Chapter Eleven

Gabriel

I was standing in line at the Avalon Café like I did every morning. That Tuesday didn’t feel any different than any of the other days, not even with the rain pouring down outside. I shifted on my feet, feeling tired from not sleeping well the last couple of days. Between the rain and the tiredness, I really wasn’t in the mood to deal with any kind of drama. Penny had been up late working on her software, so I knew she wouldn’t be meeting me down here this morning. It was probably just as well since she’d been acting weird ever since she sent me the text about her father. I sighed and looked around the place, dropping my hand to my side.

As if the bastard could tell I was thinking about him, Penny’s father, Randall, walked up next to me. For several moments we stood in silence, watching the people around us. It was obvious he had something to say to me, but I wasn’t quite sure what it was. Just the fact that he was standing so close made me nervous, especially with the other prominent residents of the complex coming and going through the space. Finally, I turned to him, taking in a deep breath.

“Randall,” I said. “What can I do for you?”

“Does Penny know?” He kept himself faced forward.

“About what?”

Randall sighed, knowing that I was just being an asshole. He knew I was playing dumb, but I wanted to hear it from his mouth. I wanted to know that he knew I could take him down at any second with Penny. I wasn’t going to play his games, but I was definitely going to dish some out. There was nothing more satisfying than making this man sweat a little. Besides, if he had a problem with me dating Penny, he would just have to suck it up. He was the guy with the secrets, not me, and I wasn’t there to make sure he stayed the perfect angel of a father. Maybe if he had been a better man, none of this would have been an issue in the first place.

“I know about you and Penny,” he said, turning toward me. “But that isn’t the issue I am worried about.”

“Okay, what is the issue then?”

Before he could answer, I stepped forward to the counter and ordered my coffee. I paid the girl behind the counter, took my cup and walked over to the sugar station, Randall shuffling along behind me. I knew it was wrong, considering Randall was Penny’s father, but I found a strange satisfaction in knowing that I was able to make him sweat. He was a crook and a liar; there was no getting around that, and he knew it.

“I want my daughter to continue to view me as a good person,” he said with a sigh. “I’m not stupid, I know you know a lot about me. I know you know my personal history, but I don’t want you to tell Penny about it.”

I stood there fixing my coffee. When the lid was secured, I looked over at him and shook my head, a chuckle coming from my throat. He looked mortified as I walked away from him not wanting to entertain any kind of conversation with him that had me hiding things from Penny. At the same time, I also knew he was right, that kind of news would really hurt her and that was the last thing I wanted to happen.

“Gabriel,” he called out, stopping me in my tracks. He hurried over and slid in front of me. “Think about Penny, she has thought of me as a good person her whole life. It was part of the reason she became such an angel of a human being. Her mother left us both when she was in college and that really tore her up. Telling her these things about me are not going to do anything but hurt her. If you care about her as much as you say you do, then please don’t tell her.”

“I haven’t told her anything,” I said, gritting my teeth. “But it wasn’t for your benefit, it was for hers.”

“Thank you,” he said, reaching out and touching my arm. “You know she wants us to meet.”

“I know,” I scoffed. “It’s been difficult trying to get out of that.”

“So, don’t,” he said, shrugging. “Say yes next time she asks. I’ll put on a really good show, act like I’ve never met you. She will be so thrilled that we finally had some face-to-face time with each other. When it’s over she won’t push the issue anymore. Right now, she just feels hurt and suspicious over it.”

“I don’t feel right faking it,” I said, shaking my head. “I am already lying to her enough about you and your bad habits, the last thing I want is to lie to her about knowing you.”

“Well, you got into this knowing exactly who her father was,” he said, withdrawing his hand. “You can’t make a decision to play it off and then just hide when it’s time to face the music.”

“Yeah,” I scoffed. “Taking morality advice from a guy like you sounds like a perfect idea.”

“I’m just trying to protect Penny,” he said. “If she finds out you have been lying to her this whole time she is going to be so heartbroken. Trust me, I would love for her to date some techie who knows nothing about me, but she chose you, and I have to accept that. You and I need to work together to keep this simple for her.”

“I don’t need to work on anything with you,” I said, holding my cup tightly as I turned and started through the lobby.

I couldn’t believe that I had gotten myself into such a mess, and there was no way out of it at that point. If I came clean, she would be angry because I lied and hurt to find out that her perfect father was actually a crook and a liar. If I hid it, she would one day find out, and the lie would be compounded by time. It was a no-win situation, and I was standing in the middle of it all. I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I did know that I really wanted to see Penny, to hug her and kiss her lips. I pulled out my cell phone and texted her, asking if she would like to come over later and have dinner at my apartment.

I jumped in the town car out front and headed for work, knowing Penny was probably still in bed where I wished I was. As we drove along I watched the people out, walking toward their respective jobs, keeping their lives together. I had Penny, now, but I didn’t have the ability to be completely honest with her and that was driving me nuts. I looked down at my buzzing phone, realizing she was actually awake.

Penny: Awe, I would love to see you, but I can’t. I’m pushing through the day and into the night to get this software launch ready.

I sighed, thinking about how I used to be that motivated, giving up time with others to get the product or the service absolutely perfect in every aspect. I didn’t regret a minute of my business life, but I definitely wished I hadn’t passed on things like dinner with the woman I was dating. That’s when it fully hit me that I was actually starting to feel some sort of commitment to Penny. It should have left me scared, but it didn’t. I texted Penny back telling her I really wanted to see her and asked if I could please cook dinner for her tomorrow night. I waited a few moments and looked down. She had replied with a “Yes!” and a smiley face. I couldn’t help but smile myself, thinking about that beautiful woman lying in her bed, excited to come and spend time with me. I couldn’t hurt her; it would be too much. The whole situation was a bunch of shit, but I had to remember that my sacrifices now would put into motion a relationship with Penny that I had never experienced with anyone else.