by Parker, Ali
“Why are you doing this?” he asked.
“Doing what?”
“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be talking to Xander? You’re his girlfriend. I don’t know you. You don’t know me.”
“I’m here talking to you because I’ve been talking to him and I don’t feel like I’m getting anywhere. I think you both need to swallow your pride and realize you still have each other. This is what Kade was trying to do before he died. He wanted you guys to get along.”
That seemed to sink in. I’d found a chip in the armor. “Kade was always trying to arrange fishing trips or to get us to go to dinner together.”
I smiled. “You can still do that. I’m not suggesting it will be easy, but I hope you guys can find a way to at least be on speaking terms.”
“There’s a lot of water under that bridge,” he warned.
“I know. Like I said, it won’t be easy. You’ve raised a strong, stubborn man.”
“He probably gets that from me,” he said with a quirk of his lips.
“I think you’re right.”
“Where is he? I didn’t see him in the car.”
I chewed my lip. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know where he is?”
“No. He’s… well, he’s been staying here somewhere. I don’t know where he is now.”
“I thought you were his girlfriend?” he questioned.
I looked down at the water bottle in my hand. “The situation is complicated.”
“Ah, he already broke up with you. That’s how he is. He’s never been able to stick with a woman for long.”
“It isn’t like that,” I insisted, feeling like I had to defend him. I shouldn’t defend him. He made breaking my heart a habit.
He shook his head. “You don’t have to try and make excuses for him. Xander doesn’t think of anyone except himself. It’s all about making him happy.”
I winced at the element of truth to his statement. “In this situation, I do not blame him. I blame you.”
“Pardon me?”
I was treading on thin ice. “I mean, he feels like he’s unlovable. That’s why I’m here.”
“You want me to get you two back together? Again, you are really barking up the wrong tree, but I’ll give you credit for trying.”
“I don’t want you to help me get him back. I’m saying I want you to help him get through this. He needs you.”
“I have not seen him since the funeral.”
“But I’m sure you could call him,” I prompted.
“Why don’t you call him?”
“That’s not why I’m here.”
“That’s right. You’ve lost him. You don’t know where he is.”
“I don’t but I’m not concerned about that.”
He looked a tiny bit concerned. “Doesn’t he own a house down there?”
The fact he didn’t know told me just how broken their relationship really was. Once again, my heart hurt for Xander. It explained so much about the person he was. “He does own a house in San Diego. It’s a beautiful house right on the beach.”
“He always did love the beach,” he commented.
“Yes, he does. I’m sorry I showed up here. I didn’t know what else to do. I hate seeing him struggle. It’s just me and my dad and we are very close. He says not everyone can be us, and while I believe that’s true, I also think it’s important to at least try.”
“Xander and I have had our differences over the years. A lot of them. I’m not sure we are ever going to see eye to eye.”
“You don’t have to see eye to eye,” I said. “You just need to try and respect each other.”
I knew I was way overstepping. I couldn’t seem to rein it in. I was acting like a mama bear protecting her cub. Xander wasn’t even mine to protect.
“It’s something to think about. I make no promises.”
“All I ask is you do think about it,” I told him. “I won’t take any more of your time.”
I got up, taking the water with me. He walked me to the door and offered a friendly wave as I backed out of the driveway. My stomach was in knots as I drove away. I couldn’t believe I had just done that. If and when Xander found out, he was probably going to be pissed. He was going to be furious with me for butting into his life.
I was ready to take it. I would tell him I did it for him. It wasn’t like he could do much more to me. What was he going to do, break up with me again? It seemed to be his MO. I drove through town, heading back to Portland. My work was done. I needed to get home and get back to my actual work. My boss was going to fire my ass if I didn’t stop calling in every damn week.
No one except Nelle knew about my trip. It was our little secret.
Chapter 65
Xander
I was back. It wasn’t intentional. I told myself it was because my boat was here. That was all. I wasn’t back in Oregon because I felt drawn to the place. It was just the boat.
Running away from home was not all it was cracked up to be. I missed Evie. I missed my house. I missed San Diego. I was a mess. I knew that. I was hot and cold, up and down, and everything in between.
My head was a mess. I wanted Evie. I wanted her more than I wanted anything else. I just couldn’t bring myself to commit to living there. Being away from home had given me a sense of freedom I didn’t know I was missing. My life had been so focused for so long, I didn’t realize I wasn’t really living. Everything with Kade and Evie made me rethink everything I had ever believed.
I debated opening a beer. It was early afternoon, but I was on vacation. At least that was what I was telling myself. I was on an indefinite vacation. I heard my phone ringing and ignored it. But what if it was Evie? I scrambled into the little kitchen and snatched it off the counter.
“What the fuck?” It was my father’s number. Why in the hell would he call me?
I considered ignoring it but the chance there was another family crisis made me answer the call.
“Hello?” I answered. There was a small part of me that feared it would be someone else on the other end. A doctor or paramedic calling to tell me my father dropped dead from a heart attack or something.
“Xander,” my father’s voice came through strong and clear.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes, Dad.”
“Where are you?”
“Why?”
“Are you in town?” he asked.
“How do you know that?”
“Are you or not?” he asked in his usual gruff tone.
“Yes, I am. I’m not here to bother you.”
“Why don’t you come by the house?”
I blinked and pulled the phone away from my ear to make sure I was talking to the right person. “Your house?”
“Yes. Don’t be an idiot. My house. I’ll be home all day.”
It wasn’t what I ever would have guessed was going to happen when I opened my eyes this morning. “I’ll be there,” I heard myself say.
I ended the call and stared at the phone in my hand. “Well that was unexpected,” I murmured.
I changed into jeans and a shirt without any fraying or holes. My dad hated when anyone left their house looking anything but put together. I wasn’t sure what was coming next, but I figured it was best to get it over with.
I pulled up to the house. He let me in, leading me out back to his modest patio, and handed me a cold beer without saying a word. It did not bode well. I didn’t think there was anything he could say or do that would mess with my life, but one just never knew.
“What’s going on?” I asked when he sat down.
“Your little girlfriend paid me a visit,” he started.
I almost choked on my beer. “What?”
“Your girlfriend, who is apparently not your girlfriend this week, paid me a little visit last week.”
“Are you talking about Evie?” I asked. She was the only one I could think of.
“Yes, Evie. Shit, son, how many girlfriends do you have?”
“She’s sassy. A little too bossy for my liking and very pushy.”
“She is a woman who says what’s on her mind,” I replied. “I would think you could appreciate that.”
“I do,” he said with a smile that actually reached his eyes. “She’s a firecracker.”
“Why was she here?”
“You haven’t talked to her?”
I slowly shook my head. “No, we—well, I don’t think we are seeing each other anymore.”
“So you fucked that up.”
That was the dad I knew and expected. “I suppose I did. Is that why you called me over here? Did you want to rub salt in the wound a bit more?”
“Don’t get pissy,” he warned. “That’s not why I called you.”
“What did Evie say to you?”
“She said a lot. Mostly, I think she called me an asshole.”
“I’m sorry,” I blurted out without thinking about it. “She sometimes says what she thinks without thinking first.”
“I like that,” he said. “I don’t like fake people.”
“Me either.”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about what she said. I don’t think she was wrong. I think I’ve made some mistakes. I don’t think I can do much to change the past, but I would like to try and change the future.”
“What are you talking about?”
“She told me I had fucked up as a father.”
Again, I felt like I was going to choke on the beer. “She did what?”
“Not in those exact words, but after doing a great deal of self-reflection, I think she is right. I didn’t give you and Kade equal attention. I always favored Kade. It wasn’t necessarily intentional. It was just that I felt a connection to him. We had a lot more in common than you and me.”
“I build ships for a fucking living,” I said. “Where do you think my interest in that came from?”
“I see that now,” he said. “I should have seen it then. Your mother tried to tell me, and Kade tried to tell me, but I couldn’t see it.”
“It wasn’t just for you,” I said.
“No, I don’t suppose it was. You did it for yourself. You made something of yourself. I’ve kept my head in the sand, trying to ignore what you’ve been doing. I did a little research. You have changed the world, just like you said you were going to. You really did something remarkable. Your mother used to show me newspaper clippings with your name. I know I didn’t say it, but I’m proud of you. I’ve always been proud of you.”
I put the bottle of beer down. I could not continue to drink it if he was going to send me into coughing fits every time he dropped one of his little bombshells. “You are?”
“I am. I should have told you before. You are my son. I’ve said some pretty shitty things. I don’t know how to make them go away but I was hoping we could try and start over.”
I felt like I was being pranked. Maybe I was dreaming. In thirty-two years, my father had never believed I was worthy of his last name. “You want to start over? I’m sorry, Dad. This is all coming out of left field. I don’t know what to say.”
“I understand. You’ve hardened your heart and I’m about the last guy on the planet you want to be friends with. I don’t blame you. I won’t push it, but I just want you to know I think you’ve done well for yourself. Your brother was very proud of you as well. He was always bragging to anyone that would listen. He would tell his guys about his rich brother that changed the world.”
That made me smile. “We had a really good visit when he came down. We talked about taking one of those fishing charters. He wanted the three of us to go. Maybe we could still do that, in his honor.”
He smiled, pain flashing in his eyes. “I would like to do that.”
“As it turns out, I have a lot of free time on my hands. What about you?”
He shrugged. “I’m retired. My days consist of pruning your mother’s roses and bitching about the neighbor’s dog that shits in my yard every damn day.”
“Can I make the arrangements?” I offered. “I’ll hire a private charter. I don’t want to compete with anyone else.”
“I forgot, you’re a rich guy.”
“I am.”
“Tell me what the deal is with that Evie woman,” he said.
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“I think you need to figure that situation out. She’s a good lady. She’s special. She is a lot like your mom. She doesn’t take any shit. That’s the kind of woman a Holland man needs.”
I was happy for his advice, but it was a little too late. “I think I might have messed that one up. I don’t see her welcoming me back into her life.”
“She came all the way up here to try and get us to talk. I think that says a lot about how she feels about you.”
“Maybe,” I said.
“Son, I’m sorry. These last few years, I have been especially rough on you. I’m an angry, bitter old man and just couldn’t seem to pull my head from my ass long enough to see what I was doing. I’m going to promise you that is over. I’ve lost one son. I can’t lose another.”
I was not going to get choked up. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“So about this fishing trip,” he said. I pulled out my phone and started a search. “Put it away, son.”
“What?”
“I think we can take a raincheck on the fishing trip. I think you have some business you need to take care of.”
“Business?”
“Your woman,” he answered. “You don’t need to go out on a boat with me. We can do that later, after you’ve fixed what you have broken with that pretty young woman. I don’t want to get in the way of you being happy.”
I put the phone down. “I’m not sure there is anything I can say right now that will make her understand.”
“How did things end the last time you talked?”
“I dropped her off at her place. She told me I knew where to find her and then got out of the car.”
He smiled. “There you go. That was your invitation to come back.”
He had a point. She didn’t tell me to fuck off and never call her again. I was the one who ended things. Again. “You’re right. I have to go.”
“I thought you might. Stay in touch.”
“Come back with me,” I heard myself say without even knowing the words were going to come out.
He grimaced. “I can’t up and leave.”
“Why not?”
“I’ll come for a visit soon, but you are going to be busy trying to fix things with your lady.”
He was right. “Okay, but I’m going to hold you to that. I’d like you to see my house. I think you would appreciate the proximity to the beach. The house is plenty big. You can stay in one of the guest rooms.”
“I keep forgetting you are one of those rich guys. How many bedrooms do you have?”
“Only a few,” I answered. “The house isn’t all that grand, but the view is where the value is.”
“Go,” he ordered. “We’ll see each other soon.”
I stood up, and before I knew what he was going to do, he grabbed me and gave me a bear hug. At first, I was completely stiff. I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t used to hugs from him. It was weird and good. I patted his back. “I’ll call you as soon as I get things figured out. I’ll send you a plane ticket.”
“You don’t have to buy me a damn plane ticket.”
“I don’t have to, but I’m going to.”
“It’s going to be hard to get used to having a rich kid for a son.”
I smiled. “Get used to it. I’ve got a lot of money.”
He chuckled. “Still the same humble kid.”
Chapter 66
Evie
I pulled up the images from a sweet-sixteen party I had planned about six months ago before I turned my laptop for the new client to see.
“Oh wow, that is stunning!” the mother exclaimed.
“I don’t want pink,” th
e spoiled princess pouted.
I smiled, remaining calm. “You don’t have to have pink. You can choose any color you want.”
“No,” the mother quickly interjected. “We are not having black.”
The girl scowled. “I wasn’t going to say black.”
I kept my smile in place. The affluent family had reached out to me last week. Initially, I didn’t want to do it. I was in no mood to deal with a spoiled teenager.
“What colors were you thinking about?” I asked.
“Purple,” she answered. “I want several shades of purple.”
“Oh, that’s very regal,” her mother said with a relieved smile. “I like it.”
“I was at a party you planned for my friend like a year ago,” the young girl said. “She said you were really good. My party has to be better than her party.”
Ah, teenage envy. “We will do our best.”
“We’ve capped the budget at five hundred thousand,” the father interjected.
I was surprised he even knew the rest of us were in the room. His face had been glued to his phone the moment he walked through the door. “That is a good budget and I have no doubt in my mind that we will be able to fulfill all your wishes.”
The woman, Carla, nodded. “As you know, we own a number of businesses around the country. We are looking for an event planner we can count on to take care of the charity events we host and the many associated celebrations we put on every year. We are hoping to find an individual that understands our tastes while respecting our budgets and wishes.”
My phone vibrated on the desk. I quickly silenced it, only to have it start vibrating across the desk again. I flipped it over and saw it was Xander. I sent him to voicemail and turned my attention back to the clients. “I understand what you are looking for. I’d love to help you get this very special young woman the party of her dreams.”
“You know, if you were an independent contractor, we could hire you to handle our business. We would want you to be exclusive to us alone.”
“That’s a very generous offer. Why don’t we see how this party goes? I would want to make sure we are a good match.”
