AFTER DROPPING LIA off at work, I decided to swing by the office and check on the progress of my spec homes. Sitting at my desk, I thought about how the thing we had going between us could quickly go to shit if I let Sam ruin it for us. We were being robbed of a normal courtship because we were too busy putting out Sam’s fires—literally.
While reading through emails from the subcontractors on the progress of my projects, I stumbled across one from my dad. Great, I thought as I opened it.
Cale,
Son, I know we didn’t end things well during our last conversation. I promise I am trying to let you make your own decisions, but we could really use you at the firm. I’ve even found a few potential buyers for your company that you could profit from considerably. If you join me, I promise I’ll stop trying to set you up with women and stay out of your personal life.
I met someone. She’s actually my assistant at the firm. Her name’s Charlotte and we’ve been together for many months now. She’s absolutely gorgeous and quite the pistol. I was told that I was a “deadbeat dad” for pushing my one and only son away. You know I’m not good with feelings or apologizing for that matter but she has a point. I’m getting older and I really would like to be a part of your life.
So consider my email the white flag of surrender. I wish I could say things to you in person but we both end up getting angry too easily and nothing gets talked out.
If you come on to the firm as one of my top architects and finish your degree, there will be a partnership position with an extremely nice salary waiting for you.
Sincerely,
Dad
Hmph. Definitely hadn’t been expecting that this morning. My dad was actually trying to be a human with feelings. This was all alien to me. I wasn’t really quite sure how to proceed. I was pretty sure I already liked Charlotte though. That was for damn sure. Not many people would call Dad out on his shit. It was commendable.
Figuring it was unavoidable, I began typing my response.
Dad,
This all came out of left field for sure. While I appreciate your desire to rebuild our relationship, I am going to have to pass on the job opportunity. I’ve begun building a life here in Jonestown and the girl I’ve recently met is smart and a damn knockout.
However, I would like to try and work on our relationship. Maybe we could grab a beer one day or something. Charlotte sounds like a keeper by the way. You can tell her I said so.
Cale
He seemed pretty sincere in the emails, so maybe I’d give him another shot. It took a lot for someone like my dad to admit a mistake, so it seemed real. Another email popped into my inbox from him.
Cale,
Well, we must be doing something right because Charlotte’s standing over my shoulder, jumping up and down like a damn cheerleader. She insists you come to dinner tonight at the house and to bring your lady friend. It’s probably short notice but we’re only 45 minutes away. I’d really like to see you and for you to meet Charlotte.
Dad
Wow. That was fast. I guessed what they say is true—there’s no time like the present. I decided to text Lia and see what her thoughts were.
Me: Hey, babe. Hope your morning is going well. So my dad and his girlfriend want us to come to dinner tonight. What do you think?
A few minutes later, she responded.
Lia: Your dad, whom you’ve been estranged from all these years? Do you want to go? I think it’s a great idea for you guys to see each other but is that what you want?
Her text made me smile. That’s why Lia was a keeper. She was a really kindhearted person.
Me: Yeah, I think this could be a start in the right direction towards fixing our problems. His girlfriend seems like someone who can keep him on the straight and narrow. I like her already.
Lia: Then of course, Cale. I’m looking forward to it. :)
I sent Dad off another email confirming that we’d be at dinner tonight at the house. This was turning out to be a really strange day.
After making some calls to the window replacement company, I headed over to Lia’s to inspect the damage from the fire. She’d given me the keys, minus the mace, so that I could go and take a look today.
After unlocking the insane amount of locks on her door, I let myself inside. There was still glass all over the carpet. The place had a burnt smell to it. I busied myself with sweeping up the glass, removing the curtains and burned blanket, and wiping down what I could. The damage wasn’t that extensive, mostly superficial. She’d have some burns in the carpet until she got around to replacing it. It was a good thing I knew a few people.
Hearing the crunch of gravel in the driveway, I realized that the window replacement company must have arrived. After letting them in, I showed them what needed to be repaired and they quickly set to putting in the new window.
While they were doing that, I decided to pick out something for Lia to wear tonight. I knew she’d only really packed clothes for work in her bag. Luckily, the sexy outfit she’d planned on wearing Saturday night was draped across the dresser. I grabbed it plus the impossibly high-heeled shoes as well. There was no way this outfit was going to waste.
After the window was repaired, I locked up and headed out. There were a few more errands I needed to run before picking up Lia. I couldn’t believe I’d be seeing my dad again for the first time in many years. It was going to be awkward to say the least. At least Lia would be with me and we could just bail if things got weird.
At five, I walked into Lia’s work wearing a dressy pair of jeans and a button-up shirt. Dad always liked people to dress for the occasion. The look on her face was priceless when she saw me coming towards her desk.
“Lia, I think there’s a little drool on your face,” I teased with a wink.
This brought her out of her blatant ogling and into the present. She stuck her tongue out, causing me to laugh.
“Girl, you DO need a tissue to wipe that drool. And get one for me too,” sassed someone from the corner. The cute black girl sashayed over to me before sticking out her manicured hand. “I’m Anj, short for Anjel. Don’t ever think about calling me Anjel unless you want to see my horns.”
I laughed at her and shook her hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you formally.”
She grinned at me. “You better treat my girl right or there’ll be hell to pay. I don’t care how fine you are.”
I winked at her. “Oh, I’ll treat her right.”
“Mmmmhmmm. Damn right you will,” she agreed with a hand on her hip. She was on a roll.
Lia finally interrupted our banter, asking what was in the bag I was carrying.
“I brought you a change of clothes for dinner with my dad tonight,” I told her, handing her the bag.
When she peeked inside, she blushed. If I had to guess by the look on her face, she might have been remembering our date.
After she left to change her clothes, I heard Ben call for me from his office. When I stepped inside, he asked me to close the door. The serious look on his face had me worried.
“So Lia tells me there is a man named Sam giving her all kinds of trouble?” he asked.
I sobered up quickly, thinking of everything he’d put her through. “Yes, and I intend to catch that motherfu—bastard in the act,” I growled. “When I do, that will be the end of it and it won’t be pretty.”
Ben nodded at my declaration. “Take care of my girl, Mr. Reeves. I’m holding you personally responsible. She’s the daughter I never was able to have. You can see how much she means to me, so please don’t let anything happen to her. As long as she’s here, I can protect her. You take care of the rest.” He pulled out a nine-millimeter handgun and set it on the desk in front of me.
I stared at the gun for a moment before taking it and sticking it in the waistline of my jeans, pulling my shirt over it. “You have my word,” I promised, meeting his eyes with mine, which showed the conviction I felt.
“Good,” he sighed in relief, effectively ending the conversation.