As I’m greeted by the hostess, I see him waving at me from the back, so I head over without bothering for an escort. By the beaming smile on his face, I’m guessing we’re going to pretend that nothing happened four days ago during this meal.
“Hi, Dad.” I press up on my toes and kiss his cheek after he stands to greet me.
“Sydney. You look beautiful today. That color brings out your eyes, sweetheart.” My father’s compliment on my teal dress helps me feel slightly more confident about my appearance and this lunch today. I think most girls will agree that when something goes wrong in our love lives, we start to question every detail about our appearance, letting insecurities far and wide rear their ugly heads.
“Thank you.”
“And did you lighten your hair?” He takes his seat again, reaching for the glass of water above his place setting.
My hand reaches up to stroke my strands as I take my seat across from him. “Oh, yeah I did. Last week actually. It was like this at the boys’ graduation, but I did have it up that day, so I guess you couldn’t tell.”
“Well, it looks lovely. Are you hungry?” He hands me a menu, bright-eyed and grinning like a fool, instantly making me suspicious. I’ve seen this look on him before. He’s complimenting me, making me feel at ease so when he strikes, I don’t expect it.
Reaching out to intercept the menu, I reply, “Yes, thank you.”
“Good afternoon. Can I get you two something to drink besides water?” Our waiter stops by, greeting us now that we’ve both sat down.”
“I’ll take an iced tea, please,” I say.
“Same here. Actually, make that three. We have another person joining us,” my father adds, spiking my curiosity even further.
“Who is coming?”
“So how’s work?” he responds, avoiding my question entirely.
“Work is work, Dad. Who is coming to lunch?”
“There you are George,” a voice calls from behind, eerily familiar and raising my awareness in a flash. As I turn to seek its owner, I’m greeted with a smarmy Andrew Benton striding toward us as a match of fury strikes against my sternum.
“Andrew. Great to see you, son. Please … come sit. We just order iced teas, but haven’t chosen an entrée yet.”
I stare down at the menu, avoiding making eye contact with Andrew as I clench my jaw tight and seek deep, calming breaths through my nose.
“Hello, Sydney. You look radiant as always today.” The fervor of Andrew’s voice makes my stomach twist, knowing he’s putting on a show in front of my father. He’s been open about his attraction toward me before, but he likes to lay it on thick while other people are around.
“Andrew,” I grate against my teeth, still pretending to read the menu while determining how I’m going to escape this hellhole I’ve found myself in. Of course there was an ulterior motive to this lunch. I don’t know why I wanted to believe that the opposite could be a possibility.
“So, you two … let’s decide on what to eat and then I can tell you why we’re all here today for lunch.” The salt and peppered hair of my father sways as he adjusts himself in his seat, continuing to smile as we determine our orders. But I’m seething beneath the surface, sure that I’m about to be backed into a corner I can’t get out of.
Once we place our selections with the waiter, my father slips into his manipulative mode.
“Isn’t it nice to be sharing a meal together?” He stabs the lettuce of his salad with a fork before placing the bite in his mouth.
“Pretty sure we just did on Saturday, Dad.”
“Well, Andrew wasn’t there. It would have been nice if he were though, wouldn’t it, Sydney? Couldn’t you see Andrew being a part of our family?” he asks with a lift of his brow and a dart of his eyes between Andrew and me.
“I would love nothing more than to be part of the Matthews clan, Judge Matthews,” Andrew agrees with an abundance of enthusiasm.
“Andrew, I think you have something … right … here,” I say, motioning to the tip of my nose with my own fingers.
“Oh. Really?” He swipes at his face while I try to hide the smile forming on my lips. He’s such a freaking brownnoser. I’m beginning to wonder if his nose actually does see the crack of my father’s ass on occasion.
“You’re fine, son.” My father shoots me an irritated glare as I smirk and reach for my glass of iced tea. A moment later, his phone rings as he glances at it on the table to see who’s calling. “Excuse me you two. I need to take this. Feel free to make the most of your time together.” He winks before swiping across the screen and addressing the person on the other end of the line.
With a heated tone and a clench of my jaw, I turn to Andrew and give him a piece of my mind. “You just can’t take a hint, can you?”
“This wasn’t my idea. It was your father’s. Like I said a few weeks ago, Sydney … I don’t understand why you keep trying to fight this.” He moves his hand from his lap to rest on top of mine on the table, stroking his thumb across my skin. I watch the movement, nausea building in my gut as a shadow comes over us through the window. The hairs on the back of my neck salute with awareness as I turn to see the source that blocked out the light.
But when I see Javier’s face staring right
