Page 101 of Mr. Red

“You don’t miss a thing,” he says. I noticed he doesn’t say to call him by his first name, John. Oh boy.

My dad holds his hand out for us to sit. Matt unbuttons his dark gray blazer before he sits down, his sage green shirt bringing out the small specks of green in his eyes. He looks calm, but I see him adjust his watch.

Once everyone is settled, my dad starts the conversation. “Thanks for coming to join us. Scarlett and I usually do this to catch up, but I’m glad she brought the guy she has been seeing. How long have you been seeing each other?”

Jump right into it, dad.God, I need a drink for this conversation.

“Dad, we have plenty of time to chat, let’s get something to drink first,” I pipe in, hoping to alleviate a little tension.

Matt isn’t on the same page, apparently. “We’ve been seeing each other for about three months.”

My jaw drops in surprise. It sounds like Matt has counted the days since we had our first date. I didn’t even realize it had been that long. Good move, Matt, good move.

“Is that true, Letti?” My dad raises an eyebrow. “How long were you planning on keeping him a secret from your old man?”

Before I can answer, Matt pipes in again. “She just wanted to make sure I was one hundred percent in before wasting your time. I can assure you, that Iamall in with Scarlett.” I glance at Matt with my eyebrows up to my hairline. I don’t know why he felt the need to answer for me, but at the same time, the answer was so sweet I bet I have hearts bulging out of my eye sockets.

My dad isn’t so in love. “She does have her ownvoice, Matt.”

“Of course she does. I just wanted you to know I’m taking our relationship seriously, and me answering would be a way to show you I truly care for your daughter.”

My head is moving back and forth between my favorite men like I’m watching a tennis match. The match is interrupted by our waitress for the evening, who asks for our drink order. As soon as she leaves, they’re right back at it.

My dad serves the next question. “So, what do you do, Matt?”

“I’m in real estate. I usually buy apartment complexes, fix them up, and rent them out. I could dabble in anything that makes money, though. We’ve done very well in Texas so far and I’m here for a project. Testing the market.”

“Yeah, dad, he does a lot of the work himself. Well, he does a lot of things on his own, in general—like flying planes,” I explain.

“You’re just here temporarily?” My dad has his hands in front of his mouth with his elbows on the table. His bushy eyebrows raise over his glasses. “What’s your plan moving forward with my daughter if you’re going back to Texas?”

My shoulders are up to my ears and my leg starts bouncing under the table.

“I have plans to ensure my future with Scarlett, but I’ll let her explain.”

“Wow. You’re finally going to let my daughter talk? How thoughtful of you.”

I want to put my hands over my face and hide under the table. “Dad, can you relax a little, please?” I widen my eyes, hoping he’ll get the hint. “Matt has done nothing wrong. If anything, he has treated me like a princess. Let’s all be nice.”

He glares at Matt for a moment, then swishes his drinkaround. He takes a sip. “Okay. How is the gym doing?”

My shoulders relax from my ears. “It’s going well. We have a steady base of clients and I’ve hired more trainers to help in addition to adding more classes at more times. We’re about to add childcare since we didn’t need so many offices and have gotten more modern equipment. It’s coming along. The gym is actually where Matt and I first got to know each other.”

“Sounds like you’re making a lot of progress,” my dad replies, followed by another swig of his drink.

“How are your classes going, dad?”

“They’re going smooth. Having an actual job always helps.” My dad maintains eye contact with Matt.

How can I end this night?

Matt seems unfazed by the comment, although I notice another twitch of his wrist with his watch. Pretty positive he does that when he’s nervous. It’s hard to spot, but I know what to look for now. We eat in silence since there’s no safe topic. Before dessert, Matt excuses himself.

My dad turns to me. “He seems nice, Letti. He also seems like he’s going to break your heart. What’s your plan? Are you going to another state for a guy? Up and leaving your dream job?”

“Yeah.” I bite my lip. “It makes sense to go with him eventually. My plan is a little unclear right now, but I told him I would move with him.”

“Sounds like you’re running on fumes. You can choose to go with him, but what about the life you havehere?”

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