“I’m sure you do.” He lifts one glass to his lips to take a sip, never moving his eyes from mine. When he drops the glass down, he marries the two glasses into one and then sets the empty one on the counter beside him.
“Time to eat, everyone,” Sydney’s mother calls out, breaking through some of the tension as we all move to the formal dining room and take our seats.
Sydney’s parents sit on one side of the table and Sydney and I sit across from them. Everyone digs into their food as a lingering silence accompanies the scraping of forks on glass plates.
“So, Javier. What is it that you do?” Sydney’s mom addresses me right as I take a bite of pork roast. I make sure to finish chewing before answering her.
“I work for Gibson Construction, ma’am.”
“Wait. I thought you worked at the gym?” she adds.
I nod. “I work there as well.”
“Two jobs, huh? That seems quite demanding,” George interjects.
“It is. But it’s hard work and I enjoy it. I’ve been able to do quite well for myself.”
“I couldn’t imagine working two jobs. You must be exhausted all of the time,” Heather adds.
I feel like telling her that keeping up with her daughter in the bedroom at night is really what depletes me of my energy, but I figured that wouldn’t be appropriate.
“I don’t know any different, ma’am. I was raised to work. Plus, my job at the gym is more to help out my best friend who owns it.”
“Yes. Andre is Javi’s best friend, who’s also married to his sister,” Sydney adds, smiling over at me.
“So is that who you’ve been spending time with as well?”
“Mom, please don’t act like you don’t already know the answers to these questions,” Sydney chastises as her mother sits back in her seat.
“Don’t talk to your mother like that, Sydney,” George commands, stirring up animosity once more.
“Well, don’t sit here and berate Javi because he’s a hardworking man. I admire his work ethic. He certainly hasn’t had anything handed to him in his life.” Her eyes find her father’s as she delivers that jab.
“Well, I guess I can attest that a good work ethic is admirable.” George takes another sip of his scotch as his eyes bounce back and forth between Sydney’s and myself.
“Sydney, I forgot to tell you, but the next Chamber of Commerce mixer is in two weeks. Were you planning on coming to this one?” Her mother must be the queen of changing the topic because this is the third time she’s done this now once tension rises between Sydney and her dad.
My girl shrugs beside me. “Probably not. Javi and I are probably busy.”
I cast my vision in her direction, wondering if she has a death sentence tonight. I know my girl can be feisty, but it seems she’s intent on making a point to her parents, but we’re both in the cross fire now.
“Well, perhaps he can come with you.”
My tongue lodges itself in my throat the minute the suggestion is made. I don’t belong at a function like that, where hundreds of people can pass judgment on our relationship. The little reminder of how different our worlds are starts to creep its way up my spine and wreak havoc in my brain as we continue to eat.
“Maybe. We’ll see.” Sydney flashes her mom a tight-lipped smile as the conversation dies and I move to stuff my mouth, even though my hunger is virtually nonexistent.
After dinner, Sydney helps her mother clean up in the kitchen and George invites me back to his study to talk. I knew a moment like this would happen tonight, but I didn’t think it would happen this soon.
Reminding myself that Sydney is worth the unsettled feeling I have in my stomach right now, I follow George down a long hallway to an office that might as well be a bedroom. Shiny wooden walls encase burgundy carpet and a large, regal desk is centered against the back wall. A mini bar rests to the left of his desk and two couches create a sitting area in the back of the room.
George moves to refill his scotch before motioning for me to take a seat with him on the couches. I try to get comfortable, but it’s hard when you feel like you need to be prepared for anything. I’m not above hitting the man, but I also know it won’t make things any better in this situation.
“Javi, I’m going to level with you here,” he says as he settles into the leather cushions and I lean back slightly against mine.
“Okay …”
“I know about your past son. I know everything about you really. How you grew up, the fact that your dad died when you were thirteen, and that you went to prison not that long ago for aggravated assault.” He eyes me over the rim of his glass, waiting for my reaction.
As my heart races, I reply, “I figured as much.”
“So, you can imagine how a man like me, a man from my background, feels about a man like you dating my daughter.”
Drawing in a deep breath of air and courage, I prepare my argument. “Well, with all due respect, Judge Matthews, I think that’s Sydney’s decision to make.”
“Ah, yes. I figured you’d say something like that. Well, let me be clear with you,” he voices while leaning forward now and bracing his forearms on his elbows, so I do the same. Our heads are mere inches from each other, so close that I can smell the scotch coming off his tongue. “She might think that she knows what she wants, but she will realize soon that the two of you are far too different to work. You are the bad boy that she’s using to get back at me, trying to prove her independence by dating a man that is everything I don’t want for her. I love my daughter, but I don’t think she knows what she
