Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 132657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132657 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 663(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
They had been a menace to all who wanted a mystery solved at the end. But was that her fault? Most mysteries were fairly easy to solve since the author—unlike real-life criminals—tended to follow some form of logic. So a person with investigative skills could usually figure out a whodunnit. Oh. That’s where she was going. “I am not like… Fine. I’m a little like dad, but I can function in the normal world.”
“So can he. Mostly. I want you to think about the differences. You are very much like Dad, and I’m Papa.”
Of course she was. “I think you’re more like Mom.”
Greer’s head shook. “I might have gotten her talent, but I’m not as fierce as Mom. I’m more like Papa. I’m content to sit back and let things come my way. I’m not the one everyone notices. I’m not the big personality.”
“No, you’re the one everyone loves.”
“Uh, I’ve been dealing with phone calls all day from our friends and family who are freaked out that you’re in trouble. The twins asked if they should look into it,” Greer said like she hadn’t told her there was a bomb waiting to go off.
“You tell them the CIA does not work on domestic soil.” The last thing she needed was to get the twins involved.
“I don’t think they know that. I’m pretty sure they run a ton of ops at The Hideout,” Greer replied. “But my point is everyone loves you. You like to pretend you’re the tough chick who doesn’t fit in. The trouble is you got born into a group where tough chicks are kind of the norm, and I’m the one who doesn’t fit.”
“You fit.” She couldn’t believe she was hearing this from her always-confident big sister.
“With some, and when I say fit, I don’t mean I get left out of things. Our friend group is amazing and diverse, but I always think it’s ridiculous when you pretend like no one understands you. It reminds me of…”
“Dad.” She felt a flush go through her system. “Because he often feels like he’s in his own world and no one but Mom and Papa can be there with him.”
“Sometimes he doesn’t even feel like Mom and Papa can understand him,” Greer continued. “I know it sounds dumb, but it’s hard to be as smart as he is.”
“And as picky as he is. And as weird as he is about sniper positions and how clean a bathroom has to be before he’ll use it.” Her dad was a weirdo. And she was a lot like him, which was why they clashed from time to time. It was inevitable, and she probably made it way worse because she wouldn’t sit down and talk to him about it. They went right into arguing. She wasn’t patient with him, and he had been patient with her for so many years.
How hard had it been for her paranoid, obsessive-compulsive, genius dad to deal with kids? To deal with dirty diapers and getting thrown up on. He had a thing about bacteria, and yet she remembered him sitting with her when she was sick. “I’m sorry. I’ll sit down and talk to him. It’s the chasing me down thing that bugs me, but I will try to give him some grace.”
“I’m not even asking for that,” her sister said. “I’m begging you not to go no contact with us.”
Harlow felt her jaw drop. “I would never do that. I have never once said that to Dad. He’s been reading too many Reddit posts. We need to keep him out of certain parts of the Internet.”
Greer smiled and leaned over to take Harlow’s hand. “I’m glad to hear that. I know you won’t believe me, but I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve been right here,” Harlow insisted.
“You’ve been in your own world, and that’s okay. You need to be from time to time. But the last few years it’s felt like you’re pulling away. Not in an ‘I’m all grown up and having a great time’ way. In an ‘I’m leaving you behind’ way.”
She was so self-centered sometimes. All this time she’d assumed Greer was probably happy she didn’t have to dole out big sis advice to her fuck-up younger sister. She wasn’t giving herself enough grace either, and she wasn’t being honest. She never meant to hurt her sister. She’d meant to protect herself, but her family wasn’t something she needed to be protected from. “I shut down after Jensen dumped me. I was ashamed I let myself be in that position, and I didn’t want any of you to know it. I’m lucky Dad didn’t investigate and get involved in this whole mess.”
“They had a huge fight about it,” Greer informed her. “Right after you got back from LA, Dad wanted to do just that. He knew there was a guy involved, and he had talked Papa into going back out and finding him. Mom put her foot down. Like hard down.”