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Connor nodded approvingly at my excuse, glancing at his father. “Sadie is big on family. She would do anything for them.”
I looked at Connor in surprise. Was I that easy to read?
Elias sat forward a little, and I could see the shadows of sleepless nights beneath his pale eyes. He cleared his throat. “And do you consider that a weakness or a strength, my dear?”
It was a test. I knew it by the glitter of intent in his gaze. Men like Elias Lennox were always looking for the cracks, the faltering of a stable foundation that would make the whole thing worthless. I vowed to myself then and there that he would never see mine come to light.
“Neither,” I said, shrugging and looking out of the window at the blurred tops of fog-obscured buildings. “It grounds me—helps me to remember who I am.”
“And just who are you?” Elias asked, staring at me as if he could read my mind and hold my soul in his hands. I turned away from the window. Connor was looking at me, I could feel it, though I didn’t look back.
“I’m Sadie,” I said, staring at him without pause. “And that’s going to have to be enough.”
I heard Connor let out a breath that whooshed from his lungs. I knew that he must be sweating. Hell, I wasn’t sure that I hadn’t just ruined everything for us. I had never been great at awkward encounters and this was no exception. Though maybe I hadn’t messed this whole thing up for the both of us. We needed Connor’s father to believe our little ruse, otherwise, there was no reason to keep going. If Elias didn’t believe us, would anyone else? However, Elias let out a laugh and he smacked a hand heartily against Connor’s back.
“She’s nothing like the other ones, son,” he said, still laughing in a way that made me want to huff in annoyance.
Connor looked at me and shrugged.
“She’s sitting right here,” I said sweetly, raising my eyebrows at him. Elias just laughed again, and I tapped my fingers over my thigh in aggravation.
The doorbell of the apartment rang brightly behind us and Connor jumped to his feet, rushing over to open the door.
Every time I looked at Elias’s sharp face and pinched expression, I thought of his insistence to take my brother’s shop and so I kept my eyes on Connor. He was a softer version of his father, even down to the features of his handsome face. I watched him give the delivery girl a tip and then he tugged the cartons of food out of her hands with a charming smile. I caught the edge of panic there, though. He wasn’t accustomed to having his father in his space or around him at all really, that was for sure. It seemed that Elias and Connor were just separate planets, orbiting the same sun but never coming too close.
Elias coughed wetly, low, and soft as if he were trying to downplay it or hide it. It sounded painful and I turned to glance at him, staring at the side of his face as he also stared at his son. There was a look on his face that I couldn’t place. It was almost wistful, sad. It was odd to see it on his pinched face and it caught me by surprise.
“I’ve only ever wanted my son to live up to my name and to be a true Lennox, through and through,” he murmured quietly.
He still hadn’t looked at me fully, but the words were waiting insistently at the tip of my tongue and I spoke without much care for whether I should have or not. I didn’t have much to lose now, I supposed.
“I don’t think it’s your family name he’s trying to live up to, but your high expectations,” I said and even I could hear the edge of resentment in my voice. I almost laughed at the ridiculous notion. I barely knew these people—what did I have to be resentful about?
Elias turned to me, his greying eyebrow raised high on his lined forehead. “I like to think they’re one and the same, Ms. Harlow. With the weight of the name, comes the height of the expectations.”
At that, I could only shrug. Elias was not a man who would change his opinion on a whim. I didn’t have it in me to try and turn his mindset at that moment. Connor shut the door and the food trays creaked as he sat them on the coffee table. He began to distribute the food onto thin plates and Elias looked like he wished they were at a real restaurant. I imagined he was used to immaculate service, no matter the place. It was almost funny to see him sitting awkwardly on a couch, hunched over a plate of Thai food.
