The Wives of Beverly Row 1: Lust Has a New Address by Abby Weeks Read Free Book Online Page B

for grabs.”
    They drove down Hollywood Boulevard with the roof down, listening to loud rap music, and when they reached Highland her dad used the valet parking. She loved that about going out with her dad. He always knew what to do. He knew where to go, he knew where to find the valet, he knew where to eat, he seemed to know everything.
    In the lobby, Gabe bought the biggest popcorn, frozen yoghurt, candy, pop, even a hotdog.
    “What about dinner?” she said.
    “I’ll be ready to eat,” he said. “Don’t you worry about that.”
    *
    A FTER THE MOVIE GABE ASKED Becky where she wanted to go for dinner.
    “Mel’s,” she said.
    “You’re the boss.”
    They walked to the diner and asked for a table for two.
    “Are we celebrating anything tonight, folks?” the waitress said.
    “Well, this is her favorite restaurant so I guess we’re celebrating that,” Gabe said.
    “Come on, honey,” the waitress said to Becky. “I’ve got a table right by the window for you.”
    They looked over the menus but Becky knew what she wanted.
    “Could I get spaghetti and meatballs and a chocolate shake?” she said.
    “Sure, honey, and you, mister?”
    Becky liked the waitress. She was a little heavy, in her forties, and had a foreign accent, maybe Russian.
    “I’ll have the meatloaf,” Gabe said.
    “Gravy and mashed potatoes?”
    “Gravy and fries, please. And coffee.”
    “Sugar and cream?”
    “Black.”
    Becky sat across from her father and smiled at him. Her milkshake arrived and it was delicious.
    “So how’s the new house?” Gabe said.
    “It’s really great, dad. We love it. We have our own pool, a huge TV, all new kitchen stuff. Mom loves it.”
    “That’s great. I’m glad.”
    “Mom got me a lot of new clothes.”
    “That’s great, honey.”
    Becky knew about the whole issue of her father hiding money from her mother. She’d heard all about it. She wanted to ask him about it but she was afraid of upsetting him. She wanted to know what it was that made him want to hide money from his own daughter, to let his own family be poor when they could have been rich, but she didn’t want to ruin the evening.
    “What about you, dad?” Becky said. “When do I get to see your new place?”
    “Oh, I’ll take you there soon, sweetie.”
    “Do you have a girlfriend?”
    “What?” Gabe said, looking a little flustered.
    “Well, do you?”
    “No. I don’t have a girlfriend. Do you have a boyfriend?”
    “Not yet,” Becky said, “but there’s a boy on our street who’s smoking hot.”
    “And what age is he?”
    “My age.”
    “Sixteen?”
    “Well, he’s close to my age.”
    “Well, just remember, boy’s can be a lot meaner than you think, so be wary.”
    “Oh, I’m well aware of that, dad.”
    He looked at her meaningfully. He picked up his coffee and took a sip. Becky looked outside. People were strolling along the street enjoying the cool evening. She saw a couple pushing a stroller, an older man in a suit walking a dog, a kid on a skateboard.
    “Hey,” Gabe said gently. “Listen up. There’s something I’ve been meaning to bring up. I know that you’ve probably got some issues about the things I did when I was married to your mother.”
    Becky shrugged. She hadn’t wanted to get into a discussion like this.
    “And you have every right to feel that way, Rebecca. You really do. I can’t explain why I was the way I was. I couldn’t even promise that I’d be any different if I got back together with your mom.”
    “But you’re not going to get back together, are you?”
    He shook his head. “No. That’s not what I meant. I just meant, I know I was a bad husband and a bad father. I accept that. I know that about myself. And I just want you to know that it was because of issues that I’ve had for my whole life. I had them before you were born and I’ll probably have them for as long as I live.”
    “You can choose to change, dad.”
    “I know, honey. I’m not making excuses.