The Hazards of a One Night Stand

by Ivy, Alyssa Rose

  “It’s fine.”

  “No, it’s not. I’m your father. I’m supposed to play an active role in your life.”

  “I’ve turned out just fine.” At least, I liked to think so.

  “Yes, you have. But maybe if I was around more, you’d have a better idea of the traits to look for in men.”

  “Oh no. Don’t start.”

  “It’s true. I don’t blame you or your mother. I blame myself.” He left out the last name. The name he really wanted to list. Rob.

  “Did you invite me here just to harangue me about who I date? Because if so, there’s no reason for me to unpack.”

  “No. Of course not. I’m simply trying to share my feelings with you. Isn’t that what a father is supposed to do nowadays? Share his true feelings with his children?”

  “I think that’s plenty of sharing.”

  He laughed. “Okay. Let’s discuss you working for me this summer.”

  “What?”

  He leaned an elbow on the arm of the loveseat. “We always take interns. Why not you? You’ve always had impeccable taste. Something else you got from your mother. I think you’d do well in the marketing department.”

  My jaw dropped. “Seriously? You’re offering me a summer internship?”

  “What do you say? You can stay here. It will give us plenty of time together.”

  “That would be a lot of fun, but I don’t know yet. I have to talk to Mom.” A few months earlier, I would have jumped for joy at the opportunity to spend the summer away from Gasden. Now I wasn’t sure, but a marketing internship at Piedmont Capital? That was the kind of opportunity that didn’t come around often.

  “See, that’s how I know you’re my daughter. You find starting a new job fun. Most people don’t view opportunities that way.”

  “I’m just excited you considered giving me the opportunity to begin with.” I crossed my legs and tried to relax. As long as we could keep the topic off my personal life, we’d be just fine.

  Dad’s phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket. “I need to take this, sweetie. Make yourself at home. I’ll be out in a few.” Did he realize he’d already said the same thing to me when I first arrived? I waved to let him know I was fine and headed into the kitchen. Time to find out how spot on Dad’s shopping had been.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “We’re eating somewhere nice tonight. Dress up a little, will you?” Dad said it offhandedly like I needed to be reminded to dress appropriately.

  “Yeah, I already figured that much.”

  “Great. I’ll see you in about thirty minutes then?”

  “Sure.” I walked upstairs, slightly suspicious of how concerned he was with what I wore. Maybe it had just been awhile since we’d spent time together. I definitely didn’t remember him being that way. But maybe that was all part of his new “you’re an adult, act like it” mentality. As long as he didn’t try to set me up with some stuffy suit from his office, I was okay with it.

  Thirty minutes later on the dot, I waited for Dad in the entryway. Dressed in a simple black dress that fell just above the knee, I figured I was appropriately attired. What occasion does a little black dress not cover? Paired with some cute new black kitten heels, and a black shawl to keep my shoulders warm, I was ready to go.

  “You look nice.” Dad walked toward me wearing a black blazer and slacks. We pretty much matched. Fantastic. Just what I always wanted, to match my dad.

  “Thanks. You too.”

  “Are you ready?”

  “Sure.”

  We got into his car and took the short drive downtown. Dad pulled up to the valet and left his key. He approached the hostess stand, and I hung back, taking in the restaurant. It was fairly modern with lots of art on the walls, and I wondered how the food tasted.

  “Ready?” Dad touched my elbow.

  “Sure.”

  He pulled out my chair, and I sat down, immediately noticing something off about our table.

  “Dad?”

  “Yes, honey?”

  “Why is there a third place setting at the table?”

  “Because we’re going to have a little company.” He smiled lightly.

  “Company?” Was this when he sprung his surprise new girlfriend on me?

  “I think you’ll be very happy with it. We thought you’d like the surprise.”

  “Surprise?”

  “Here he is now.”

  I dropped the napkin that was halfway to my lap when I watched Tanner stroll over to our table. “What are you doing here?”

  “Hey, Mallory. Mr. Clark, thanks for inviting me.” He kissed me on the cheek like it was the most natural thing ever.

  I jerked back. “I’m going to ask you again, why are you here?”

  “He’s here to see you obviously. I thought you’d be happy to see him.”

  “Why would I be happy about it?”

  “Tanner’s told me all about your history. I think his patience is admirable.”

  “Patience?” I asked with confusion.

  Tanner smiled. “My patience with you as you get your little cowboy out of your system.”

  “What? Colt is not a little cowboy, and I’m not just getting him out of my system,” I snapped. Did he really have the audacity to say that?

  Dad scowled. “Lower your voice, Mallory.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you will not make a scene. I thought this would be a nice surprise. Evidently, I was wrong.” Dad eyed me like I was the one doing something wrong.

  “Why would this make a nice surprise, and how do you know Tanner?”

  “He interviewed with me last month. He was upfront about his history with you. I appreciated the honesty.”

  “You appreciated him using me to help him get a job?”

  “Using you? What would there be to use you for?” Dad’s words stung. In them was the insinuation that I could never influence his decisions.

  I brushed off the hurt. “Come on, Dad. Don’t play stupid. What’s really going on?”

  He didn’t answer. Instead, he gestured for the waiter to come over so he could order a bottle of wine.

  “Answer me,” I demanded as soon as the waiter walked away.

  Tanner gave me a patronizing smile which only made me angrier at the whole situation.

  “You will not talk to me that disrespectfully.” Dad glared at me across the table.

  “Then please answer me.”

  “You are blowing this way out of proportion. I thought you might enjoy some time with an old friend.”

  “Why surprise me then? Why not just lay it out there to begin with?”

  “Because I know how emotional you can be. Sometimes you need to step away to get a clear head.”

  “You mean you wanted me to step away from Colt.” Then all the pieces fell into place. “Is that why you offered me the internship?”

  “Of course not.” He leaned over the table. “I offered you the job because you’re my daughter and it’s what’s best for you.”

  I tried to calm down. I had no means of leaving the restaurant on my own. I wasn’t sure what would happen once we got back to the house though. I’d been so excited for the internship, but could I really accept it? Maybe if Dad just stayed out of my love life, I could figure something out. I needed to salvage something from this mess. I’d made too much progress with Dad to throw it away again.

  I choked down my true feelings so I could get through dinner. I could do that much. “Fine. I’m sorry for blowing up.”

  “It’s fine. I should have remembered how much you hate surprises.”

  I didn’t respond. What was there to say?

  Tanner reached a hand across the table. I didn’t accept it. “I’m sorry for my comments, Mallory. Seeing you brings out the passionate side in me.”

  “Passionate side?” Did he mean the asshole in him?

  “Yes. You boil my blood. Generally, it’s in a good way, but clearly sometimes it overwhelms me in this less than
perfect way.”

  “I’m sure she understands, Tanner. Mallory has the tendency to be rash and say things she doesn’t mean as well.”

  By the time the wine arrived, I could have downed the whole bottle myself. I wasn’t sure who I was angrier at, Dad or Tanner. I was also angry at myself for not expecting it.

  I ordered a garden salad, having no appetite and no willingness to waste money.

  Dad looked at me worriedly, but thankfully didn’t comment on my food choice. Maybe he thought a salad was an appropriate dish for a girl to order when dining with a male dinner guest. Isn’t that all he cared about anyway? Appropriateness?

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  I never even changed out of my dress. Instead, I paced my room so long that I was surprised I didn’t wear out the carpet. A summer internship at Piedmont, working with my dad? At one point, this would have been a dream come true. Now? Not so much. In that moment, I thought back on my decision to hook up with Colton. Who would have thought one night of sex in a barn would change my life so completely. Colton had taught me a lot in our months together, and I refused to throw it all away. I wasn’t perfect, but I could be better. I could even learn to like myself.

  One thing that wasn’t going to help was spending more time with my father and his world, at least not for the reasons he was offering it. Maybe sometime in the future when he was ready for a normal father-daughter relationship, or at least as close to one as we could muster, I’d go for it, but neither of us were ready for that yet. I finally gave up pacing and walked downstairs.

  I hesitated outside the den. Dad was reading the paper on his tablet.

  “Dad. I need to talk to you.”

  “Hi, honey. Is this still about Tanner? I didn’t think it would upset you so much.”

  I didn’t believe that. He had to have known.

  “No.” For such a short word, it packed a punch.

  “Excuse me?”

  “I don’t want the summer internship.”

  “And why not?”

  “Because you’re trying to buy me, and I’m not something that can be bought.”

  “Buy you? You’re my daughter. I don’t need to buy you.”

  “I don’t want to be your puppet. I don’t want you trying to turn me into your idea of perfect. I’m just fine the way I am.”

  “My idea of perfect? I just want you to be happy and successful.”

  “Happy and successful? And I can’t do that on my own terms?”

  “I guess not.” Dad’s hand balled into a fist at his side. He was getting angry. “When I don’t interfere in your life, you continue to make stupid decisions.”

  “Excuse me? What stupid decisions?”

  “Jack Waters was one thing, but Colton Waters?”

  “Colton’s not Jack, and Jack dumped me before things could get too serious.”

  “Thank God for that.”

  “He wasn’t that bad.” I couldn’t believe I was defending Jack. Things do change.

  “He wasn’t? Then why’d he give you up so easily? A real man fights for what he wants.”

  Dad paled, like he realized he’d just let something really bad slip out.

  “Give me up easily? What are you talking about?”

  “Nothing. Let’s just go to bed. We can talk about this another time.”

  “No. Tell me. Did you have anything to do with Jack breaking up with me?” I thought back on Jack’s words. It wasn’t what I thought.

  “Please, Mallory. Now isn’t the time.”

  “It’s the perfect time.” I crossed my arms.

  “It was the only way.”

  “Spit it out, Dad. What did you do?”

  “It’s not worth discussing.” He turned and stormed out of the room.

  I followed him, but he’d closed his door. I knocked. “Open up, Dad. I deserve an answer. If you don’t tell me, I’m leaving.”

  He ripped open the door. “I was only protecting you. I did what I had to.”

  “Yeah? Protecting me? Let’s pretend for a second that I believe you. What did you do to protect me?”

  “I paid him off.” He said the words calmly, like they were of no importance.

  “You paid him off? You paid him to dump me?” I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. All that time thinking I did something wrong, that I wasn’t good enough for Jack, and Dad was the one who made him break it off with me?

  “I paid him to stay away from you. I made it worth his while. You deserved better.”

  “What? I deserved better? How can you even say that? You weren’t even around to know me!” Anger engulfed me. How could someone who was supposed to love me do something so cruel?

  “I wanted to be.” His eyes locked on mine.

  “Then why weren’t you? I never tried to keep you away. I wanted you to love me, Dad. I wanted you to spend time with me.” I couldn’t even describe how unworthy his absence made me feel. How empty. Rob was an awesome step-dad, but he couldn’t make up for the fact that my own dad didn’t want me in his life.

  “I promised your mom.”

  “Promised her what?” I calmed my breathing. If I wanted answers from my father I needed to keep my cool.

  “That I’d stay out of your life.”

  “That’s not true. You’re the one who left her because she wasn’t good enough. Because we weren’t good enough for you.”

  “Is that really what you believe?” For the first time, he sounded vulnerable.

  “Yes.”

  “Your mother didn’t think I was good for you and Davie. I was already away most the time with work, and we’d drifted. I should have fought harder, but at the time, I didn’t have the strength.”

  “Maybe she had good reason to want to keep you away. Anyone capable of paying off my boyfriend is pretty toxic.” I didn’t attempt to keep the anger from my voice.

  “I only did it because I love you.”

  “And that’s why you’re giving me this internship, right?” I let out a deep breath. “Well, I don’t want it. I love you, Dad. I’ll always love you, but you’re never going to control me. I’d rather give up your acceptance and approval than give up who I am. I’m a good person. I’m a worthy person.”

  “Of course you’re worthy. I haven’t said otherwise.”

  “Not directly, but you’ve implied it. I don’t need your acceptance, and I don’t need your hand outs.”

  I turned and ran upstairs. I pulled out my suitcase and started stuffing in my clothes haphazardly. I didn’t care what wrinkled. I just needed to get out.

  “Mallory.” Dad said my name softly from the doorway. “Are you really leaving?”

  “Yes. I’m going to see the one man who loves me unconditionally as I am.”

  “Rob isn’t your father,” he grumbled.

  “I’m not talking about Rob.”

  “Colton? You think he loves you?”

  “I know it. And I know I love him.” I felt the truth of the words deep in my heart. I needed Colton. I needed to get lost in his arms.

  I reluctantly hugged Dad. I was still mad, but I knew it would be a long time before I saw him again. Considering his recent heart attack, I wasn’t adding another regret to my list. “I love you, but I’m never going to work for you.”

  “Don’t say never.”

  “Dad. I’ll always be your daughter, but I’ll never be your employee.”

  He held me close. “I love you, Mallory. I may not show it a lot but I’m so proud of you.”

  I stepped back. “I hope you can continue to be proud of me no matter what decisions I make.”

  He nodded. “I will.”

  “I’ll call you on Christmas.” I grabbed my bag, releasing it when my dad tugged on the handle. He helped me load it in the truck.

  “Bye, sweetie.”

  “Bye, Dad.” I pulled out of his ornate driveway, back toward my much simpler one at home, although I’d be making one stop first.

  ***

  I knocked on th
e Waters’ door. It was after midnight, but I wanted to surprise Colt. The words I needed to say couldn’t be said over the phone.

  His mother opened the door. “Mallory? Is everything okay?”

  “Is Colton home?”

  “Yeah. He’s up in his room.” She looked at her watch. “When did you get back in town?”

  “Just now.”

  “Okay, go on up, honey.”

  I slipped off my shoes and hurried up the carpeted stairs to his room. I knocked on his door.

  “Yeah?” He called out over some low music.

  “It’s me.”

  “Mallory?” The door flew open and Colton had me in his arms before I could register it. “Is everything okay? You’re home early.” He closed the door, put me down on his bed and sat down next to me. I liked that his concern was for me and not us. He had enough confidence in our relationship to know I wasn’t trying to break up with him or anything.

  “I decided to come back early.”

  “Awesome! I could pretend to be disappointed that your visit with your dad didn’t go as planned, but my excitement at seeing you wins out.”

  I smiled. “Good.”

  His face got serious. “Did something happen?”

  “Yeah. Lots. The bottom line is that I don’t need him to approve of my life. What matters is how I feel, and I know where I’m happiest, and who I’m happiest with.”

  “Is it with anyone I know?” He brushed some hair away from my face.

  “I love you, Colton.” The words tumbled out.

  His face lit up. “I love you, Mallory. I thought I was in love with you before, but now I know that was nothing. This though is love.” He touched the place over my heart. “What we’ve become these past few months.”

  “I know.” The tears started, and I couldn’t stop them.

  His answer was to kiss me, and it worked better than anything else ever could have. His lips moved against mine as his arms wrapped around me. Before long, I was lying down on his bed with him hovering over me.

  “We can’t do this here.”

  “I know. Not with my mom home. I have an idea.” He moved off me and grabbed my hand. He rushed me downstairs.

  “Mom, we’re going out.”

  “Okay. Is Rob going to mind?” She looked at me worriedly. Rob’s protectiveness was really notorious in town.