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His words sting. “That’s not true, and you know it.”
“You don’t?” You left me right after the gala, not offering me any explanation and told me not to follow you.”
“I did it be—”
“I don’t give a fuck about your reason. Like you said, let’s keep it professional.” He grips the rail tight until his knuckles turn white. “Until your name is on my business, you don’t butt in my affairs with my employees. Next time you do, I’ll fire you. I mean it,Miss Ortiz.”
Anger swallows me whole, and my mouth goes dry. When the doors open to our floor, I step out.
He taps a button, and the elevator doors shut in my face.
“You suck, Firefly.” My father leans his elbows against the tabletop. We’re playing darts at a fancy arcade restaurant.
I’m trying to concentrate, but my head is somewhere else, my mind wandering to Atlas and the way I hurt his feelings. Guilt etches inside of my chest at the way he looked hurt. When he came back to the office, he didn’t spare me a glance and only communicated with me through email. When I sent him a meme, he didn’t respond. I was being harsh. If I’m being honest, he’s been the constant joy in my life.
I sip my Dr. Pepper. “The dart was a dud. Your turn.”
Dad stands up to grab a dart, and tosses it at the board. When it lands on the center, a smile wraps around his face. “It looks like I won.”
He makes his way back to the table and sits down with his beer in his hand. I miss him living close by and us doing stuff together. When I was a kid, we used to have father-daughter dates where he took me places every other Saturday. Those days are long gone. He only flew out here for a week to handle some business.
“What have you been up to since you left for the beach life?”
I don’t really want to know he’s happy and has moved on, but it would be rude not to ask, and I don’t want him to think I’m still bitter about him leaving my mother.
“The beach life is amazing. I catch fish, and I opened a fish market to kill time. I lay on the beach all day and eat BBQ most of the time.” His face is animated as he talks. “And I offer photography classes.” He taps his thumb against the wooden top.
“You’ve only been in retirement for a month. And you are already bored.”
He nurses his drink. “Nicole wants to do stuff every day as a couple. And I like to do things by myself. I’m an old man. I forget she’s in her twenties, and it’s hard for me to keep up with her. Ever since we found out she’s pregnant, she’s been too clingy.” He exhales. “Just between me and you, I shouldn’t have married her right away and enjoyed the single life.”
Shock colors my face. I hadn’t expected him to admit how he feels. Normally, my dad doesn’t express emotions unless he’s mad or sad. I can’t believe he’s going to be a father all over again. I guess Nicole got everything she wanted—my mother’s life. She has his money, and a man to take care of her. When my parents got married, my mother didn’t have to work, or worry about money. After she retired from modeling, she opened her own floral shop.
“Congratulations,” I say honestly. “Are you excited to have another kid?”
The waitress strides to our table, refills his beer, and a smile dances on her face before she leaves.
He presses his palm against his chin. “Yes and no. I never wanted more kids, but I have to compromise for her.” He shrugs. “Hopefully, it’s a boy because I’m tired of being outnumbered in my own home.”
I giggle. “I remember when Mom and I used to gang up on you when it came to pressuring you into wearing a tutu for a photoshoot.”
“And in almost every argument.” He grins. “I miss your mom, a lot.” Guilt etches into his chocolate eyes. “Sometimes, I blame the car accident on myself. If I hadn’t been so selfish then, things would’ve been different. Your mother always told me my selfishness will always be my downfall. And she wasn’t lying.”
“It’s nobody’s fault. Things just happen. No one told her to drive intoxicated. And I didn’t realize she was drunk until it was too late.”
I stroke his shoulders, hoping to relieve some tension.
His eyes gloss over, and he taps his foot under the table. “I’m sorry I ruined your life. I know you’re still mad at me for the way I left your mother, and you were right, I did break our family up.”
I’m shocked by his words. I’m so speechless, I revert my eyes to a painting of a bull on the red wall.
He rubs his palms together. “I saw you went to the fashion gala with Atlas.”
My cheeks flush pink. “Yeah. Where did you hear that from?”
“The tabloids.”
“You still keep up with the current trends in the fashion world?”
