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“Dad, are you in there?”
We were both startled by Casey knocking at his office door. She had come back earlier than expected and to my own surprise, Logan was just as frantic as I was to keep our rendezvous quiet.
“Shh.”
He gently covered my mouth when she knocked again. The fear of being caught that was written all over his face kind of triggered me a little. I didn’t know if he just didn’t want to be caught in general, or if he didn’t want to be caught with me. Either way, it made me feel very low.
We waited quietly, still on top of the conference table, until she finally left. Once the coast was clear, I silently redressed myself and waited for him to say something. But when he didn’t, I took it as my cue to leave.
“This was…fun.” I buttoned the last of the buttons on my shirt, trying not to make things more awkward than they already were.
“Yeah.” He chuckled, embarrassment on his cheeks. “Sorry about that. I did not want her to catch us this way.”
“Hey.” I raised both hands in the air and smiled. “No need to explain. I can’t imagine being a parent caught in the act by my child.”
While I was heading to the door, he grabbed me by my waist and said, "Sweetheart, we'll tell her soon." As he brushed his nose against mine, his stubble tickled my cheek, and he added, "Don't be mad love. I am crazy about you, you know that, right?"
I nodded while I straightened out my skirt. He must have noticed chagrin written all over my face, and he’d known just what to do to make me feel at ease. He kissed me again before I left his office.
Chapter Twelve
Logan
AvoidingCaseyfortherest of the day was harder than I thought it would be. I felt like she’d known I was in my office when she came knocking, but she had no real proof. Or maybe it was my guilty conscience that got the best of me. Either way, I finally gave her a call and invited her out for dinner that evening. I would have much rather been having dinner with Ariane, but my daughter was another great option.
“Hey, honey.” I kissed her cheek and took my seat when I got there. “How was work today?”
“Work was work, Dad,” she replied while giving me an odd look. “Where were you this afternoon? I thought you’d be in the office today. I had Lucas on the line.”
“Oh, yeah?” I was surprised to hear that they were talking again. “I had some last-minute strings to pull for this job in Paris,” I lied. “This is a big deal and I wanna be on top of my game before everything gets started.”
Casey had already taken it upon herself to order our drinks and appetizers for the evening, and I was fine with that, considering the guilt I felt about lying to her. She didn’t seem to have any more suspicions after a while, but I never knew with Casey. She was great at hiding information and getting information out of people.
“So, it’s official?” she asked. “The job is definitely yours?”
“Well, yeah.” I nodded humbly. “Things could always change, so I try to be humble about it. But yeah, so far, the job is mine. I'm very excited about it.”
I looked at my daughter while we sat and discussed work. I couldn't help but notice how much we had in common. Yes, she got half of her good looks from her mother and half from me. She’d inherited her long eyelashes from her mother, for example. She’d gotten her deep blue eyes from me. However, the expression on her face as she concentrated was her mother's.
On the other hand, her attitude and drive to accomplish bigger and bigger things came from me. I was so proud of all her efforts and the milestones she could achieve for herself.
However, when I thought about my son, and how much they looked alike, I felt that sadness again. I wished I could go back in time and share dinners with him too.
“How’s your brother?” I asked. “You said you guys talked earlier. How'd that come about?”
“He just randomly called me.” She shrugged. “He said he’s fine, but I can tell deep down he wants to ask for something. Probably money. Another job favor, I don’t know. Lucas is weird now.”
“He is weird,” I agreed. “But he’s still my son and I love him. I wish he’d answer my calls or call me sometimes.”
“Why?” She frowned. “It’s not like you’re gonna give him what he wants.”
“I’m not. But a father should still have a relationship with his son. He can’t shut me out forever, and who knows? I might be able to help him out with a job. I'm not freely giving him any more money, but a job, yes.”
Lucas was a spoiled brat. I couldn’t place the blame on him too much, though, because his mother and I had played huge roles in that. When my children were still children, I had catered to them. Given them everything they could ever dream of or want in life. I’d thought it might help them appreciate the luxury of being able to live a life without struggle, but it had only made Lucas feel entitled. Casey was a different story. She’d taken the lessons I taught her and applied them the way I intended them to be applied.
“How are things coming along with Ariane? Still no complaints?”
My heart sped up in my chest when she asked. I thought for sure she was on to me even more and was trying to force the secrets out of me, but it was my own guilty conscience that made me feel that way.
