My Uptown Girl

by C. Morgan

  My dad’s face turned red.

  “Hank! What? Why would you do that?”

  “You don’t understand,” he said. “The man is all wrong for her. He’s a lobsterman. He is using a boat that is probably older than I am. He can’t even support himself. How can we let our daughter get involved with this guy?”

  “That’s what I am here to tell you,” I said, intervening before my mother could answer. “There is no letting. I’m an adult. I know who I like and who I don’t like. My relationships are none of your business. Who I choose to date is my concern, not yours. You could have a say if I was dating a dangerous man, a known felon with murder on his rap sheet, but not this. Fulton is a good man. He does support himself just fine. He owns his boat and works his ass off every single day. In fact, he is the most honest, noble man I have ever met in my life. So what if he doesn’t have a yacht and a mansion with keys to a fleet of cars? That stuff does not matter to me and do you know why?”

  I watched as my father’s mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air.

  My mom smiled. “Why?”

  “Because you both taught me that money was not important. You taught me it was crass and rude to talk about money with anyone and I was to never judge anyone that didn’t have it. Mom, you’ve always been so generous with your time and used your position to help people. I don’t understand why me seeing Fulton is such a big deal.”

  “So you are seeing him?” my father hissed.

  “Hank!” my mother scolded him then turned back to me. “What happened? I’m afraid I’m completely out of the loop. Is this about that man Nick mentioned at dinner?”

  “Yes. I lied to Dad and I shouldn’t have. I should have been honest with you from the very beginning. I didn’t want you to intervene and thought if you didn’t know you would just let it go. Clearly, I was wrong.”

  “What did your father do?” she asked, shooting my father another scowl.

  “Fulton helped me fix my restaurant after a pipe burst and it flooded the place. He gave up time on his boat to help me. That is his livelihood. If he isn’t out catching lobster, he doesn’t get paid. He gave it up for me without hesitation. When we went to the store to buy the new flooring supplies, I forgot my credit card. Again, without hesitation, he paid for it. He is so kind and generous. When he stopped by the restaurant the other night, Dad was there.”

  Her eyes widened a second before her lips stretched into a thin line. “Well, that explains the sour mood when you got home,” she snapped.

  “He’s not right for her!”

  “Dad, he’s perfect for me. You insulted him to his face, and he could have put you in your place, but he showed more class than you did that night. He walked away after I denied I was dating him directly to his face. I can’t blame you for my actions, but you put me in a horrible position, and I hate what I did. I did it because I wanted to make you happy. I said those hurtful words because I didn’t want you to be upset. Instead, I sacrificed Fulton. I won’t do it again. I’m here to tell you I love him. I don’t know if he will want me after what happened, but I am certainly going to try and win him back.”

  “Oh, hon, I’m so sorry,” my mom said before turning to face my father.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” he protested. “He is not right for our little girl.”

  “Your little girl is a woman,” I reminded him.

  “Yes, Hank. She’s a grownup. Does any of this sound familiar to you?”

  My father’s face turned a light shade of red. “This is not the same.”

  “Oh, I think it is.”

  “What is the same?” I asked.

  “When your father and I first started dating, your grandfather was adamantly against it. My family wasn’t necessarily wealthy, but we were middleclass, and your father… well, his family was not.”

  “You were poor?” I asked with shock.

  “We weren’t poor. My parents both worked very hard, but times were tough and there were a lot of mouths to feed.”

  I slowly shook my head. I knew my father was a self-made man, but I never knew his family was poor. By the time I was born, both of my grandparents were dead, and his brothers and sisters were scattered around the country. He wasn’t close with any of them. “Wow. I can’t believe you are discriminating against a man who is essentially just like you.”

  “He is not like me,” he hissed.

  “He is. He isn’t rich but he does work for himself. He’s very smart. His idea of success is different than yours but that doesn’t make it any less valuable.”

  “He isn’t right for you.”

  “He is perfect for me.”

  My mom took a deep breath. “Amara, you go after your man. Your father and I will support you. I would like to meet this man. I don’t want him to think both of your parents are ogres.”

  “Hey!” my father protested.

  “Hank, apologize to your daughter.”

  I waited to see what he would do. “I’m sorry if I hurt you,” he started. “I only want the best for you. A man like Nick would be able to provide for you. He would be able to take care of you and give you anything you want.”

  “Nick is an asshole,” my mother chimed in. “I didn’t like him from the very moment I met him. I was just going along with it because I thought Amara liked him. Now I know better.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. If you think it would help for your father to apologize to Fulton, he’ll do it.”

  I looked at my dad. He looked like he was going to choke. He finally nodded. “I will apologize. It isn’t that I don’t like him as a person.”

  “You just don’t like his bank account,” I retorted.

  He winced. “Guilty.”

  “Oh, one more thing,” I said, just remembering something that had been said that night. “Fulton knew who you were. Why?”

  The poor man looked like he wanted to evaporate. “I found out who he was and went down to the docks to check him out.”

  “Hank!”

  “Dad! Why would you do that?”

  “I wanted to see who this guy was. The way Nick described him made me a little worried. I didn’t tell him who I was.”

  I nodded. “But he spoke with you?”

  “Yes, and I will admit, he was very polite. I don’t think he’s a bad guy at all. That was never my issue.”

  I shook my head with disgust. “I can’t believe you stalked him. I will be lucky if he ever talks to me again.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “Truly, I am. I wanted more for you, but if he makes you happy, I will support you.”

  I smiled, satisfied I had him where I wanted him. “Then I would like to ask you a favor.”

  “Anything,” my mom answered before my dad had a chance.

  I couldn’t stop smiling as I laid out my plan. My dad didn’t look thrilled, but he was on board. I was glad I had my mom as an ally. She was serious about helping me win back Fulton. She even offered to personally call him and apologize. I didn’t think that would do a lot to help, but if things went badly, she would be my first call.

  Chapter 37

  Fulton

  Now that I couldn’t go out lobstering, I wanted to go. I was barely keeping my shit together. I filed a police report and now it was a waiting game. I knew the chances of them finding my boat were pretty slim.

  I was a lobsterman without a boat. I had no means to support myself. My only option was to buy a new used boat with the hefty monthly payment.

  I had already taken a peek at what was available, and it wasn’t pretty. My options for what I could afford were very slim. I needed a miracle. Or I was going to have to find a new profession. I could try and buy into the “when one door closes, another opens” belief, but I was having a hard time seeing anything good about my situation.

  Despite having no boat, I still found myself getting up early. I had been up for hours and accomplished nothing. I surfed the internet, did
the laundry, and mowed the lawn. I had longed for a couple of days off, and now that I had them, I was anxious to get back to work.

  My cell rang in the other room. I debated even getting up from the couch. It was probably Stanley. He would ask if I found my boat, like I was out looking for it like someone would look for a lost dog. As if I wouldn’t call him if I found it.

  I got up and went in search of it, just in case it wasn’t Stanley. If it was Amara, which I doubted, I was still not interested in stirring up that hornets’ nest. I didn’t recognize the number, but it was local. On the off chance someone was actually replying to one of the many flyers I put up at the local bars, I answered it.

  “Hello?”

  “Hello, is this the guy with the missing boat?”

  My heart skipped a beat. “Yes.”

  “I think I might know where it’s at.”

  “Where?”

  “There is a warehouse,” he explained and gave me the address.

  “You’re sure it’s the same boat?” I questioned.

  “Yes.”

  “The reward will be paid if it turns out to be my boat, but not before,” I told him. I wasn’t about to get screwed over again. That seemed to be my new thing and I really didn’t care for it.

  “I don’t want the reward. I’m just trying to help a guy out. Good luck.”

  He hung up before I could say anything more. I held the phone in my hand and debated calling the detective that was working my case. By working my case, I meant my old ugly boat’s report was sitting in a stack of forgotten paperwork. There was a chance I was being set up to be robbed. The cops told me not to advertise it was missing, but because my boat was old and ugly, it was kind of unique. Unique meant it would stand out, which would work to my advantage.

  I grabbed my keys and decided to check out the place to see if it was even remotely possibly my boat could be in some dry dock somewhere. I doubted it, but it was the only lead I had. I pulled up to the warehouse and saw a few cars in the lot. Definitely strange but I couldn’t stop now. I parked my truck and looked around one more time before walking up to the side door.

  Before I could knock, the door opened, and Amara stepped out.

  “What the hell?” I asked.

  “I didn’t think you would come if I called.”

  “Is this a joke? Do you think this is funny?”

  “No,” she said and reached for my hand.

  I jerked it away. “I’m leaving.”

  “Fulton, wait,” a male voice said.

  I turned around to see Hank standing there with his hands in his pockets. It was one thing to be insulted but this was next-level bullshit.

  “What is going on?” I asked.

  “Will you come in please?” Amara asked.

  I didn’t think they were the type to jump me but one never really knew. “What do you want?”

  Lights flooded the warehouse, illuminating my boat. At least, it might be my boat. It resembled my boat, but it didn’t look like my boat. I was so confused. I didn’t understand what was happening. I turned to look at Amara who was behind me. “What in the hell is going on here?”

  She grimaced. “Surprise,” she said in a small voice.

  Hank stepped forward. “Fulton, I wanted to apologize in person for what I said. My behavior was horrible. I shouldn’t have said what I did.”

  “But you did.”

  “I did and I regret it. I can offer a number of excuses but none of them will make it right. I was worried about Amara. She’s my little girl, even if she is an adult capable of making decisions. I invaded her privacy and tried to interfere. I had no idea how much you meant to her. She has since corrected my assumption. All I ask is that you take good care of her. She’s a good woman who deserves the best.”

  He gave a brief nod before turning and walking away. Amara was still standing in the same spot. She looked nervous. I lifted my arms, waiting for her to explain.

  “I’m sorry,” she said and took a tentative step forward. “I wanted to apologize for what happened.”

  “So you stole my boat?” I asked incredulously.

  “I didn’t steal it,” she said. “I borrowed it.”

  “Typically, someone asks before they borrow someone’s boat. When they don’t ask and the boat disappears, one must assume it is stolen.”

  “I’m sorry. I probably should have handled that differently, but I didn’t think you would just hand me the keys.”

  “No, I wouldn’t. What did you do?” I turned around and walked toward my boat. I didn’t miss the many changes that had been made.

  “I wanted to thank you for helping me at the restaurant. You busted your ass for me and I repaid you by being an asshole. I knew you would never let me pay you back, especially after what happened. I had to find a way.”

  “So, again, you stole my boat.”

  “I don’t think it is called stealing if I’m giving it back to you.”

  “No, it is definitely still stealing.”

  “Would you like to see it?” she asked.

  “It’s my boat,” I reminded her.

  “I know.”

  I slowly walked around, noticing the fresh coat of paint and some of the repairs to the hull. But what really caught my eye was the new engine. I knew what it cost and it was a hell of a lot more than what her tile floor cost.

  “I can’t accept this,” I told her.

  “Too bad. You can’t not accept it unless you don’t want the boat anymore. If that’s the case, I’m going to pay you for the boat.”

  “Why? Why are you doing this? Is this to prove you’re not stuck up? That you are generous?”

  “I’m not trying to prove anything. I just wanted to show you the same kindness you showed me when you had no idea who my father was. You helped me. You deserve a little payback.”

  “Amara, this is too much.”

  “Please take it. Please.”

  I blew out a breath. “I need my boat back.”

  “I know and I’m sorry I kept it for so long. We had a team in here working day and night.”

  “I’ll take my boat, but I will pay you back every dollar you spent on it.”

  She smiled. “No, you won’t. Besides, my dad coughed up the money and there is a little something I have to tell you about him.”

  “He’s wealthy.”

  She grinned. “Very wealthy and very apologetic. He wanted to make reparations. Please, let him do this. If you don’t, he is going to hound you like a puppy dog and apologize a million times until you accept his apology.”

  “It isn’t about the money,” I told her.

  She looked down at her feet. “I know. It’s about the way I treated you. The way we both treated you.”

  “It’s about you not thinking you could tell me the truth from the very beginning.”

  “I never talk about my family and who my dad is. I learned from a very early age it didn’t win me any friends. The friends it did earn me were not worth having. I wasn’t intentionally hiding it from you. I would have told you eventually, but I was worried it would make you think less of me.”

  “I wouldn’t have.”

  “Can you come to my place?”

  I hesitated. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Please? I promise I just want to talk.”

  I didn’t want to hurt her. She’d apologized. Her father had apologized. “I’ll stop by,” I agreed.

  “Thank you.”

  “When?”

  “Um, now? We’ve already arranged to have your boat taken back.”

  “That’s mighty nice of you.”

  “I’m sorry. Really, I am.”

  “I get it. I’ll meet you there.”

  “I didn’t drive.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “You were pretty confident I would agree to go to your place.”

  “I was hoping. If not, I would call a cab.”

  I smirked. “Let’s go.”

  She was quiet the entire wa
y back to her place. I followed her up to her apartment, unsure of what she had up her sleeve next.

  “Would you like a beer?” she asked.

  I shrugged. “Sure. I suppose I am celebrating the return of my boat. I guess I should call the police and let them know I found the thief.

  “You called the cops?” she asked with wide eyes.

  “You stole my fucking boat. Yes, I called the cops.”

  “Oh. I don’t think I thought that through very well.”

  “You think?”

  “I’m making you dinner,” she announced, ignoring the boat subject.

  “Dinner?”

  “I want to make your burgers,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “Well, they were amazing. I am hoping to impress you with them enough to get your blessing to sell them in my restaurant.”

  “What?”

  “They were good. They were simple and so good and very much like comfort food. I think it will be a great addition to the menu and give people something besides seafood.”

  I shrugged. “It’s not like it’s patented.”

  “But it is your dad’s recipe. If I can’t make it right, then I won’t sell them. You are going to be the taste tester. Your opinion matters.”

  “Give it your best shot,” I said and sat down in one of her chairs. “While you cook, I’m going to make that call to the police.”

  She winced before turning to get started on the burgers. Thirty minutes later, my case was closed, and we were sitting down to hamburgers and a homemade coleslaw. I took a bite with her intently watching. It was good. Really good. She did something a little different and it made the perfect burger recipe a little better.

  “Well?” she asked.

  “Well, it’s perfect. Better than perfect.”

  Her face lit up. “Thank you. Does that mean I have your blessing to sell them?”

  “Yes.”

  We finished our meal with her coleslaw that was full of flavor and the perfect amount of crunch. We moved to sit on her couch, things relaxing a bit between us.

  “Thank you for giving me a chance to apologize.”

  “I get it. How did you convince your dad that I wasn’t after every penny you have?”