“I’d love to pick you up. Thanks for asking!” he announces sarcastically.
“Fuck you, Dad.” I laugh.
Chapter Six
Mason
Today is the day that I trade my perfect weather and beach access in order to relocate to the surface of the sun and among the landlocked desert hills. I’ve been busy all morning coordinating the moving company as they relocate the items out of my old apartment in Burbank and into the condo in Scottsdale. I didn’t have a lot of stuff to begin with and most went to storage. I’ve already purchased a few items for the new house that will also be sitting in that same storage until the extensive home renovations are complete.
By early afternoon, the moving van heads out to begin the half-day drive to our final destination. Opting not to put the miles on my Audi, I had it shipped to the condo last week, where my dad was there to receive it.
I grab the last remaining items from my three-story townhouse that has been my home for the last six years. Making one last trip up the three flights of stairs to the rooftop deck, I pause in the now empty space. Remembering the parties I’ve had here and the countless women who have had the time of their lives under the glow of the bright stars—or so I like to think.The sirens of an ambulance driving by abruptly rip me from the memory.
Shoving my hands into the pockets of my pants, I say goodbye to so much more than a simple townhouse. I say goodbye to the bus stop that I’ve driven past countless times throughout my life, the haunting images of my mother leaving that day so many years ago, still feel raw like the day it happened.
As I walk through the terminal from the quick flight back to Phoenix, I’m hit with a surprising sting of disappointment because a small part of me hoped that I’d run into Bailey again. I realize how ridiculous that sounds even in the safety of my own head because, apparently, my brain believes she only flies between two cities.
It would’ve brought me immense joy to have had the opportunity to piss her off again, and I can only imagine the look on her face when Harry told her that he was going into business with me. I bet her shiny, pink lips pushed out into a pout and big brown eyes snapped open in pure frustration. Looking down at my phone, texting my dad to tell him I’ve arrived, a smile beams on my face at the thought.
I told my father countless times that I’d rather take a rideshare, but he insisted on picking me up at the airport anyway. It’s clear he’s excited to have me close by the way he’s trying to fill my already packed schedule with weekly golf outings for the two of us. My father is obsessed with golf and, from what he keeps telling me, Arizona has some of the best courses.
Despite giving my dad shit about spending time together, I have missed him and Terri this last year. He’s one of my best friends, and I’m happy to be close with him again too.
“Isn’t this weather great?” my dad asks, his arm extended out of the window as he rolls his hand over the pressure from the wind.
I glance up from my phone. “Yes, but this time of year isn’t much different from where we lived. And you don’t have to keep trying to convince me to like it here. I know I will.”
He shoots me a half smile from across the car. “How are you handling this stress?”
“Which part?”
He shrugs. “Everything. All of it. The house, the move, the restaurants?”
I have to think for a moment about how to answer this. Running a hand down my face, I sigh. “Honestly, it’s been a lot.”
“I know you like to do things on your own. You’ve always liked your independence that way, but maybe it’s a good thing that you have a partner now. I’m sure you don’t want to spend your entire life living only for your business. There’s so much more to life than that, Mason.” My dad’s hand pats me on the shoulder.
Tilting my head away from the window, I glance over to him sitting perfectly content in the driver’s seat of his brand-new Porsche.
“You’re saying that now that you’re retired, but you spent my entire life working day and night to get where you are,” I say.
He nods. “I did. But I didn’t have a dad who told me to slow down or to take time to enjoy my life when it was happening. Your grandfather was married to his job, and you’re aware of how my relationship with him suffered for it. I’m just grateful ours didn’t.”
The relationship my dad had with his father has always been a source of contention in our family. I think he grew up to resent the fact that my grandfather was never around for dinner or even on weekends. I always understood that, but the difference between my dad and me is that I appreciated my father for how hard he worked. I also was grateful that he did not abandon me like my mother did.
I shoot my dad a smile. “I know, thank you. I’m doing okay, though. I promise.”
We grab some takeout on the way back to the condo and spend the rest of the time chatting about the design ideas for my new house. When we arrive, he stays for a few hours before leaving to head home and before Terri gets back from a spa day with her other newly retired friends. He makes her dinner almost every night and wants to get it started while she’s on her way.
Cooking is something that I’ve picked up from my dad. It makes sense why I’m in hospitality. I never saw myself as a chef, though. I wanted to be on the business side of things, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy some time in the kitchen now and then.
The rest of the day flies by as my things are delivered to both the condo and to the storage unit.
By the evening, my body is begging for a workout to release the stress, but I am utterly exhausted and I’m mentally drained. On my way to jump into the shower, my phone vibrates on the kitchen counter. I carefully slide through the maze of brown boxes to grab it.
Travis: Hey, dude, did you get all moved in today?
Travis was my sous chef at the restaurant in Burbank, and I brought him out here with me to be the head chef atThe Poppy.Travis is only a few years younger than I am and was fresh out of culinary school when he started working for me. Over the last couple of years, he’s become almost like a little brother. When I offered him the promotion and the opportunity to move out here, he and his girlfriend were over the moon excited. Her parents live out here as well, so they were eager to relocate.
