Page 75 of I see you Beauty

“You’re what, 24? It might be time to start looking for that one woman,” Thomas continues.

“I’m 25, but yes, you’re absolutely right. And believe me, when I find the one, I’ll treat her like a queen and won’t let her go,” Ezra replies. I can feel his gaze on me, but I suppress the impulse to look at him so that things don’t escalate further between him and my husband.

An enraptured sigh defuses things a little, and we all look at June, who is staring at Ezra with hearts in her eyes. Damn.

I push aside the realization of his actual age, which makes him more suited to be my daughter’s boyfriend than someone I should be with. What am I doing?

“What about you, June? Your mother told me you’re studying law,” Ezra changes the subject and couldn’t have introduced a worse one.

“That’s right. She’s studying law, like I once did, so she can join my firm one day,” Thomas says proudly, seemingly oblivious to the conversation from the other day when he and June agreed she didn’t have to pursue law if she had other interests.

“Actually…” June begins meekly, looking back and forth between her father and me. “I’ve figured out what I want to do now, so I’ve decided to drop out of law school. I was planning to move out of the dorm next weekend. Would it be all right if I moved back in here by January when the new semester starts?”

June smiles tentatively at me and then at her father, waiting for his reaction.

“You… what?” Thomas growls, dropping his cutlery on his plate with a clatter.

“We talked about this, Dad. You promised to support me when I knew what I wanted to do,” June reminds her father of their conversation.

Gritting his teeth, he looks first at her, then at me, until he seems to remember we’re not alone.

“And what do you want to study instead of law?” he presses out with an understatement.

“Maybe interior design so I could be a decorator like Mom. I’ve decorated many of the girls’ dorm rooms, and they were all so excited. I think that would be something I’d enjoy doing,” she talks her head off, and I can’t hold back my smile, even though I know Thomas is about to explode.

Hearing that my daughter shares my passion and wants to pursue it as a career, essentially living out my dream and allowing me to experience it through her, fills me with such immense pride that I can’t be concerned about my fuming husband right now.

“Oh, June! I think that’s great,” I blurt out, and I’m beaming from ear to ear, just like her.

“And how do you intend to pay for it?” Thomas snaps reprovingly, dampening his daughter’s joy.

“I’m… looking for a job. I don’t want to be sitting around until January. But I can’t change majors any sooner, and I think it’s a waste of my life to keep studying something I don’t enjoy until then,” June replies huffily, and I notice how the mood continues to change.

“I’m sure you’ll quickly find a job that you can do temporarily. We’ll pay the tuition fees, of course. Won’t we, darling?” I reply and give Thomas a warning look.

“Of course. Provided she finds a job because I’m not paying a penny for her laziness,” he snorts angrily.

“Laziness?” June hisses angrily. Oh boy…

“Maybe I could help,” Ezra interjects, just as Thomas is about to say something back.

We all look at him, and I shake my head imperceptibly, but Ezra doesn’t let that stop him and he speaks up again.

“I really don’t want to interfere in family matters.”

“Then don’t!” growls Thomas threateningly, piercing him with his stern gaze.

But even that doesn’t stop Ezra.

"Respectfully, I’d like to employ your daughter. It would be quite convenient for me as my house urgently needs furnishing. Right now, I only have a kitchen and a bed, and the place could really use a feminine touch if I want to make it feel like home. It would be a huge favor to me, and starting with a project like this could be a great way for her to begin her studies. What do you say? Of course, only if you approve," Ezra says to Thomas, surprising me once again with his thoughtful approach.

“Really? That would be awesome! Dad, please,” June begs, looking at him with her big green eyes and batting her eyelashes pleadingly.

I can tell that Thomas wants to freak out, but he doesn’t want to embarrass himself in front of Ezra by failing as a father now. After all, Ezra has just passed him the ball perfectly so that Thomas can put himself in the right light.

“If the job pays well and you help your mother with the housework while you live here again, I don’t have a problem with it,” he agrees reluctantly.

June jumps up with a squeak and hugs her father, beaming with joy, before jumping around the table to hug Ezra from behind and kiss his cheek.

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