from there.”

I swallow hard, switching gears. “Why is he so obsessed with Vera Flores?”

“It’s a pride thing. You wouldn’t understand.”

I roll my eyes at her insult. “Don’t you feel shitty, though?”

“About what? It’s not like we’re trying to put them out of business. Ultimately, we’re looking for a partnership.”

“Yeah, like when he partnered with Trinity Comics?”

“He learned a lot from that misstep, Ridley.”

“Misstep? That’s one word for it.”

More like all-out disaster. Trinity Comics had three of the most successful comic stores in the Northeast, indie but big indie, with some serious scene cred. Then they had the misfortune of meeting my father.