Dirty Daddy (A Single Dad Romance) (The Maxwell Family)

by Alycia Taylor

  “I know,” I said. “This is what friendships are for. I needed to hear that.”

  “Good. Now, what are you going to do about work?”

  “That part I haven’t even thought about.” The fact that I hadn’t thought about work said a lot about my state of mind. I had never enjoyed being out of work. Cooking was simply an extension of myself.

  “Well, I have. We still need loads of help at work. Why don’t you come and work for us for a while? If you like it, you can stay. If you don’t, we can find someone else. It will at least help get your mind off everything. Cooking was always your number one distraction.”

  I smiled. She knew me too well. “Thanks, Cam. I appreciate you thinking of me. Yeah, I think that’s a great idea. When can I start?”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow is perfect.”

  The following day I was glad to have something to do. If Camille hadn’t gotten me out of bed, I was sure that I would’ve been in the same place day after day. I made my way over to her work and spent some time getting to know my way around. I already knew it well, but it was different now that I was actually working with them. For my first week, they had asked me to put together a few concept ideas to give to wedding guests, which was actually pretty exciting. It was the first time that I was able to get creative with my food in a long time, and it didn’t take me long to see that it was something I was good at. It wasn’t just cooking food that I enjoyed, but it was everything that surrounded it. I liked coming up with new ideas and finding a way for people to enjoy both the food and the experience.

  “Oh wow,” Charles said as he looked through my notes.

  I’d known Charles for a long time. He pretty much ran the place. Nothing happened without first going through him. Camille used to tell me how scared everyone was of him and I could never understand it. To me, he had always been such an easy guy to be around, but now that I was working for the company, I understood what she had meant. I felt a desperate need to please him.

  “Uh, is that a good wow or a bad wow?” I asked him.

  “It’s a very good wow. This is incredible, Kennedy.”

  “Really? I was a bit worried. I like it, but obviously it’s not just about me anymore. I wasn’t sure if I was going in the right direction.”

  “Oh, you’re definitely going in the right direction. I love what you’ve come up with. We actually asked someone else to help us with this not so long ago, and she took weeks to come up with a proposal that I hated. You’ve been here one day, and already I love what you’ve done. Camille should’ve hired you a long time ago. What’s wrong with her?”

  I laughed. “Trust me; she’s been trying to get me to work here for a very long time. I’m the one that has been turning her down.”

  “Really? How come?”

  “I didn’t think I’d enjoy catering. But this is a bit different. I had no idea I’d get the chance to put something like this together.” It wasn’t just that, though. I’d always been worried that Camille would hire me just because I was her best friend, and I had always wanted to be hired purely on merit. I realize now that my pride had gotten in the way of me being in a good job.

  “Oh yeah, well, this is all pretty new to me, actually. Before we were purely focusing on the catering side of things. But we’ve recently decided to get a bit more creative with the food side of the business. After all, sometimes that’s almost important as the wedding itself. It is for the guests at least. They come for the food over and above everything else.”

  I chuckled. “That’s true. The food is the part they remember. That and the bride’s dress.”

  “Exactly! Well, this is great. Carry on with what you’re doing. And show Camille when she comes in. Tell her that I’m very happy she convinced you to join us.”

  I beamed at him. It was the best I had felt in a long time. “Thank you, Charles.”

  Camille had been out shopping for various décor ideas that morning and came back when it was nearing the end of the day. She rushed to see me the moment she came in.

  “I am so sorry!” she said the moment she saw me.

  “Sorry? Why?”

  “Because it’s your first day and I practically abandoned you. I feel so awful. I had planned to be here the whole day with you, but it didn’t work out like that at all. There was just so much to get done. I tried desperately to get back earlier, but I just couldn’t get away. Every shop I went to seemed to be missing one thing, and I’d have to go to another.”

  “Don’t stress. It’s not like I’m not comfortable here. I already know everyone. And they’ve all been great,” I said. I held up the paper in front of me and waved it in front of her. “Also, Charles is really happy with what I’ve done.”

  “Really? Already?”

  “You sound surprised.”

  “Oh, don’t get me wrong. I love Charles. But he’s a very hard man to please. Which is why the company does so well, of course. But if he likes what you’ve done from day one then you’re off to a good start.”

  “You don’t think he’s just being nice because he knows me?” I asked as the thought suddenly occurred to me.

  She laughed. “Have you met Charles?”

  I smiled. “That’s true.”

  “So, show me what you’ve done so far,” she said and took a seat next to me.

  I showed her everything and explained my ideas. She squealed and clapped her hands.

  “That’s a good sign, I hope?” I asked.

  “Ken, you’re amazing. This is incredible. You’re so creative. I would never have thought of any of these things myself, which is why I wanted someone like you to join the company. No wonder Charles is so happy with you. I always knew you’d be good at this kind of stuff. You see? Aren’t you glad I forced you to work here?” she said.

  I chuckled. “I am, actually. And, it’s helped get my mind off everything. So thank you. I owe you big time.”

  “It’s my pleasure. I’m just happy you’re here. I’ve always wanted you to work with me. Oh, and before I forget, I wanted to tell you about Saturday.”

  “Saturday?” I asked.

  “There’s a gala for a senator. Our old caterer can’t help so is there any chance we can count on you? I know it’s short notice.”

  I smiled. “Well, I do work here now. Of course I’ll help. The more things I have to do, the better anyway. I’m all about keeping busy these days. Just let me know what you need from me, and I’ll start planning this week.”

  “Great! Thank you so much. I’ll have some assistants ready for you on the day. You just have to make the food, and they will do the rest.”

  “Ooh, I’ve never had an assistant before!”

  “Well, I don’t want you to have to worry about anything other than the cooking side of things. I’ve emailed you the paperwork as we need to have a spreadsheet of exactly who's coming and who’s not coming. Can you fill it out and send it back before you go home?”

  “Sure thing! I’m just going to work a bit more on these ideas, and then I’ll check my mail. And don’t feel bad about not being here today. I’ve had a great day, I promise you.”

  I checked my email just before leaving and saw the email from Camille regarding the gala. I was really happy to be cooking for such a prestigious event. I’d been dreading the weekend anyway, so now at least I had something to keep me busy. I filled out my name and various other things. I almost laughed when it asked if I would be bringing a date. I ticked the no box and sighed heavily.

  “I think I’ll be ticking the no box for a very long time,” I said to nobody.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Reed

  I was desperate for things to do to keep myself from getting too lost in my own thoughts. Trinity was usually a great help with things like this, but even she wasn’t herself after everything that had happened. The two of us walked around feeling sorry for ourselves most of the time. And the worst part was that Trinity did not stop talking about Kennedy. Sometimes I
wanted to scream and beg her to stop bringing up Kennedy’s name. But that wouldn’t be fair to her. We all had our own way of dealing with things. Mine was to ignore the problem, while hers was clearly to talk about it non-stop.

  When I received a call from my cousin Josh asking if I wanted to come to a gala on Saturday, I immediately said yes even though the whole thing sounded utterly boring. I was sure that I wouldn’t usually say yes, but it felt good to at least have something to do.

  “Who is Josh?” Trinity was asking me as we were getting ready to go. She was enjoying the distraction as she would be getting a chance to wear one of her new dresses again, and I was glad to see a smile on her face.

  “Josh is my cousin. He met you a very long time ago, but you probably don’t remember because you were too small.”

  “I don’t remember. Is he also a doctor? Are we going to the same place where you got a reward? Are you getting another one?” she asked.

  “No, he’s not a doctor. And this thing today has nothing to do with me. So no rewards. Actually, Josh is a senator.”

  “A what?”

  I chuckled and tried to explain to her what a senator was and what they did. But by the end of my explanation, I could see that she was none the wiser. In the end, I just told her that he was a very important person in the community and she seemed to accept that explanation.

  “And we’re going to watch him?”

  “Yeah, his gala is in our area for a change, and he thought it would be nice to see us. He wanted to see how all grown up you were.”

  “Do you think he’s going to like me in this dress?” she asked coyly.

  “Oh yes. I think he’s going to love you in that dress. You look beautiful.”

  She sighed. “I wonder what Kennedy is wearing today. Do you think we should invite her?”

  I shook my head. “No, the invitation was just for you and me. But don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll have a lot of fun together, and I’m sure there will be yummy food.”

  “Okay,” she said.

  We made our way over to the gala and took our seats. The place was filled with men in suits, and serious faces, and I had a feeling that the event was going to be incredibly dull. I looked around and couldn’t find many other children around. I felt worse for Trinity than I did for me. She still didn’t even know what a senator was. I saw Josh walking toward me and forced myself to smile.

  “Hey, Josh. Good to see you, man. Thanks for inviting us.”

  “And thanks for coming. Oh wow, don’t tell me this is little Trinity who is not so little anymore!”

  “I know! She’s growing so much. Trinity, this is my cousin Josh.”

  “Hello,” she said shyly.

  “I love your dress,” Josh said, and I shot him a grateful smile.

  Trinity perked up immediately. “You do?”

  “Oh yeah, you look absolutely beautiful.”

  “Thank you,” she said as her confidence came back. “And my daddy says you are a very important man.”

  “He did, huh? Well, thank you. I sure hope so.”

  “So, how’ve you been doing?” Josh asked me.

  I forced a smile. “Not bad. Not bad. Busy as usual.”

  “Well, you are a neurosurgeon. I don’t think work is ever quiet for you. I don’t know how you do it sometimes. You’re so busy, and yet you still make time for you daughter. You’re the real hero around here.”

  “Ah, she’s such an easy daughter to have. I’m lucky.”

  We talked for a while, catching up on hold times, and he asked me a little about my life. He’d somehow heard about Angela, and tried to ask me about it without being too obvious in front of Trinity. Thankfully I saw that she was busy talking to someone at the table and I quickly replied.

  “Long story, but basically she’s not allowed in our lives anymore. She kidnapped Trinity and hit our nanny over the head.”

  “What? Are you serious?”

  “Yeah, the whole thing was such a mess. I mean, it’s been six years! Six years and she comes back and causes all this in our lives. It’s not fair to Trinity. But we’re finally coming through the worst of it. It’s been a tough two weeks, but I’m sure life will go back to how it was before,” I said and tried not to think about Kennedy.

  “If you ever need anything, just give me a shout,” he said.

  I smiled. I only saw Josh about once or twice a year. There was no way I would call him if I needed a helping hand, but it was nice of him to say.

  “You never liked Angela, did you?” I asked. I had a vague recollection of him saying something once before.

  He shook his head. “There was always something off about her. I always thought that you deserved better than her. I told you once, and you got angry with me.”

  I chuckled. “Oh yeah, I remember that now. Sorry about that.”

  “Nah, it wasn’t my place to say anything. Anyway, I’m glad you got rid of her. And at least you can have some closure with this whole thing,” he said. “Oh, I better get going. I have a few people to talk to before I take the stage. Nice seeing you again,” he said.

  “You too,” I said and watched as he moved onto the next person. He was right about one thing—the closure had been good for me. Despite everything that had happened, I was almost glad to have seen Angela again. That chapter of my life was officially closed now.

  I sat down with Trinity and smiled at her.

  “I’m bored,” she said to me in a whisper.

  I chuckled. “Me too,” I whispered back. “Let’s just listen to the first few speeches and see how it goes,” I said.

  The gala began with a few speeches, and two hours later they paused to say there would be a break. I had barely heard a thing that anyone had said. Not because I was distracted but because I had found the speeches to be incredibly dull. Trinity looked at me and smiled politely.

  “Think we can sneak out of here without Josh noticing?” I said to her.

  She giggled and seemed delighted that she wasn’t the only bored one. She was just about to say something when I saw her eyes widen.

  “Kennedy!” she said.

  “What?”

  “Look over there,” she said and pointed to a woman sitting at a corner table. I squinted to see if it really was Kennedy and reminded myself to get my eyes checked again. But Trinity was right. It was her. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest at just the thought of being so near to her again. Then, before I knew what was happening, Trinity had run off to see her.

  I ran after her.

  “Trinity?” Kennedy said in surprise. Then she looked up and saw me. “Reed? What are you guys doing here?”

  “Josh is my daddy’s cousin. He’s an important man,” Trinity said.

  “He sure is,” Kennedy said and smiled. “Wow, small world. Oh Trinity, come here and give me a hug. I’ve missed you so much.”

  “You have?”

  “Are you kidding me? You’re all I have thought about. I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch. I didn’t know if you wanted to see me again.”

  “I did. I’m sorry for saying I hated you. I don’t hate you, Kennedy. I was just sad. And mad.”

  Kennedy smiled at Trinity, and the love between the two of them almost took my breath away. “I was sad too,” Kennedy said. “How have you been?”

  “I’ve been okay. My real mom is not allowed to see me again. But she hasn’t tried to, anyway. I was so scared when I saw you lying on the floor.”

  “You saw that? Oh no, that’s horrible. I still can’t believe it happened. And we were so good about always locking the door. I don’t know what happened.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” I interrupted. “It’s over now. So, what are you doing here?” I asked.

  “I’m working for Camille now.”

  “But I thought she only did weddings?”

  “Oh, yeah, she primarily does weddings. But she often gets asked to do other functions. She asked me to help her with the catering, and I said yes. Good to keep m
yself busy, you know,” she said and smiled sadly at me.

  “Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. That’s why we’re here. I’ve been saying yes to everything just to keep busy.”

  “I’ve missed you,” Trinity said.

  “I’ve missed you too,” Kennedy replied and hugged her again.

  “Did you miss Daddy?”

  I laughed nervously. “You don’t have to answer that.”

  “It’s okay,” she said. “Of course I’ve missed him,” she said. Then she looked up at me. “I’ve missed you.”

  “I’ve missed you too. It hasn’t been the same without you. Trinity and I have been moping around the house without you.”

  “Yeah, it’s been boring,” Trinity said and then quickly looked up at me to make sure that she didn’t offend me.

  “Boring, boring, boring,” I agreed, and she chuckled.

  “So, are you enjoying the gala?” she asked.

  “No,” Trinity and I both said at the same time.

  Kennedy laughed. “Neither am I. It’s so dull. I almost fell asleep during the speeches, and there are still so many to go through. Well, I’ve finished with the food, and they don’t need me anymore. They won’t even notice if I sneak out. This place is full. Any chance you want to get out of here?”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

  “YES!” Trinity said in delight.

  “Yes, please,” I said.

  We quickly walked out before anyone could see us, and then we all burst out laughing the moment we were outside.

  “Phew, I think we dodged a bullet. I love my cousin, but I do not think I could’ve stayed the whole night. Although I’m sad I missed out on your food.”

  “Actually, you’ll be pleased to know I made too much. The leftovers are in my car. I’ll bring them around to your place. That’s if . . . if you want?”

  “I’d love that,” I said.

  “Great. Meet you there.”