13. Step-Family

1503 Words
“Hey, Kiddo, I figured I would take you to work today. I know your mother hasn’t been the most welcoming towards you lately.” ‘Or ever!’ Roz scoffed behind Nova as she rolled her eyes. Of course, Timothy didn’t hear Roz. Nova tried to get people to see her for years, so her father had to explain that imaginary friends can only be seen by the person they attach to. Her. It was hard for toddler Nova to understand why no one else could see her best friend, but it quickly became her most significant resource. Roz could see what everyone else was doing, so Nova always knew when people were conspiring. Mostly her mother. Nova knew her mother was behind her father's death; she had confided in her Uncle Dane and Uncle Winston Crane. They both had their ways of finding information, and that is what they were all doing. Nova had been searching the house incessantly for evidence, and while her Uncle Dane had his feelers out in the streets, shaking down lowlifes and contract killers, her Uncle Winston was taking the legal route. Either way, it was her mission to take down her mother. She will pay for her crimes, one way or another. Nova didn’t trust Timothy, but he was the lesser of two evils. She weighed her options carefully. He was right about her mother and her passive-aggressive mannerisms, making it challenging for her to keep her sanity. Roz told her it was because Carol was denied access to her father's wealth and business. What would Carol even do with a mechanics business? She’d run it into the ground out of greed. Dane was the only person that her father and she trusted to maintain the integrity of the business. He helped put many of the standards in place and took it upon himself to teach the youth they hire around the community to give them second chances for their future growth. Dane was the one who deserved the business, and everyone knew that although Nova loved spending time around the main shop where Dane, her dad and the guys were, it wasn’t her passion. Art was. Nova watched Timothy in silence as he continued to speak to her; she was pulled back, deep in her thoughts. She didn’t know much about Timothy. At this point, he seemed very surface-level to her, and she felt that his comfort and empathy were more of a show to be performed, but for whose benefit? That was the question Nova wanted to answer. “Anyway, I must go to the office for a few hours. I know it can be toxic here with her theatrics, so I wanted to know if you would like to tag along. It’ll get you out of the house for a bit.” “Alright. Let me quickly change.” Nova walked to her bed and turned down her laptop. She quickly packed it up into her messenger bag and straightened the sheets. “Sure. I will be leaving in fifteen minutes.” “Sounds good,” Nova answers back, heading into her private en-suite to brush her teeth and hair. She heard the door click close, signalling that Timothy had left her room to meet downstairs. “What do you think, Roz?” She asks while brushing her teeth. Roz is seated on the long double sink counter, watching her. ‘I think we’ve searched the house and found nothing. Let’s turn it up and see what Mr. Bad Vibes has hidden in the office.’ Roz shrugged. “Agreed. If we can get into his space, maybe we can find something. Do you really think he helped her?” Rinsing her mouth and toothbrush afterward. Again, Roz shrugged. ‘Not sure. I don’t think so, but that man is just as filthy as Carol. I can still smell his lingering sin and dirty thoughts.’ Roz scrunches her face. Nova turns and stares into Roz’s glowing red eyes, her lips pressed thin with concern. “I don’t trust him.” ‘Good! Don’t trust anyone in this house of sin. Once an opportunity comes to leave, we need to.’ Nova took in Roz’ words. “What other opportunity could there be?” Roz shrugs. Stepping out of her room, she closed the door behind her while adjusting her messenger bag. She didn’t sense that Carol had come up behind her. “Where the f**k do you think you’re going?” She snapped angrily. “Oh, Timothy offered to take me to the office to get out for a bit. I figured you wouldn’t mind since you didn’t want me around anyway.” Nova smiled as she spoke. She wouldn’t feed into her mother's attempts to take her down to her level. “How convenient. Can’t tempt my husband when I am around, so you're going to get your claws in him at the office, w***e?” Carol hissed viciously. Nova was stunned. “That’s enough!” Timothy shouted from the bottom of the stairwell. He heard Carol’s words and didn’t like them at all. “Am I wrong? I see the way you two look at each other. I’ll also mention this to Pastor Terrence when I see him this afternoon.” Carol’s threat only made Timothy laugh. “Good. Tell him all the horrible things you’ve said or done to your grieving daughter this past week. You’re making the idea of divorce a heck of a lot easier to consider lately. Keep it up, woman. You’ll get nothing from me; the prenup makes sure of that. Keep pushing.” Timothy smirked at the twist in Carol’s expression. He suspected she had forgotten about their prenup. He turned to Nova with a small smile. “Come on. Let’s leave this toxic space for a bit.” As soon as they got in the car and drove through the security gates, Timothy smiled at Nova. He patted her thigh gently, “Hey, sorry about all of this. Your mother is a hard woman to live with. I wish I had known this before we married. I am sorry she isn’t there for you the way you need someone to be.” Nova offered him a sky nod and a small smile of gratitude. “It’s okay. I am used to it from her. She’s never liked me for some reason.” She shrugs and looks out the window. “Well, it’s not okay. I hope you know that I am always here for you. No matter what you need, money, a listening and supportive ear or even comfort like a hug. Day or night, okay?” “Thank you.” Was all Nova could muster in words. She returned to the window again, but when the car fell silent, she realized he hadn’t moved his hand from her thigh. He didn’t move it in any way, but it stayed planted just above her knee as he stared ahead and drove them to his company. ‘Roz, what do I do?’ Nova called out in her head as she filled with panic. ‘Open the glove box, take out a pen and impale it into his filthy hand!’ Roz hissed. She was disgusted by the sight of the hand on Nova’s thigh just as much as Nova was. Roz’s suggestion caused Nova to chuckle at the gory thought; she was heavily considering it. She grew up around shop guys; they always said to fight dirty to get away from an attacker. No matter what and no matter who it is. Timothy removed his hand suddenly and turned to look at Nova, confused. “What’s so funny, missy?” He teased with a smirk. “Oh, nothing. We passed a park I visited as a child and remembered some good memories. That’s all.” Nova quickly recovered. ‘Good save! You’re officially my alibi when I need one next.’ Roz leaned forward with a sinister smirk and continued to glare at Timothy. Nova rolled her eyes, “Oh, do you want to stop and play?” ‘Pervert!’ Roz hissed. ‘Yeah, take the teen that you are inappropriately touching to a park to play, you sicko!’ Roz followed sarcastically. “No. It’s fine. Thank you, though.” Nova hid her smile at Roz’s words by staring out the window. ‘I officially hate this pervert. I knew he was faking his kindness. He’s trying to get into your pants while gaslighting Cruella back at the house. Match mind in hell, really.’ Roz grumbled with her arms crossed, clumping back into the leather seats in the back of the car. ‘It’s fine. We’ll get out of this car soon. Then you can start your sleuthing. He won’t touch us in an office filled with people, right? It’ll be okay.’ Nova tried to calm her best friend down. Roz was an absolute firecracker when triggered. Her trigger was Nova—every time. Property of 202MURPHY ©
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