And for the first time since she arrived in Florida, Willow was thankful for her grandmother and her sexcapades topics.
“Mr. Andrews? Are you okay?”
“This doesn’t concern you, Levi. Go back inside.”
It was tempting to laugh because, seriously, did this guy think he had the right to boss everyone around? “I will in a minute, Sir, but I just thought maybe someone should check on you.” He paused and waited to see if he was going to respond, but when he didn’t, Levi continued. “Things got a little heated and I imagine that happens a lot. Willow’s mentioned…”
“Spare me, Mr. Sullivan. You’ve been dating my daughter for…what…a few months? You don’t know anything about our dynamic. I’m sure Willow’s made us out to be the bad guys…”
“No offense but…even if she hadn’t, you managed to do that all on your own. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out you’re a bit of a control freak and that Willow’s lack of interest in doing what you want her to is a real sticking point for you.”
If looks could kill, Levi knew he’d be…well, he’d be slightly injured because Paul Andrews wasn’t the least bit intimidating.
But it was cute how he tried.
“Don’t try to play armchair psychologist with me, Mr. Sullivan. You’re way out of your league.”
“I’m not playing at anything. It’s not hard to see and you seem to enjoy taking every opportunity to let it be known to everyone. I don’t see why you couldn’t just let this be a pleasant family get-together for your mother’s birthday. It really wasn’t that hard of a thing to do.”
“How dare you!”
Levi held up a hand to stop him.
“No, how dare you!” he snapped. “Like it or not, I care about your daughter. A lot! And I’m not going to stand by and watch you belittle her or bully her into doing something she doesn’t want to do! As a parent, you should be happy that someone has her back, even if it’s against you!”
“Excuse me if I don’t want to take advice from you. Not only are you a stranger to this family, but you’re not a parent. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Actually…I do.”
Paul quirked a dark brow at him. “Oh, really? Do you have a child? Is Willow aware of it because she hasn’t mentioned that fact to her mother or myself.”
Letting out a breath, Levi tried to relax his stance a bit–to try to diffuse some of the tension. “I have three sisters,” he explained. “They’re all older than me. I’m very close with my father and he’s always been very open and honest about how important it was for them to find men who would protect them. Fight for them. Take care of them. Don’t get me wrong, they had to date a lot of guys before they found the ones that my father approved of, but they did. And to this day, my father talks about how much he respects each of my brothers-in-law because he knows they look after my sisters the way he would.”
They stood in silence for several moments and Levi was certain he had proved his point.
“How touching. Again, you’ll excuse me if I’m not impressed. I know my daughter better than you and I know what she needs. You might think you do, but trust me, you don’t.”
“I hate to be disrespectful here, Mr. Andrews, but…I don’t think you have a clue about what Willow needs. You don’t seem to listen to her at all. I’m guessing you don’t pay much attention to all the ways that she’s gifted and talented.”
Paul let out a mirthless laugh. “Gifted? Willow? Please. Levi, my daughter is a walking accident waiting to happen. Sitting in a chair in an office and taking notes is the safest place for her. Trust me.”
Wow. Just…wow.
“I think you’re wrong.”
Another mirthless laugh. “I don’t really care.”
“Okay, this is getting us nowhere. What would make you feel better? If Willow just took a job with a psych practice? Even if it made her miserable?”
“Life isn’t about things being all sunshine and unicorns, Mr. Sullivan. Life is about being responsible; about taking care of yourself financially.”
Ah…now we’re getting somewhere…
“Look, as far as I know, Willow hasn’t asked you for money, and she hasn’t asked for any help from you to help her find a job. She has–repeatedly, mind you–told you she’s not interested in joining your practice or any practice. You’re not going to intimidate her and you’re not going to bully her and bend her to your will. Why not just be a supportive parent? Maybe with a little encouragement, Willow can find the perfect career for her.”
“Is that what your parents did for you? Offered encouragement so you can just do whatever you want?” Paul sneered.
“As a matter of fact, they did.”
“And I’m sure they’re so proud of their son, the bartender.”
Ducking his head, Levi hid a smirk before looking up again. “You seem to be fixated on my career choice. I think it’s comical considering our conversation last night.”
Target hit!
Paul paled slightly, and, at that moment, Levi decided to do something he had sworn he’d never do.
“Well, they’re proud of the fact that I’m happy. And when I was just a bartender, they were supportive of that too.” He took a step toward Paul and lowered his voice to a gruff, menacing tone. “And they were equally supportive of me when I became the owner of that pub. You see, that’s what parents do–their love isn’t based on the level of career I chose, just on the fact that I’m their son and that I’m doing okay. Maybe you should try that sometime.” He turned to walk away but stopped. Looking over his shoulder, he added, “Maybe one of your fancy textbooks can offer a study on the importance of loving your child where they’re at rather than where you want them to be. You should look into that.”
This time he did start to walk
