Page 3 of Crushing On Dad's Best Friend
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Liam
What the hell just happened?
One minute I was sitting around with a glass of scotch and rolling my eyes because all these young punks got their pool day rained out, checking my watch while all the bridesmaids were batting their eyelashes at me, and waiting impatiently for Katherine toarrive.
The next minute, her dad was telling me she was on herway.
I’d already had an umbrella at the ready for her. I was so looking forward to seeing smart, spunky little Katherine Hanleyagain.
And the nextminute…
When did Katherine Hanley become this gorgeous youngwoman?
I shake my head as I make my way back downstairs where all the chaos is happening. Mrs. Hanley catches me on the staircase and puts her hand on my chest with a little squeal. She’s always been affectionate with everyone, but I don’t know if I would want my woman putting her hand on mens’ chests, even if theyarelong-timefriends.
“Aren’t you excited?” Jean squeals, her fists balled up like crab apples. I’ve known this woman forever, and she always gets overly-excited. Her older daughter, Anna, is this way, too: hyper, talkative, and always the life of theparty.
Katherine was always more like her father, taking a back seat to the action and observing things from a quiet distance as they played out. Anna and her mom are always the ones leading the conga line; Katherine and her dad are the ones shaking their maracas on the sidelines. Actually, Katherine probably has a maraca in one hand and her phone in the other, where she’s reading aloud from an article about the history of Cuban carnivalculture.
Katherine was always the one who’s lips were pulled into a perpetual smirk and she always looked like she was one step ahead of a punchline or knew what was about to godown.
A couple of years away at college really did a lot to Katherine’slips…
“I’m very excited,” I say, trying to calm the mother of the bride down. “I’m sorry the pool party got rained out. I know all the girls were enjoyingit.”
I barely paid attention to any of them, though. When I was out on the back deck and the bridal party were snapping pictures for Instagram and posing with pool floats, I was on my phone, going through my emails. I’m a partner at the same law firm as Mr. Hanley, and I’d been having my paralegal pick up a ton of the slack with me gone for theweekend.
She didn’t mind having to work this weekend, though. She loves the overtime pay and she’s very career-driven. Maybe if I’d spent fewer weekends working, I’d still be married to Brian’smom.
When the rain clouds started rolling in, all of the pool-goers jumped out, complaining and squawking, and two of the girls sidled up to me on the porch, where I was sitting beneath the second-floor terrace, and I think they were trying to flirt withme.
No, Iknowthey were trying to flirt withme.
But they were barely just shapes, though. One did a trick with her Corona bottle where she shoved a lime wedge into the neck, shoved her thumb in, flipped the bottle upside-down to get the lime to infiltrate all of the beer, and then turned it right-sideup.
When she pulled her thumb out, the beer sprayed on her friend and me. I know that shit was on purpose from the way she licked and sucked the spraying beer off the neck of the bottle. I just rolled my eyes and grabbed a towel to wipe my phone off while trying to not show that I wasannoyed.
I know the effect I have on women, but I’ve practically sworn them off at thispoint.
When I saw Katherine pulling up in that cab, she looked so happy. Excited to be here, and with a pureness and innocence about her that just took my breath away. She was smiling and joking around with the cab driver, and I could see that he was enraptured and captivated by her,too.
She’d drawn a heart on the fog of her window, and that’s not like her. She’s not a romantic. She’s practical. She’s goals-oriented, focused, and driven. When she was a kid, she always gave up social engagements and school dances in favor of books and studying. In a way, it feels like the world is paying her back for all her diligence by raining out the poolparty.
“We’re going to watch a movie before dinner instead of standing around wishing we could get back into the pool,” Jane says, leading me backdownstairs.
“Great, sounds fun,” Isay.
I know Katherine would much prefer a movie night to a poolnight.
I’m practically thanking the rain at thispoint.
And I was so fucking happy to hold that umbrella for her. It make a protective flare rise up inside me, something I haven’t felt since my son was akid.
Then when I wrapped my arm around her and she snuggled up to me…it’s making me feel all warm and fuzzyinside.
It’s probably just a side-effect of the festivities, or the fact that it’s a weekend away and I haven’t been able to take my eyes off my work. There was something new for me to look at, a little diversion. That’s all itwas.
