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“I never wanted to go into real estate law, much less work with my father,” he said, recalling how much he had dreaded the prospect of being with his father every day and the constant criticism that he would have had to endure. “My education was covered by the trust, so I was free to choose what I wanted to do without his ridicule. He hated the fact that I wanted to teach history.”
Her eyes went wide. “You really wanted to teach?”
“Yeah, I did,” he said, enjoying her surprised reaction. “Just like you, just like your dad.”
“Then why did you decide to be a lawyer?”
He bent over, leaning his elbows on his thighs, considering how best to answer her question.“Teaching was always my dream, but after what my father did, I wanted to give back in a more constructive way. Instead of teaching history, I could work in a nonprofit and give legal aid to people who can’t afford it.”
He turned to Colleen. She had that same expression of concern. He wasn’t sure if she’d fully understand what he was going to tell her. She’d had a scholarship at the private school where her father was a popular teacher. The fact she was from a simple, middle-class background hadn’t prevented her from making friends with the rich kids. His experience had been much different.
“I know you assumed I was lucky to attend expensive schools, but the truth is I never fit in with the prep school crowd.” He gave a half shrug. “My father was rich, but my schoolmates came from some of the wealthiest families in the country. Patrick O’Connor had made a fortune, but it was ‘new money,’ not the kind of wealth that had been passed down through generations. On top of that, he was loud and vulgar. My grades were good, I did okay in sports, but I never had a real friend. No one ever came to my house, and I was never invited to theirs. The only time I felt I belonged was with your family.”
“But what about all those parties you went to? There were pictures of you around town, even while you were in high school. You were always surrounded by people.”
He let out a harsh breath. “Yeah, well, at those parties you’re welcome if you’ve got enough money to buy alcohol and drugs to share. Money opens a lot of doors.”
“What about your parents? Didn’t they try to intervene?”
Finn took a close look at Colleen. This is where their lives significantly diverged, and he hoped she would understand. “I think my father was proud of how much I drank and fucked like a real man. My mother was too intimidated by my father to speak up. As long as my grades were good, I could pretty much do whatever I wanted.”And he did. Until that horrible night where everything changed.
She opened her mouth as if she was going to say something but closed her lips together.
What was there to say? He’d been given all the materialistic things a kid could want, and none ofthe things that mattered. Colleen had grown up in alarge family that struggled financially but was rich in love and acceptance.
Finn sat up straight, his hands on his thighs as he waited for her to say something. Even Sean didn’t know this much detail about his life as a kid. He’d laid everything out for her and hopefully, it would give her a better understanding of his life in New York.
She said in a compassionate voice, “I’m sorry. I had no idea. It must have been lonely for you.”
He was glad she understood, but how could he explain that the worst part of this saga was about to unfold? Patrick O’Connor craved publicity and he’d been out of the spotlight for a long time. Finn hoped he could stay out of his father’s way for as long as possible. It depressed him to consider what his father might do to get media attention.
He got to his feet. “We should get going. You’ve had a long day.” He took out his phone and requested another Uber.
“Thanks for sharing your story with me,” Colleen said, standing.
Finn enjoyed their time together, but he couldn’t tamp down his uncertainty about his father’s return. “I took up way too much of your time.”
“I had a good time. Even the dive blues bar.” She gave him a nudge with her elbow.
“I’m glad,” he said, hoping Colleen wasn’t picking up on his souring mood.
On the way back to O’Connor Tower, the Uber driver had a talk news radio station playing in the background. The subject of the discussion was Patrick O’Connor. Callers expressed their outrage about him having the nerve to come back to New York City. After all these years, the anger and contempt were still there. It was almost like it was immediately after his father’s arrest. The hate was not directed at him, but as his father’s son, it was still unnerving. And people, especially in those early days, didn’t care if Finn was different.
“Do you want me to ask him to turn it off?” Colleen whispered, shaking him from his thoughts.
He looked at Colleen. She was so beautiful and caring. It suddenly made no sense that he hadn’t stayed in touch with her all these years. But he had to keep her away from all this shit. “Would it make a difference?” He turned away because he wouldn’t be able to keep his distance from her if she kept looking at him like that.
Finn insisted on taking Colleen to her apartment. “Hey,” she said, her eyes lifted up to his, “I’m not tired. Do you want to come in and talk some more?”
“No, thanks. I should get going.” He stepped away.
“Oh, okay,” she said with a tinge of disappointment, unlocking the apartment door. “Goodnight, Finn.”
“Goodnight,” he said, a bit too clipped. After a fun night, this tension between them was awkward. His bad mood had ruined their evening. He walked quickly to the elevator.
Once he got to his loft, he grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and took a deep gulp, walking to the window to take in the city at night. For years, he kept to himself, concentrated on his schoolwork, and then his career. His world was narrow and lonely.
Watching Colleen lick her ice cream and all that talk about ice cream flavors had left him horny and frustrated.
