I bury my face in my hands at his old cowboy shtick.“Not this again, Parker.”
“Yes, this again,” he teases, ever the fun-loving uncle to Dad’s sterile, businessman exterior.“How long?”
“Since you started working here, okay.”
“Which was?”
“Eight?Nine years ago?”I offer.
“Tenyears ago,” he reminds me in a scolding tone that implies I should know this already.“Since you were, what...?”
“Please don’t say ‘knee high to a grasshopper,’” I beg him.“Please, please don’t say it—”
“Knee high to a grasshopper.”He chuckles, slapping one knee as he straightens his weathered cowboy hat with his free hand.“That’s right.And in all that time?With your Dad’s philandering ways, and you always getting into one scrape or another?Have I ever let you or your family down before?”
Our eyes meet across his sterile desk.I offer a soft, genuine, almost grateful smile.“No, Parker, you haven’t.”
“That’s right.I haven’t.And I don’t aim to this time, neither.”
His eyes drift away first.Macho to the core, Parker’s the only one in the office who knows my dirty little secret, and ever since he caught me jerking off Caleb Channing in one of Dad’s rental units back in high school, he’s been uncomfortably loyal about keeping it.Doesn’t make him any happier about it, of course, but I’ve always appreciated his trustworthiness.
“Fine, Parker, I mean, obviously I’m here to help, but ...what’s the gig again?”
Parker snorts knowingly.“Dossiers’ on your desk, Kid.All the pertinent info is in there.”
“Dossier?”I tease.“What are we, the FBI?”
“Just read the damn thing,” Parker huffs, sliding his boots off his desk to signal the meeting—and our moment together—is over.
“I will, obviously, just—”
“Mr.Palmer, sir?”
Parker and I turn toward the door where Gilly Hopkins, the office receptionist, smiles at us from beneath the towering ginger bun atop her head.When I don’t speak right away, Parker rolls his eyes and snorts from across the desk.“She means you, Kid.”
“Oh shit,” I blurt, making the poor girl blush.“Sorry, Gilly, I mean, ‘Oh snap.’Uh ...yes?”
I stand, as if being summoned, Parker chortling merrily the whole time at my obvious discomfort.My back is to him, but I can picture the big lug covering his belly as his deep, manly chuckles fill the room with his usual big dick energy.
Gilly smiles softly before announcing, “Your 10:30 appointment is here.”
“Appointment?What appointment?”
Gilly looks confused.“I thought Rachel would have told you before she left for the airport, but ...maybe not?”
“Told me what?”
“That fella.”Gilly leans in the office, lowering her voice as if he’s right outside.“From Hollywood.He’s here, waiting for you in your office.”
“Hollywood?”
“Told you to read the dossier, Kid,” Parker calls out as I follow Gilly down the hall.“It’s all in there.”
