Chapter 13

So there I was, standing around like a total idiot, not having a clue what I did to piss him off.

Luckily, Uncle Bear took pity on me and asked what I wanted to do. I told him I wanted to learn how to wash cars, and he showed me the ropes. Compared to Jason, Uncle Bear was way more chill.

"Most of the guys here used to work with him on construction sites. When the project funds didn't come through, he brought everyone back to his hometown and started fixing cars to support them. He's a real stand-up guy," Uncle Bear said while teaching me.

I was taken aback. "Wait, the project funds? Is that the ten million dollars my dad owed?"

Uncle Bear looked like he just stepped on a landmine. "Your dad is your dad, and you're you. We were in a tight spot back then. A lot of people needed that money to survive. I swear, the Boss never meant to hurt you," he said, raising his hand like he was taking an oath.

"It's my dad's fault," I muttered, feeling like crap.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up. In the end, the Boss covered most of the project funds out of his own pocket. There was still a bit missing, but it was close enough. We all owe him big time," Uncle Bear said with a reassuring smile.

I was floored. In my head, Jason was just this guy living in a run-down apartment, always looking like he was scraping by. I thought he was so broke that he even made me keep track of a $4.50 cup of instant noodles. I never imagined he'd shell out all that money to cover the project funds.

I felt even worse about myself.

That morning, Uncle Bear was super patient, making sure I was safe while teaching me. The other guys finished their work and came over to help out, taking on the heavy lifting.

"Rachel, just think of it as summer training. No need to go all out."

"Yeah, girls shouldn't be doing the dirty and heavy stuff."