Page 20 of Shotgun Daddy
“Two days,” Faustino said, his tone clipped. “I had to go undercover for a couple of days to resolve some… you know… family issues. All bullshit. It’s handled… for now.”
Reece dropped his bag and snacks on the desk, and stepped closer to Faustino. He looked moody, even edgier than usual, like a coiled spring ready to snap.
“Are you okay? I was worried,” Reece said.
“I’m fine,” Faustino answered, but his voice was gruff, and he didn’t meet his eyes. “I just needed to lay low.”
Reece frowned, sensing the weight Faustino was carrying. Whatever had happened, it wasn’t good. But he was here now, and that was all that mattered.
“Well, you’re back, and I’m glad,” Reece said, giggling nervously. “Let me make you feel better, okay? I’ll set up a little picnic, right here in my room. We can chill, eat some snacks, maybe watch a Disney movie. How about Lion King? The original of course.”
Faustino’s lips twitched, a faint hint of a smile breaking through his gloom.
“A picnic, huh?” Faustino chuckled. “You’re something else, young man.”
“Only the best for my Daddy,” Reece teased. He grabbed a blanket from his cozy corner and spread it over the rug. Next it was time to reveal his snack stash. Chips, chocolate, a couple of juice boxes he’d kept in his mini fridge, and not forgetting the fresh treats he’d just bought. “See? Instant picnic. All we need is you.”
Faustino slid off the bed, settling onto the blanket with a grunt.
“You’re too good to me, you know that?” Faustino muttered, distracted but unable to stop himself from smiling.
“Hehe, I know!” Reece sassed. He sat down beside Faustino and popped open a juice box and handed it to Faustino before opening one for himself. “Cheers to surviving whatever craziness you’ve been through. I’ve kind of had my own craziness too. But, we’ll talk about that later.”
Faustino clinked his juice box against Reece’s, before the pair of them heard Faustino’s phone buzz and beep in his pocket.
As Faustino reached for it, his expression darkened in double-quick time as he read the message. Reece leaned over, curious as ever, and caught a glimpse of the sender’s name…Adler.
Reece took a deep intake of breath. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all.
Yikes.
It wasn’t my fault. I’ll tell Faustino what a stinker Adler was.
Urgh. Adler was a total jerk!
Faustino’s jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing as he scrolled.
“What the hell is this?” Faustino asked, his eyes locking with Reece’s.
“What’swhat?” Reece asked, his stomach churning. He had a bad feeling about this. Suddenly, it felt like it was going to be a lot harder to explain away what happened as being Adler’s fault.
Faustino turned the phone toward him, his voice low and full of menace.
“Adler says you walked out of your lesson today,” Faustino growled. “Called you disrespectful, ungrateful. He said you threw a tantrum and stormed off. Now tell me… is that true?”
Reece’s cheeks burned, a mixture of embarrassment and defiance bubbling inside him.
“He was a jerk, Faustino! Pushy and rude, yelling at me like I’m some idiot,” Reece said, slapping his hands down on the picnic blanket and kicking his feet. “I tried, but he wouldn’t even give me a chance to-”
“You walked out,” Faustino cut in, his tone sharp. “I set that up for you. Pulled some strings, called in favors… and you just ditch it because you don’t like the guy?”
“He wasawful!” Reece protested, crossing his arms. “I’m not ungrateful, I just-”
“Enough,” Faustino bellowed, standing up, the picnic a distant memory. “I told you I’d look after you, but that means you’ve got to step up too. Adler’s the best, and you blew it. He’s a good man. He’s tough, and he demands respect. But he’s a man who gets results. I can’t let this slide, Reece. You’ve got one more chance. Did you, or did you not throw a tantrum?”
Reece felt his cheeks flush red. The truth was that he knew full well that he had crossed the line with Adler. And judging by the look on Faustino’s face, he knew it too…
“Urgh,” Reece said, kicking his feet again. “I just want to be in movies! And I’m sick of people not letting me!”
