The ride home that night was quiet, at least for me.
Val talked the whole way, about how good the food was, how her dad actually smiled, how maybe things were finally turning around.
I heard her voice but not the words.
All I could think about was one thing, how the hell did Charlie know I was part of the infrastructure bid team?
I'd told Val. I tell her everything. We always have.
So if Charlie knew, it had to be from one of their talks, probably a casual mention, nothing more. She wouldn't have realized it mattered.
Still, thinking back to how his tone had shifted — polite and charming over dinner, then cold the second we were alone in his study — I could tell. He'd fished it out of her on purpose.
And now, sitting behind the wheel, her laughter beside me felt like static. She was still glowing from the evening, completely unaware that the father who had just smiled at her had practically threatened her husband an hour ago.
