Free Nerds on Fire by D.R. Grady Page B

has a college
roommate without much family, who I informally adopted. Katy is
always included in all family functions and calls me
Dad.”
    “ Oh, Katy.” Rylan pictured
her waving away his other daughter with casual elegance, as though
unimportant. “I was speaking of Trixi. This is because of the
house, isn’t it?”
    He had no idea what she was getting
at, but decided to end it all here and now. “It has to do with the
fact I don’t love you and you don’t love me, so there is no reason
for a relationship. You need to move on, Chrissy. As I plan to
do.”
    Not that she needed to move on, since
she was entertaining the man who had been at her house, but anyway,
he didn’t plan to see her again.
    As she sputtered, he said, “Goodbye
Chrissy. I have three more calls blinking at me and I need to take
them.” Then he disconnected with her and picked up the first one
flashing at him.
    He forgot her as his mind turned to
business.

Chapter 11
     
    “ No, Leo. Remember
I’m going to supper tonight with Trixi and Dad?” Katy reminded him
as they loped toward the door after work on Friday.
    “ Oh yeah, I forgot.” His
glance was quick but assessing. “You know these people?”
    It was a legitimate question, if a bit
silly. “Of course I know them. I’ve celebrated every holiday with
them since college. I’ve lived with them off and on for
years.”
    “ You have a
house.”
    “ Yes, I bought it while I
lived with them. Rylan, Trixi’s biological
father — and my
adopted one — helped
me pull it all together, especially settlement.”
    Trixi converged on them from a
bisecting hallway. “He wanted to help her pay for it too. They had
about five fights, but Katy won.”
    Leo’s eyebrow rose. “You turned down
financial help from your dad?”
    “ Yes, I didn’t need the
money. Another inheritance had kicked in by then, and it was plenty
to buy my house outright.” People brushed past them, eager to start
the weekend.
    “ He caught on after Katy
finally showed him her bank statement.” A couple passed them,
talking animatedly. In the packed lobby the woman tipped into
Trixi, who knocked into Katy.
    Leo caught them both and waved off
their thanks. “That’s how you won the fight?”
    “ Correct. She had to prove
to him she really didn’t need him to help her because she had
enough in the bank to cover it.”
    “ You used your entire
inheritance to finance your house?” Leo questioned.
    “ No. I asked Dad to help me
invest the remainder after I bought the house.”
    Trixi sighed as she skirted a chair
someone left in the middle of the floor. “Her place is a respite
for me when mine gets overwhelming.”
    “ I don’t know how it
couldn’t be.”
    The doctor Trixi worked with stopped
to ask her a question so Leo leaned down to whisper, “You bought a
smaller house so you could help Trixi out if needed.”
    Since he was close to the truth, Katy
tweaked his nose. “Know-it-alls are annoying.”
    He laughed and playfully tried to bite
her fingers. She snatched them out of reach. Trixi returned to
their conversation. “Supper at Gran’s is at six-thirty
tonight.”
    “ I’ll be ready.”
    “ You’re on our way. Do you
want us to pick you up?”
    Katy nodded. Riding together sounded
nice. It would give her more time with them. “Yes. I’ll be
ready.”
    “ Did Katy tell me you also
have a family function tonight?” Trix peeped up at Leo.
    He grinned. “We have family
functions a lot .”
    “ Is Mark going with
you?”
    “ I imagine he’ll show up at
some point.”
    “ Don’t you two live
together?”
    “ We do, but he’s got
appointments to look at some houses tonight, so I expect he’ll be
late.”
    “ I have appointments all
weekend,” Mark intoned as he joined them. “Let’s get out of here
before they ask me to look at more brains.”
    “ Overworked?” Amusement lit
Leo’s eyes and tone.
    “ I know I’m not the only
neurosurgeon on staff.” Mark cleared a path to the