“No. I already ate.” His stomach rumbled. “On second thought, yeah, I can always eat again.”
“Good to see some things haven’t changed.” His father laughed. “Connor?”
“Yeah, Dad?”
“I know you’ve been struggling to be the brother you think Viviana needs, but all those voices telling you that there was something wrong with you—they’re just noise you need to learn to tune out. I’m not saying you can’t wear a suit now and then, but there was nothing wrong with any of the children I raised. I’m damned proud of you; I always have been.”
And that was why Connor wasn’t intimidated by the idea of having a family of his own. He’d had the world’s best role model for how to do it right. “Thanks, Dad. I’m pretty proud of you too. I mean, at your advanced age . . . to be able to figure out how to answer your new smartphone all on your own . . .”
“Oh, I see how tonight is going to go. Better bring some cash to lose to me at darts.”
“Or enough to buy you a tall drink to wallow in when I win. See you in a bit.” He was just about to hang up the phone when a thought occurred to him. “Dad, did you ever think about getting another dog?” He told his father about Button.
“How big?”
“Crazy big and still growing. He’ll probably destroy everything in your house. He doesn’t belong in the city, but I can see him running around your backyard, digging up what you call grass.”
“Where is he now?”
Connor was smiling as he ended the call. His father had promised to call the rescue and meet Button. There was no chance in hell that would end with Button not leaving with his father.
Connor texted his pilot. ETA fifteen minutes. Perfect. He turned and leaned against the railing of his balcony and chose a number he’d told himself he wouldn’t call until later that night—but he wanted to hear her voice.
He didn’t leave a message when it went to voice mail.
He just glared down at his phone like it had betrayed him.
Why wouldn’t she answer?
Was she hurt?
Busy?
No longer interested?
No, she was into him. He could have driven to his place instead of taking her out for pizza and she would have been okay with it.
Maybe she didn’t like the pizza.
No. She ate three slices. It’s not that.
I can text now that she didn’t answer.
What the hell do men write to women who don’t pick up when they call? This was a new experience for Connor.
The excitement of his phone ringing quickly diminished when he realized it wasn’t Angelina returning his call. “Hey, Clay.”
“You sound down for a man who had his first date with his future wife.”
“It wasn’t really a date, and how do you know I went out with Angelina?”
“A fairy godfather has to have his charge under constant surveillance so he’ll know when to step in.”
“Just what kind of surveillance are we talking about? How many fingers am I holding up?” He waved his middle finger around at the room in general.
“One and it’s your middle finger, but I don’t need to see you to know that. Trust me, I don’t want to know what goes on in your apartment.”
Connor lowered his hand. “How do you know where I am?”
“I track your phone and pay people to report in with what you’re up to.”
“And that’s not creepy?”
“Hey, I didn’t volunteer for this job. This was a special request by Sophie Barrington. I don’t take those lightly.”
Connor walked to his bedroom to grab his phone charger. “I’d love to talk more about this but I’m flying out to see my dad.”
“When is your next date with Angelina?”
Shouldn’t his intel have already given him that information? “Saturday.”
“Where are you taking her?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
Clay snapped his fingers. “Two days? That’s plenty of time to set something up. Don’t put another thought into it. I’ll handle everything. All you have to do is get in the car I send for you Saturday morning.”
“I’m good. I don’t need your help on this one.”
“Consider it my thank you for working so hard for my foundation.”
“No, Clay. I want to do this my way. Clay? Clay?”
He was already gone.
Connor attempted to call him back, but he didn’t answer. Why do people have phones if no one answers them?
He texted: Don’t plan anything for Saturday.
Clay responded: Cinderella never told her fairy godmother what to do.
Connor: I’m not Cinderella.
Clay didn’t respond.
Out of desperation, Connor called the man he hoped could have some influence with the situation. “Dax, you have to rein in Clay. He’s out of control.”
“What’s he up to now?” Dax asked in an impatient tone that might have intimidated another man.
“Planning a date for me with Angelina for this weekend. A date I’m not entirely sure she still wants to go on. I mean I’m pretty sure. If she’d answer my call I’d be positive.”
“I am no one’s babysitter,” Dax said. “Hang on. Kenzi, it’s for you. It’s Connor. Clay’s driving him nuts. Oh, no, this doesn’t involve me. It was your mother who asked for Clay’s help. You wouldn’t dare. Fine.” Dax let out an audible breath of frustration. “What would you like me to do, Connor?”
Wow, those Barrington women sure knew how to turn their men around. “How do I get him to understand I don’t need his help?”
“Didn’t you say Angelina wasn’t answering your calls?”
“One call. One. Not in general.”
“The one that would have decided if she was interested enough in you to go out with you?”
“Maybe. Yes.”
“Sounds like you do need his help. If there is one thing I know about Clay it’s that once he sets his mind to something it’s going to happen. You can either fight it and lose or enjoy the ride.”
“I don’t believe that’s the philosophy you use with him.”
“No, I’d fucking threaten to kill him, but that only works because he knows I’d do it. You on the other hand are too nice. He’s not afraid of the hug you’d withhold if he upsets you.”
Ouch. That was low. “You can be a real dick, Dax.”
Dax laughed. “I know. That’s why Clay doesn’t screw with me.”
“So the only way I could stop him would be to become an asshole?”
Dax sighed. “Listen, Clay doesn’t have many friends because he can be a little over the top. He only gets involved when he cares and he likes you. I can call him off, but he won’t understand why and his feelings will be hurt. He means well. Let him plan one date. Laugh your way through it. If Angelina doesn’t have a sense of humor she’s not the woman for you anyway.”
Dax’s last comment was true enough. And Clay really had been good to Connor. “Okay, I’ll ride it out.” Then he smiled. “I have to ask—what did Kenzi threaten to do?”