“You're here.”
Ari swiveled around in his office chair to find his father standing in his doorway.
“Had a few things to catch up on,” he replied, sitting up straight.
“Ah, but too busy to catch up with your old man?”
Normally, Ari didn't work on the weekends, but he was still trying to stay ahead of everything so he could have a looser schedule during the weekdays. So he could have more time to deal with Valentine. Which of course meant he hadn't had much time for his father.
Of course, ever since he found out his father had kept keys to his apartment, their relationship had been somewhat strained. The family Sunday dinners had stopped, Ari hadn't been to the house, and even missed his father's birthday – mostly because Harper's father had thrown the party for it, but also because he just couldn't maintain the same relationship with his dad. It wasn't working anymore.
For the first time ever, he wondered if it ever really had.
“I've got a couple minutes before a phone call,” Ari sighed, glancing at his watch. “What did you need?”
“Do I have to need something to want to spend time with my son?” Don Sharapov asked as he strolled into the office.
Yes. That's how you've always been. I'm only your son when you can get something out of me. A grunt to do your work, a protegee to brag about, a scapegoat to blame. It never bothered me before, but now, even a name on a building doesn't seem worth dealing with you.
“No,” Ari said. “But I know you're not big on social calls at work.”
“Always observant,” his father chuckled. “I heard Harper came home pretty upset last night.”
“Did you?” Ari rubbed his hands down his face. “Did you also hear that she had a fat lip?”
“There was a mention of some bruising. She wouldn't tell her father anything, but sounds like you know the story.”
“I do.”
There was a long pause.
“Care to share?”
This was the moment. The moment to stand his ground. To either stake a claim in this law firm, or stake a claim on Valentine. She might not have been there right that moment, but he could still fight for her.
“No, I don't. But I'll tell you this – I will never get back together with Harper,” Ari said, leaning forward to rest his arms on his desk and stare his father right in the eye. “I only ever dated her to make you happy, but it just made me miserable. She's been unbearable ever since. She calls my cell phone twenty times a day, sends me even more text messages, shows up randomly at my apartment.”
His father scowled.
“Surely it can't be as bad as all -”
Ari took out his phone and scrolled back to his missed call log from Thursday, then turned it around to show him.
“All of those are her.”
His father leaned close to the phone, his scowl deepening.
“Kittering should've taught her better,” he grumbled. “But son, maybe if you gave her a second chance, you could teach her -”
“I'm with someone else,” Ari blurted out.
Well, it's done now. No going back.
“Excuse me?”
“I'm in a relationship with someone else,” Ari clarified. “And pretty much have been since things ended with Harper. Someone I ... who means a lot to me.”
His father's eyebrows shot up.
“Someone you're serious about?”
“Very serious about.”
He was ready to go to battle. To wage war with his father. Even if Valentine did decide she didn't want anything to do with Ari, he still wouldn't go back to Harper. And he still shouldn't have to hide a relationship from his own father.
It's a tiny dragon, but I'm slaying it for you, Saint Valentine.
“Well, I suppose as long as you're happy, I'm happy.”
Ari almost fell out of his chair, he was so stunned.
“Is that a joke?” he asked. “You've been haranguing me for weeks – months – about getting back together with Harper!”
“Because I thought she was a good fit for you,” his father shrugged. “And yes, I wanted the connection with the Kitterings. But if you've got a new girlfriend, there's not a whole lot I can do about it.”
“I ... am shocked,” Ari was honest.
“I'm not a complete ogre, Ari. Besides, Harper sounds like a trainwreck waiting to happen, and we wouldn't want to be in any sort of scandal.”
“You have no idea how right you are.”
“So tell me about this new girl,” his father said. “Who are her folks? And if it's so serious, why haven't you introduced us yet?”
“She's from New York,” Ari spoke slowly. He wanted to slay all the dragons in the world for Valentine, but he could only do so many at a time. It would be best to approach this particular beast after he'd had a chance to speak with her. “Her parents died several years ago. She goes to design school here.”
“Harper's school, I assume,” his dad sighed, and Ari nodded. “That would explain why she's been so testy. You couldn't have looked elsewhere, had to kick up a fuss.”
“In my defense, I didn't plan on being in another relationship, and I didn't have any idea Harper was going to become deranged,” Ari said.
“Fair point. I want to meet this girl, Ari. Make sure she's up to snuff – not just anyone can be a Sharapov, you know,” his father stated.
Ari wasn't even sure how to respond at first, and then was saved from having to – his cell phone started ringing. He dug it out from his back pocket, and was surprised to see Valentine's contact info on the screen. She rarely called him.
“This is important,” Ari said, waggling the phone. “We can continue this conversation another time.”
“Alright,” his dad said, and he exited the office. Before he turned the corner, though, he looked back at his son. “But we will continue it, and I will meet her.”
Ari nodded and stood up, hurrying around his desk and moving to the door.
“We will, and you will. Very soon.”
“I hope so.”
And with that, Ari shut the door, then locked it for good measure.
Talk about timing, Valentine. I hope you're in a good mood, because we need to have a long, long conversation.
“DO YOU KNOW MY DAUGHTER, Patricia?”
Valentine smiled and settled back into the chair next to her grandmother's hospital bed.
“I do, as a matter of fact,” she replied. “She was an awesome person.”
Her grandmother beamed.
“She was lovely. She had two lovely daughters, too.”
“She did,” Valentine nodded. “But maybe one was a bit lovelier than the other.”
She laughed, and her grandmother even chuckled a little.
“I always did enjoy Valentine so.”
Late Friday night, Valentine had been woken up by her phone buzzing. She'd been disoriented at first, not remembering that she was in Ari's bed, and that they'd crashed there right after their sexfest in the living room. She'd had to crawl around naked in order to find the phone under the couch, and then her heart had gone still when she'd seen that it had been her grandmother's care facility calling.