Page 2 of Tryst

“You—”

“Save theyoung father,argument.” He ran his fingers through his chestnut-brown hair, reading my mind. “Your mother wanted us to talk to you about this together, but she ran out with Kim after yoga since you were running late. What you did was wrong, whether or not you see it that way.”

“I think the fact he was my professor is wrong. Not his age.”

He curled his lip in disgust, rolling his eyes. “Well, you won’t have time to look at older men like him any longer. I decided I’m going to have you work with me at the office over the summer.”

“The whole summer?!”

“Do you have a problem with that?” He scoffed. “I mean, I should have beaten his ass for even touching you.”

With guys, my father was over-protective and aggressive. Growing up, the boys feared him. They assumed because he defended criminals in court, he was one also. It was one reason I dated older men. While they didn’t want to be on the receiving end of my father’s wrath, they were still more tolerant of him. Maybe that was because they were never around him. Who knows what would have happened if I brought home an older man? Clearly, my father wouldn’t like anyone I dated, regardless of their age. I was his only daughter.

“Dad, it’s over.”

“Over?” He cocked a brow, tilting his head. “It was only once, right? For something to be over, it means something must have a history.”

Sucking my bottom lip into my mouth, I averted my gaze to the floor.

“You better hope I never see him again, Elizabeth.” Marching to the other side of his desk, he plopped down in his chair. “You know my job is high profile, and I can’t be caught in any scandals. That includes whatever shit you’re out there doing.” He fanned his hand toward the window. Rolling his chair forward, he propped his elbows on the desk’s surface. “I may not be able to ground you, but since I pay for your schooling, you will work over the summer.”

My mouth fell agape. “I can’t afford to pay for law school!”

Pressing his lips into a thin line, he flickered his caramel eyes. “I never said you had to pay for it, but you will work. You’re twenty, and—”

“Twenty-one.”

“Not until next Friday.” He lowered his arms, lacing his fingers together. “Like I was saying, Eliza, youwillwork. You’re going to come work for me at the firm. It’ll help you prepare for your future. It’s time to think about that.”

“My grades have been perfect. I think I’ve more than proven myself academically.”

“Correct, but you made a poor decision, and you almost threw away your future over it. He’s already ruined his.”

Not daring to mention my concern about Mr. Bernardi’s whereabouts, I skipped the burning questions and focused elsewhere. “Can I at least go out with my friends this weekend?”

After a moment of pure silence, he ran his fingers through his hair. He never believed in punishing anyone twice. He was tough, but fair.

I didn’t mind working, but a job would still kill all the plans I had to hang out with friends and soak up the sun. Being an adult was not something I was opposed to, but because I had upset my father, he would see to it that I was too busy to have much down time at all. Just as I was about to speak, he cleared his throat.

“You know I’m upset by what you did. However, I’ll let you go out before Monday if you downplay it when your mother asks.”

I knew my father well. There was a catch. I waited, but he did not say a word. I sighed. “And?”

He shrugged a shoulder. “And nothing. I think you know to stay out of trouble or—” He slapped his hand on his pocket, then plucked out his phone, glancing at the screen. “We’ll have to continue this later, but I’m glad you’re home.” He stuck his cell to his ear.Heyyy, Vinny. He offered a signaturedad winkbefore he focused his attention on the call.

Smiling, thankful he agreed to let me go, I left him to his conversation, and exited the room, closing the door behind me.

I had only been home for a week. James, my best friend and lawyer, had left several messages, but I didn’t feel like speaking to anyone until today. I needed time to get used to life outside the walls of the prison. What they had put away me for wasn’t important.Shit happens.What mattered was I was out now, and the acting boss of my family could step back and let me take over. I was ready to get back to work. While he was more than capable of running things, he wasn’tme,and therefore didn’t command the same level of control as I did.

Earlier, I finally picked up the phone to call James. I paced my home office, holding the cordless landline telephone. I was behind the times. I had a cell phone, but they confiscated it when I was arrested, so I was starting over. After catching up for a few minutes, he invited me to dinner, but I declined. There was still too much to do, and I didn’t think it should wait. We settled on a meeting next week at the office instead.

“Still weird seeing you home.”

I twisted around to see my younger sister, Marissa, hands on her hips, in the doorway. “It’s weird being here,” I mumbled.

“Sooo—” She roamed into the room, flipping her long, black hair over her shoulder. Resting on the arm of an oversized chair, she slid into the seat. “Since I’ve been watching the place for you, I haven’t exactly found a new—”

“You can stay here as long as you need.” I shrugged. “It’s fine. There’s plenty of room.”

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