Page 290 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
But Dad was looking at me like I was crazy. “I mean, sure, he probably wants to show off his new games to all his friends,” he said. “But more than that, I think he wants to show them all to you. You should have heard him earlier when we were playing the ski game; he kept going on and on about all the things he was going to tell you about it.” He grinned and shook his head.
Then, suddenly, he cleared his throat, looking off to the side. “You were right about some things this morning too. I wasn’t there for you when you were a kid. Not the way that I should have been.”
“Dad,” I protested, because I knew that I never should have said all of that this morning. I never should have critiqued his parenting skills. He had done the best that he could. And he had managed to raise me to be a hardworking kid. He had put up with all my crazy antics back then, too. I couldn’t have asked for better, not really. Although it would have been nice if we could have a real conversation every once in a while.
It appeared that I was getting that wish now, though. Dad was shaking his head. “No, you were right,” he said sternly. “I know that I maybe didn’t do things the way that I should have. And I’m proud of you for not being such a standoffish bastard with your own kid. You make me want to be different for him too.”
He cleared his throat again, while I struggled to come up with something to say in response to that. It didn’t seem right to deny the fact that he had been a ‘standoffish bastard’, not that I ever would have accused him of that in those specific words. But before I could figure out what to say, he clapped me on the shoulder and then headed back into the living room where Ethan was waiting.
I trailed slowly after him. Ethan bit his lower lip when he looked at me, and it was my turn to clear my throat. “Gramps and I were just talking about the PowerBox,” I said slowly. “And we think that it would probably be a good idea to bring it back to our place so that you can play on it there with your friends.”
Ethan cheered and gave Dad another big hug. “But we’re still going to have to play together sometimes because you’re never going to get better if you don’t practice,” he told Gramps seriously, and I couldn’t help laughing.
Dad, for his part, smiled right back at the kid. “Sounds like a deal,” he said, holding out his hand so that Ethan could shake on it.
“We’re going to have to have some rules for the PowerBox, though,” I told Ethan as we drove over to our house and brought the game console inside.
“I know,” he said. “Gramps told me you’d say that. And I have to do my homework first, and I can only play for the same amount of time as I get TV privileges for the week. And I have to listen to you if you want to change the rules at any time. And, um, I forget what else.” He giggled and I laughed as well.
“That sounds like about all of it,” I said, ruffling his hair affectionately as we walked inside.
“And I should maybe let you win sometimes?” Ethan asked cheekily, and again, I burst out laughing.
“Buddy, you don’t have to let me win,” I told him.
“Okay,” Ethan said, but he didn’t sound sure. And true to his word, he kicked my ass three times that night.
“It’s just because you’re used to the controls already, from playing with Gramps earlier,” I protested.
“Nuh-uh!” Ethan said, sticking his tongue out at me. “You’re just bad. Really, really bad.”
I snorted and stood up, scooping him up off the couch. “All right, I think it’s bed time,” I said. “But we can play more another time, okay?”
“Okay,” Ethan sighed, but he didn’t protest as I carried him upstairs to his room and set him down on his bed, pulling a set of pajamas out of his drawer and helping him into them.
I couldn’t help feeling, as I went back downstairs a little while later, that I was happier than I’d been in a while. But it had nothing to do with the PowerBox. Or rather, it sort of did; the conversation that Dad and I had had earlier was one of the most productive ones that we’d ever had.
And it would never have been possible, I knew, if I hadn’t spent the whole day with Bailey. There was something about her that just made my defenses feel weak. Something that made it easier to admit that I had been wrong, and that I’d said things that maybe I shouldn’t have said.
Not that I planned to start making this a habit. But really, when it came down to it, she was the entire reason for the good mood that I currently enjoyed. I shook my head and tried to forget all about that, but when I closed my eyes, in my bed later, my mind’s eye started conjuring up images of blonde hair and green eyes.
What was it about Bailey that got to me like this? She wasn’t Beth. No one could ever replace my former wife. Even if that had been something that I wanted, it wouldn’t be fair to put that kind of pressure on anyone.
I couldn’t seem to quit thinking about Bailey, though. She had made me laugh more times that day than I had laughed in years now. And I had to admit, she was doing a damned good job of learning as much as she could about the resort. She asked all the right questions, and she really seemed to want to show up. To do the job the right way, to consider all the different sides. To really take over the business.
Not only that, but she threw herself into learning my job. The more tasks I had let her help me with, the more impressed I had been with her. She was smart, and a quick learner. And there was something about her that just…
This time, I rolled over and forced myself to forget those thoughts. Beth’s knowing eyes stared out at me from the picture that still sat on her nightstand. I groaned and reached out to push it down flat on the low wooden table. Normally, it was comforting to have her picture there where I could see it. Like she was still watching over me. I knew that she would have wanted me to move on; she had told me that herself, when it became clear that she wasn’t getting any better.
But tonight, I just couldn’t handle her gaze.
It wasn’t like I could start something with Bailey, even if I wanted to. Which I didn’t, just to be clear. She was intriguing, and as a person, I liked her. But that didn’t mean I wanted to date her or anything. There were just too many complications there. She was my boss, after all. It would have been irresponsible to get involved with her. What kind of example would that set for Ethan?
Not that Ethan would find out about that. My personal life, I knew, I needed to keep totally separate from my life with him. At least until I was serious about someone.
Someone who wasn’t Bailey, I thought again, my cheeks flaming. Yet again, I tried to put my new boss out of my mind. I refused to examine why it was so difficult to do that.
CHAPTER 16
