It wasn’t my intention, but I realized my answer could have been true for both the business and Paisley. I cleared my throat nervously, hoping my father didn’t notice my realization.
“That’s wonderful,” Ray nodded. “Tara’s a great asset to us here.”
“She’s nice,” Paisley said softly. She looked as if she wasn’t sure she was supposed to speak. Her cheeks flushed slightly when Ray’s eyes once again settled on her face.
“She is,” Ray agreed, smiling kindly. “Listen, I want to take you out to lunch today. Both of you.”
“Why?” I asked suspiciously.
“Just to talk about things,” Ray shrugged. “Nothing formal.”
“Okay,” I said slowly. It suddenly dawned on me that Tara still hadn’t arrived. “Where’s Tara? She wasn’t in the conference room. I was going to check her office, but you called me in here before I got the chance.”
“Tara took the day off,” Ray said simply. He looked at me with an impassive expression. I wanted to ask questions, but I hesitated, in case it somehow gave away mine and Tara’s relationship. The last thing I wanted to do was get her in trouble with her boss.
“Okay,” I said again.
“So,” Ray said. “Lunch. How ‘bout it?”
“Sounds good,” I said with an automatic nod.
“Great,” Ray smiled. “Tara left a few things for you to go over. I believe she set them up in the conference room. Why don’t you spend the morning in there, and I’ll come get you when it’s time to leave?”
“Okay,” I said. I felt like the word was becoming my mantra. I gestured for Paisley to follow me. She jumped up and hurried with me toward the door.
As we stepped into the hallway, I glanced back at my father, still wondering what his motives were. He wasn’t looking at me. His attention was focused on his computer. I shook my head and turned away.
***
My father took us to a pizza place for lunch. I was surprised when we pulled into the parking lot, but his reasoning became clear when we stepped inside. He immediately pulled a few coins from his pocket and handed them to Paisley.
“Here you go,” he said, winking at her. “Why don’t you go play some games while we order the pizza?”
Paisley shrugged. “Sure.” She took the coins and stuffed them into her pockets. She glanced at me and said, “I only like cheese.”
I smiled. “Got it.” She turned and ran toward the arcade without another word.
Ray ordered us a large pepperoni and personal size cheese pizza. We filled our drink cups and found an empty table. As we sat down, I glanced over to check on Paisley. She was enthralled with a pin ball machine and looked to be having a good time. I smiled, thinking how happy I was to have her around.
“So,” Ray said, pulling my attention back to him. “How are things really going? With your daughter, I mean.”
“It’s great,” I answered shortly. I didn’t trust my father enough to talk to him about anything real.
“Really?” Ray asked. “I imagine it would be a rough adjustment, especially for her.”
“She misses her mom,” I said. “It’s natural that she should. Claire just died.”
“I’m sorry about that, again,” Ray said. His face fell slightly like he might actually mean what he said.
“I’m sure you are,” I said. My eyes were narrowed while we spoke. I knew there was more to this lunch than he was letting on.
“Anyway,” Ray said. He cleared his throat. “I wanted to take you to lunch so I could thank you. I can’t tell you how happy I am that you decided to come work for the company.”
“Uh huh,” I nodded. “Well, the money really was too good to pass up. Now that I have Paisley to think about, I couldn’t say no.”
“Still,” Ray said. “Money aside. I’m glad to have both my sons working with me. It feels right. Like we’re becoming a real family again.”
“We aren’t,” I snapped. I glared at my father in disbelief. Did he really mean the crap he was spewing? Did he honestly think that, after everything, we could become one big, happy family over night?
“Listen,” Ray said. “I know things between you and your brother are strained.”
“Strained?” I scoffed. “Maybe you’ve forgotten, but they are much more than strained.”
“I know,” Ray said. He held up his hands defensively. “But, I think if you gave him a chance, you would see how much he’s changed. He really is a different person now, Sean.”
“Somehow, I find that hard to believe.”
“Then just give me a chance?” Ray pleaded. “Things could be great again if you just let us back in. Your brother isn’t the same person he was all those years ago.”
I stared at my father with disgust. It was obvious by the pleading look in his eyes that he meant what he said. Deep down, he truly wanted us to become a family again. He knew all the reasons that was impossible, and he still insisted on insulting me with his free lunch and pathetic begging.
“If he’s changed so much,” I said. “Then why isn’t he here right now? Defending himself?”
Ray opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He shook his head. I could see the wheels turning as he tried to think of something to say, but I couldn’t bring myself to sit there any longer. If he only invited me to lunch so he could berate me about my relationship with Zach, then there was no reason for me to continue listening to him.
Just as I stood up, the pizza arrived at the table. I quickly packed up Paisley’s cheese pizza and grabbed a few napkins. I looked at my father with a mixture of anger and pity.
“Thanks for lunch,” I said, even though I hadn’t eaten a bite. “But we’re leaving.”
“Sean,” Ray began, but I cut him off with a look. I turned and hurried toward the arcade where I took Paisley’s hand and led her through the restaurant.
She looked behind her at Ray as we walked, but she didn’t ask any questions. For someone so young, she understood more than she should. I felt bad for dragging her away from the arcade, but I couldn’t stand the idea of sitting at that table for one more second.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Tara
When I arrived at work on Thursday morning, everything felt off kilter. I couldn’t remember the last time I took a day off, and it felt strange to be returning in the middle of the week. Still, I was excited to be there. Having an entire day to myself felt wrong, especially when it meant not seeing Sean for a full twenty-four hours. It surprised me just how much I missed him.
I stepped into the conference room, checking emails on my phone as I walked. I didn’t expect Sean to already be in the office, but when I looked up he was sitting at the table shaking his head at me.
“You know,” he said. “If you’re late like this, I may need to rethink our agreement.”
I chuckled and glared at him, feigning seriousness.
“Oh?” I asked. “You may want to check your contract, Mr. Yates. You’re locked in for the duration.”