Barefoot in the Rain by Roxanne St. Claire Page A

especially from Zoe.
    “Zoe!” the other two said in unison.
    But Zoe didn’t take her eyes off Jocelyn. “On the first or second night at school, you were changing in the room, and I saw some bruises on you.”
    Her blood chilled. “Will didn’t hit me, no. Will has never ever hurt me. On the contrary, he…”
Tried to defend me. Was willing to take a bullet for me
. Wasn’t he? Thank God they didn’t have to find out.
    “He what?” Zoe urged.
    “He was exactly what I needed at the time.”
    No one spoke, the only sound the soft hum from the pool motor just outside.
    “Jocelyn,” Lacey finally said. “We know your dad is really sick. And we know you have a rocky relationship with him. You need us, honey, and you can trust us with anything.”
    Perspiration tingled despite the cool evening air thattumbled in from the patio. All three of them looked at her with concern and love.
    Which just made guilt smash at her heart. If they knew that she’d told Coco—a client and, yes, a friend—and not them? Lacey would be hurt. Tessa would be furious. And Zoe would remind her every chance she got.
    But she’d told Coco for a reason, and these three women didn’t have any reason to know except that they were more like sisters than friends. They could be trusted, and tender. Plus, with Will doing a full-court press to keep her from putting Guy in a home, they could be her allies.
    “I hate my father,” she said simply.
    Yes, it was kind of hard to hate that weepy old man she’d spent the afternoon with, a man who couldn’t remember her name, but she still hated who he was and who he had been.
    No one spoke, giving her time to sift through her emotions to find the right words. “He…”
Beat my mother. Kicked me so hard he broke a rib. Made me the control freak I am today
. “Was physically abusive.”
    “Oh, baby.”
    “Jeez.”
    “Shoot the em-effer.”
    Jocelyn smiled at Zoe. “Don’t think the thought hadn’t occurred to me. But I did the next best thing. I left home and never looked back. Until today, it was my intention to never speak to him, look at him, or think about him until the day his death notice arrived in my mailbox.”
    That silenced all of them.
    “I know I sound harsh,” she said. “Especially now, when you look at the guy. He’s like a little old lady, doingneedlepoint and watching HGTV. But I know what he is… what he
was
.” Her voice cracked and Zoe handed her the wineglass.
    She half smiled, accepting it with a slight tremble in her hands, then taking a deep drink.
    Tessa leaned closer, pain clouding her eyes. “Some people should not be allowed to be parents.”
    “No kidding.” One more drink and her limbs finally felt a little heavy, while the weight on her heart felt a little lighter. “Before I left for school, I… he…” Shit. “There was a pretty bad night.” Her voice cracked, which she tried to cover with a fake cough. “Will was there.”
    “Did he hit Will?” Tessa asked.
    She shook her head. “He was more mad at me than he was at Will, but he did have a gun.” When Zoe gasped, Jocelyn added. “He was the deputy county sheriff on Mimosa Key at the time, so he was, you know, law and judge and jury. And my father. So I basically decided at that moment that Will, who was on a direct trajectory to huge success, would be better off if we didn’t ever see each other again.”
    “And he agreed?” Zoe asked.
    “He must have. He never tried to track me down at UF and our friendship ended.”
    “And now he’s taking care of the guy you hate,” Tessa said.
    Zoe grunted softly. “That’s gotta hurt.”
    “But that’s Will,” Lacey said. “He’ll always do the right thing. That’s his nature.”
    “I don’t think it’s the right thing,” Jocelyn said. “I know that’s cold, but I don’t. And he’s my father, not his. Despite what Guy thinks.”
    “Guy thinks Will is his son?” Zoe choked on that.
    “He’s pretty confused.” She put the