揂nything else, Katelyn??I ask.
揥ell, one more thing.?She strides forward, leaning over my desk with a whisper. 揝he took off for a two-hour lunch earlier. I抦 not sure where she went, because there抯 nowhere around here where you can lounge around and eat for hours without someone trying to turn you out for table space.?
I look behind her, again fixing my eyes on Destiny.
揓ust thought you抎 want to know. I抦 going to go catch up on the filing. I抣l leave you two to talk it out.?My assistant retreats with her usual tact, knowing when to leave things in my hands.
My gaze on Dess hardens.
揈xplain yourself,?I say.
She sucks in a deep, frustrated breath, no doubt spinning teenage half-truths by the second. 揙kay. So, like, don抰 be mad, but I was going to this new pizza place just past Pier 67 and the fancy hotel, but I stopped by the ferries to Canada and there was this cluster of baby seals. They were all棓 She pauses, imitating fins with her arms. 揂rf, arf, arf! Take a picture with me棓
Goddamn.
It抯 torture keeping a straight face. She might be fifteen, but she抣l always be an adorable little girl to me, and her seal impression doesn抰 help me stay mad.
Still, I try like hell not to laugh, pressing my lips together into a thin line.
揝o, um, I had to take pictures with them. I threw them up on Instagram and I got over a hundred likes and comments before I even left! I was there for over an hour, Dad, so by the time I got to the pizza place...it was late and I was starving, okay? And like how important can these files be if they抮e not even digital? Why does your company still have so much paper??
I suck in a breath, mulling it over.
揇estiny, you抮e fifteen. You抮e here on assignment in a grown-up work environment. You can抰 just disappear unsupervised for hours梟o matter how cute the wildlife might be. This isn抰 just about your work schedule, either. How many times have I told you Seattle isn抰 always safe when you抮e alone??
揇ad, in three years, I抦 going to be completely unsupervised. Basically forever. I抦 thinking about New York City...?Her eyes flare, taking the chance to rub it in. She抣l be on the other side of the country. 揇o you really think you need to worry about me for a couple measly hours??
揥orrying is what dads do. You know that. I think you抮e taking advantage of this job shadowing situation because I抦 your old man. You need to put work first, little bee. Your future before internet likes.?I lean back in my chair with a muffled groan of exasperation.
She rolls her eyes, huffing a breath.
揙kay, but桰 don抰 actually love coffee, you know? I definitely don抰 love filing, data entry, and the other boring stuff Katelyn has me do. Kinda hate it, actually.?She sighs and looks away before meeting my eyes again. 揥hat if I don抰 want anything to do with Wired Cup someday? What if I want to be a marine biologist or something? Shouldn抰 I be shadowing seals??
揟he seals aren抰 biologists, Dess,?I point out.
揥ell, neither is anybody here.?She huffs out a breath.
That makes me crack a half smile.
揧ou really want to be a marine biologist??
揂rf. Yes!?She does the fin thing with her arms again.
I shake my head, grabbing my phone. 揌old on. I抦 recording that for posterity梠r just your friends.?
揇ad, no!?Her jaw drops. She crosses her arms in front of her chest. 揃e serious.?
The heavy look I give her could break weight records.
揑f you抮e completely serious about this new passion, I抣l see about getting you an internship at a marine sanctuary,?I say.
揜eally??She brightens, her dirty-blond ponytail bobbing behind her.
揧eah. Back in my Navy days, they were marked on the maps all the time. Hmm.?I pause, stroking my chin thoughtfully. 揑f I recall right, there抯 a fine one in Barrow, Alaska. That should keep you out of my hair for a while. As long as you like husky sleigh rides and all the hot chocolate you can drink.?
揇ad! That抯 just...brrr. No.?She clutches her shoulders like she抯 freezing.
You know you抳e got a teenager on the ropes when you抳e rendered her speechless.
揥hat do you have against Alaska, Destiny??
But before she can answer and beg for an internship in SoCal or Mexico, there抯 another knock at my door.
揘ot again. I抦 dead in here!?I call through the door, properly annoyed.
揌e抯 alive,?Destiny calls after me.
揝nitch.?
The door opens and Eliza Angelo stands in front of me, looking like every man抯 mad scientist fantasy with her chestnut hair blown back, framing those strawberry lips and caramel eyes too perfectly. She clutches a thermos in each hand.
揇id something escape the lab? You look like you抮e on the hunt,?I joke, mostly for Destiny抯 sake. Mostly.
揂nd you missed our appointment for the tasting.?
My eyes flick to the clock on my computer.
Shit, she抯 right.
揗y apologies. Unexpected disruption. My daughter found some baby seals and ghosted us for a few hours. I was just trying to help her understand why that抯 not a good idea in a professional environment.?
She looks at Destiny with a fondness shining in her eyes. 揇on抰 piss your dad off, young lady. It doesn抰 get any easier than this. You抣l be back in school soon and the rest of us still have to deal with him.?
揝orry,?Dess says.
My eyes flick from the crazy badger lady to my daughter.
揌old on. You don抰 know her besides watching her tear me apart in my store and you抮e being this nice??I snort.
Destiny nods, her lips turning up in a lopsided smile.
揝he gets an apology and I get lip? Dess, I抳e taken care of you your whole life. Tell me how the hell that works??
揇ad, I棓
揋uys.?Miss Angelo claps her hands together softly. 揑 hate to interrupt whatever weird family thing is happening, but I was up all night working on this and...and someone抯 drinking it today. So, what are we trying first? Latte or mocha??
I hate that I抦 impressed.
Her desire to cut the crap and get down to business fires a missile at my own heart.
揧ou managed a latte and a mocha? Did you forget I just wanted one good specialty drink??Apparently, my body forgot it抯 not supposed to have an electric current in her presence.
She grins. 揟hey抮e prototypes, right? I wanted to offer you two drinks so I can cross compare, knowing one will turn out better than the other. That way, I can keep refining the weaker drink.?
Or she抯 that terrified of me hating her efforts and demanding better. I don抰 say it, of course.
Time will tell.
Either the drinks are shit, or she抯 more talented than I dreamed.
揃old choice. How did you come up with two distinct beverages in such a short time??I ask.
揟he latte is something I was already thinking about and the mocha is just a variation with chocolate. So are we ready??Her eyes are damn near gleaming with excitement.
Maybe she抯 not nervous. I should be happy about that梚f only a small, buried part of me didn抰 want her to find me intimidating.
揑 want the mocha!?Dess meets my eyes. 揧ou made one good decision this week, Dad. You hired Badger Lady.?
揗iss Angelo,?I correct, even as my daughter rolls her eyes.
揑 actually prefer Eliza,?she says.
揈liza! I love that name.?Destiny beams at her like she抯 offering a tall glass of Bailey抯 rather than a frigging burned mocha. She holds out her fist.
Eliza stares back, confused for a moment, then bumps her fist with a soft laugh.
揊ine, we抣l start with the mocha. Don抰 give Destiny too much,?I say, holding in a smile while Dess glares at me.
I duck behind my desk to fetch a few cups.
Eliza sets both hulking Yetis on my desk. She opens the pink one first and pours a muddy dark liquid with a strong cocoa scent into the cup I set out.
揑 can smell the chocolate. Miss Angelo, it better be dark and delicious and the bane of Destiny抯 sweet tooth. We do not want any sugar-lick frou-frou drinks,?I say.
She stops, swinging the cup she was about to hand to me over to Destiny.
揑抦 the CEO,?I warn.
揧eah, but she抯 nicer.?