I groaned and finished off my beer before getting to my feet to retrieve another. “It went like shit,” I said as I walked away.
I grabbed a couple more cold ones before sitting back down at the table. “You bombed the meet-the-parents thing?”
“I don’t know if I told you her full name,” I said.
He shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t remember. Evie, right?”
“Evie Marsh,” I answered.
He didn’t get it. “And?”
“Evie Marsh is the lovely daughter of Dr. Philip Marsh.”
I waited until the name sank in. His eyes bugged out and he choked on the beer he’d just taken from the bottle. “No fucking way! Are you shitting me?”
“Nope.”
He burst into laughter, throwing his head back and getting it all out. “How in the hell do you find the one woman in the city that you can’t have?”
“What do you mean I can’t have?” I snapped. I didn’t like being told I couldn’t have something or someone. It made me want it all the more.
He shook his head. “Seriously. How are you going to have a relationship with her? I take it the meeting went about as well as could be expected between the two of you? Wait, did he even remember you?”
“Oh, he remembered me all right,” I told him, remembering the moment we laid eyes on each other.
“Fuck. That sucks. What happened?”
I gave him a brief recap of what was said and me walking out. “He hasn’t changed a bit. He’s just like my dad. I have made myself a very wealthy man and I’m still not good enough in their eyes.”
“What about Evie?”
“Marsh told her to stay away from me. She didn’t. I don’t know if she will ultimately cave in to his demands, but she stayed over on Saturday after she walked out on her dad.”
He grinned. “That’s my boy. Stick it to the man.”
“It isn’t like that. Me and her were friends before I knew he was her dad.”
“And now? You think she will dump your ass because her daddy doesn’t like you?”
“I honestly don’t know. If she does, that’s her choice. There won’t be a damn thing I can do about it. I’m not interested in causing a family war. Marsh hates me and I’m not exactly his biggest fan. I don’t see a future for me and her. It’s just her and her father. Before I knew who he was, she talked about him a lot. They are really close. I can’t get in the way of that and I’ll be damned if I suffer through his bullshit on a regular basis.”
Charlie was quiet for a few seconds. “That really sucks. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”
“No, but I know you liked her.”
“I do. I did. I don’t know. I’m not going to boo-fucking-hoo about it. We said we were going to keep things cool and casual. I’m not pushing anything.”
“I know you,” he said with a smile. “You may not push it, but I think you like her. I think you want her. When you want something, you make it happen.”
He wasn’t wrong. “Maybe not this time.”
He popped a bite of steak into his mouth. “Are you going to introduce her to Kade?”
“Fuck no!” I answered immediately.
He burst into laughter. “I thought so.”
“What do you mean?”
“You are going to keep her all to yourself. Just like you won’t introduce her to me. You are a selfish bastard and maybe a tiny bit insecure.”
“I’m not insecure,” I retorted.
“Then why don’t you want her to meet me or your brother?” he asked with a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Fuck you.”
“It’s all good. I caught a glimpse of her. She’s hot. I would keep her all wrapped up tight too. Especially around me and your brother. We make you look like chopped liver.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah. Sure, you do.”
“I know you didn’t ask, but I also know you want it,” he started. “You need to figure out how to play nice with Marsh.”
“Fuck that. I will not kiss that man’s ass.”
“If you like her, you will.”
I slowly shook my head. “I will never kiss any man’s ass. There is nothing so valuable that I can’t find another way to get. Marsh can kiss my ass.”
“What about Evie?”
“What about her?”
“Don’t do that,” he said. “Don’t minimize what you have with her and don’t deny there is something. It’s clear that there is. Figure out a way to please all parties. Maybe you can come to an agreement. You and her date and there is never talk of her father.”
“I don’t think that will work. Like I said, she is close with her father. Her mom died when she was very young. It’s been just the two of them. That is not a bond I can break. I’m just going to take it one day at a time. We’re supposed to go out on the boat this week. I’m not going to pressure her into anything. I don’t want that kind of responsibility on my shoulders.”
“Miracles do happen. Maybe you and old Marsh will become the best of friends.”
“And pigs will fly, and my ships will sink.”
He laughed and finished off his beer. “You really shouldn’t have jinxed yourself like that.”
Chapter 30
Evie
I pulled open the door to the hall where my father’s office was located. I knew he wasn’t in class. I knew his schedule. He wasn’t returning my calls, which really pissed me off.
He was the one acting childishly. I couldn’t believe he was actually mad at me. He was the one who had acted like a tyrant. I was not going to let him get away with ignoring me.
I had mulled over it all week. The only way this was going to get settled was to hash it out. There would be some things said that would probably hurt. They needed to be said. We needed to clear the air. He knew it and I knew it, but he was avoiding it.
He couldn’t hide from me. I was fully capable and willing to track him down. I didn’t really have the time to do it, but I was doing it anyway. The week had been hectic and irritating. I was irritated in general. I was pissed I had not been able to see Xander all week. We never got the chance to go out on the boat.
This weekend was busy for both of us as well. I wasn’t going to be able to see him until next week, if I was lucky. We had managed to exchange a few texts but nothing more.
I missed him. I missed his touch. I missed his kisses. I missed sex. The man had turned me into a bit of a nympho. I didn’t have time to sort through what all that meant. I didn’t want to acknowledge the feelings. They were there, but I kept shoving them to the back of my mind to be dealt with later. Procrastination wasn’t really my thing, but when it came to matters of the heart, it was very appealing.
First things first. I needed to make my dad talk to me before I could delve into the feelings business. I needed to make him understand that I was a big girl and I could date whomever I damn well pleased.
If I was such a big girl, why did it feel like I was going to throw up? My palms were sweaty. I felt like I was going to my own trial and the odds were stacked against me. I walked down the hall, my heels clacking over the hardwood floors.