Page 61 of Lovestruck at Sundown
“Everything okay, Miss Murphy?” Aaron asked again, assessing Tobias as if trying to determine whether he was a threat or not.
“Yes.” The word came out breathy and faint as I finally released the air caught in my chest. “Let’s go.”
“I’ll get the car.” Aaron pursed his lips and considered us for a quick beat before walking away.
“I imagine you don’t want to talk about it?” I said to Tobias, who replied with a swift and harsh “No.”
But once our bellies were full of burgers and fries and the tension from their agitated confrontation had subsided, Tobias told me everything. We talked about how both he and Jordan were still actively pursuing Cecile, still sleeping with her, as we ignored the flashing lights from the paparazzi filtering through the restaurant’s window, and Aaron shooed them away.
November 25, 2010
“Wine, please.”I smiled at the server and returned my attention to my dad, who arrived at our Thanksgiving dinner carrying his freaking briefcase. It wouldn’t have been beneath him to pull out his laptop and make a few calls while we waited for our order.
“Macallan 18 for me, please.” He offered our server the warmest smile, the kind I used to elicit from him before we moved to New York. “Neat.”
My dad and I hadn’t spoken much since I last saw him. Everything he wanted to communicate to me came through Aaron or his personal assistant, Miss Patty. And even so, there wasn’t much he had to say other than, “I’ll be leaving town for a few days.” Or “Mimi will drop by to gather her stuff and say goodbye to you tomorrow at noon.” Stuff like that.
That’s why I expected this dinner to be awkward and our conversations to feel forced. But I was willing to make an effort and be civil if he could at least try to berespectful.
“I know this might sound strange, but is Mimi still coming into my apartment to clean?” I asked. There’d been more than a few times where I swore I’d left my bed unmade and the kitchen sink filled with dirty dishes, only to return home from work to find the bed made and the sink empty. I began suspecting my dad was sending Mimi not only to help me but to “inspect” and report back to him.
Option B consisted of me not being able to remember since I was juggling so much at the same time. And I wasn’t methodical about such things. If I had the time, I would make my bed and clean up, but if I was in a hurry, I didn’t mind leaving stuff as it was to take care of it later.
“No, she’s not.” My dad’s brows pulled down. “Why? You think someone’s coming inside your apartment when you’re not around?”
I instantly regretted having asked that question.
“No, it’s just that—”
“See?” he interrupted me brusquely. “This is why uninstalling the surveillance cameras outside your apartment was a bad idea.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
“Cabernet,” the server said, placing the glass in front of me. Bless him. God knew I needed it. He set my dad’s drink on the table and asked if we were ready to order.
“We’ll both have the prix-fixe dinner, please,” my dad replied without consulting me, taking the glass to his lips to take a sip. He clicked his tongue. “Thank you.”
If ordering in my stead gave him a false sense of control over me, so be it.
The server nodded and walked away.
“I highly doubt someone’s sneaking into my apartment just to make my bed and clean the dishes,” I said in a snarky tone. “Forget that I asked.”
He held his glass and swirled the amber liquid inside it as he considered me in silence, but then he let it go.
After a few minutes of bland and slightly passive-aggressive small talk, my dad grabbed his briefcase from one of the empty chairs and pulled out a manila envelope. He tossed it on the table next to the bread basket.
Let me guess: another contract?
“Open it.” He jerked his chin at the envelope and lifted his glass to take a final sip, draining his drink.
Hesitating, I reached out for it and peeked inside to see a few magazines and letter-sized pages printed in black and white. “What’s this?” Instinctively, I looked around the place, curious to see who would bear witness to our interactions in case my father decided to make a scene regarding the contents of the envelope.
“Why don’t you take a look at it yourself.”
It was a copy of Icon Magazine, the same one someone had left on my desk the day before, as well as printed articles from what seemed like online gossip sites. Our faces were splashed all over them.
These people weren’t fucking around or wasting any time. There was an article showing photos of me and Liam leaving Haute Couture’s building and a shot of Tobias and me eating at Bernie’s Burger. The article implied I was “keeping myself busy” with Liam and Tobias while William was away working.
