by Parker, Ali
Evie scowled at me. “Xander, this is my father, Dr. Philip Marsh. Dad, please meet Xander Holland.”
I stared at the man who had attempted to derail my dreams of becoming a ship designer. “Mr. Holland,” he said, his lip curling in disgust.
“Will you sit, please?” Evie pleaded with me.
I realized the people at the other tables were taking notice. I sat down, making a big show of jerking my chair away from him. “Marsh,” I said his name.
Evie sat down. I looked at her and could see the confusion on her face. “Do you two know each other?” she nervously asked.
I looked at Professor Marsh. “Do we, professor?” I sneered.
Marsh looked at his daughter. I could see the irritation in his eyes. I would not let him make her feel bad for this encounter. “I know this punk, yes.”
“Dad!” she exclaimed. “Stop it.”
“This is one of the worst students I have ever had the displeasure of having in one of my classes. He is the kid I measure all the other horrible students against. I have yet to meet a student that is as arrogant, rude, and antagonistic as him. This is your friend? Evie, we need to have a very long talk. You must choose better people to call friends.”
“It’s funny you say all that about me because that is exactly how I feel about you. Although I think I would add stubborn and archaic to my description of you.”
Evie held up her hands. “What the hell is going on? You were in his class?”
The question was directed at me. “I was. It was the worst four months of my life. I hated the class and I found every reason to avoid going.”
“Yes, because you were a spoiled, entitled brat who thought you knew better than anyone else,” he snapped.
I sneered at him. “My billions of dollars sitting in my bank account would say I did know better than anyone else, most especially you.”
“Bullshit,” he seethed, spittle forming in the corners of his mouth.
I slowly shook my head. “It isn’t bullshit. I made it, despite your attempts to hold me back. You did everything in your power to hold me down. I rose anyway. The cream always rises.”
He smirked, shaking his head and looking at Evie. “See? Arrogant. This kid thinks he is the smartest person in the room. He thinks he knows so much more than the guy with the PhD.”
“I do,” I quipped.
He looked at me with pure disgust. “You aren’t good enough to know my daughter’s name. You are not good enough to be in her presence.”
“Fuck you, old man,” I seethed.
“Wait, hold on,” Evie said, clearly very confused. “Please stop. Both of you. I’m so confused right now.”
“Get rid of this punk before he drags you down,” her father warned.
I scoffed. “Oh yeah, because I’m wallowing in the gutter. Think again, Dr. Marsh. You don’t know shit. You didn’t know shit then and you don’t know shit now.”
“Xander, please,” Evie begged. “You were in his class?”
“Yes. My senior year. Like I said, it was some of the worst days of my life.”
Marsh looked at me. His scornful gaze would have made a lesser man squirm. I didn’t flinch. I glared right back at him. “Did you go after my daughter to get back at me?” he asked.
I rolled my eyes. “Why would I waste a minute of my time doing anything to get back at you? I don’t have to get back at you. I’m more successful than you will ever dream of being. That’s my revenge.”
He scoffed. “Everyone gets lucky once in their lives.”
I shook my head. There was no way I could sit down and have a meal with the man that had tried to destroy my life. I looked to Evie. I could see the shock and despair in her eyes. I hated that she was his. I hated that because of my past relationship with her father, she and I would never be friends. I had listened to her talk about her father and I knew they were close. There was no way I was getting in the middle of that.
“I’m sorry,” I said to her. “This isn’t going to work. I don’t want to ruin your dinner.”
“Xander, wait,” she said.
“I have to go.”
I got up from the table and walked out without looking back. The valet looked very surprised to see me. “I’m leaving. I need my car.”
He nodded. “Yes, sir.”
I stood on the sidewalk and waited. If my car didn’t appear within the next few minutes, I was going to fucking walk home. Secretly, I was hoping she would come out and try to explain. She never did. I shouldn’t have expected anything different.
My car arrived. I slipped the valet a twenty and took off. I rolled down the window, letting the summer breeze blow through the car. It did little to calm my racing heart. I was so pissed. I was pissed at Marsh. I was pissed at myself for thinking Evie was a woman I could actually learn to care about.
There was no way she and I could ever have a relationship. We couldn’t even be friends. I couldn’t imagine how fucking Marsh managed to have a daughter like Evie. She was light and he was darkness and misery. No wonder she was drawn to me. They said women were attracted to versions of their fathers.
Fuck me. I was her dad. I was sour and dour and a real asshole most days—just like Marsh. I slapped my open hand against the steering wheel. All day today, I thought that maybe there was a chance Evie and I could take this thing up a notch. I thought maybe we could casually date. Nothing serious but a step above friends that got together once in a while.
That hope had been dashed. I could never date her knowing her father was filling her ear with bullshit stories about me. The man hated me for no good reason. He had carved out a little piece of my soul in the short time I knew him. He had made me second guess myself. He made me think that maybe I wasn’t as smart as I thought I was.
He damn near made me feel like the piece of shit he thought me to be. There was no way I could let his negativity back into my life. There was no way I would subject myself to that again. It really was too bad. I did like Evie. I had looked forward to spending more time with her and getting to know her better. Not now. That ship had sailed.
“Easy come, easy go,” I said aloud. It was something my dad always said to us. He was convinced the only things in life worth having had to be obtained through blood, sweat, and tears. He didn’t believe in luck or fate. If something came to us without us busting our ass to get it, it wasn’t worth having.
I supposed he was right. Wouldn’t he be thrilled to know that? Dad was right. In a way, Marsh was right. I didn’t deserve Evie. I didn’t have to fight for her. Therefore, by my dad’s theory, she was never meant to be mine.
Chapter 24
Evie
I was stunned—speechless. I didn’t know what to say or think. I turned my head, half-expecting Xander to come back to the table. He was joking, right?
My dad and him had gotten together beforehand and came up with a practical joke. That was the only explanation my brain could come up with. I looked around the restaurant, wondering if Nelle had a hand in this. She knew how stressed out I was about introducing Xander to my dad. This was something she would do.
I didn’t see Nelle, though. My father looked like he had just dined on glass. Xander wasn’t coming back. It wasn’t a joke. No one was going to jump out and laugh at the fact I had been pranked. This was my real life. All my fears about introducing a man to my father had just come to life.
I turned back to look at my father. His cheeks were red, and his eyes were flashing with anger. His hands were clenched in tight fists resting on the table. For a brief millisecond, I stopped to notice I had never seen him so angry. No one would ever call my father jovial, but he never showed extreme emotion in any direction. He was just always the stone-faced man in my life that had been my rock through some very tough days.
“What the hell just happened?” I asked him.
“Don’t speak to me that way,” he growled.
“Dad, I am trying to understand what is going on here. I don’t even know wh
ere to begin. Let me start by saying you were awful to my friend. I have never seen you treat anyone so awful.”
“That—that person,” he spat out the words as if they tasted foul. “He is not worthy of your time. He is nothing more than a piece of shit. He is an arrogant little prick that thinks his shit doesn’t stink. His type thinks they should just have everything handed to them. He thinks he is better than everyone and so much smarter than everyone else. He insulted me in front of my class. That lowlife scum deserves nothing.”
My mouth fell open as I listened to him talk. I couldn’t ever remember him talking so vulgarly, especially about a person. A person that was none of the things he said.
“Why would you say that?” I asked.
“Because it’s true. That punk probably stole whatever design he claims made him rich. He refused to listen to me back then. He came into my class thinking he was God’s gift to humankind. I took him down a peg or two.”
“Dad, you are wrong. He is not like that at all. He did engineer a new series of designs for ships. He has won awards for his innovative designs. I don’t think he stole them from anyone. Why would he do that?”
“Because he is a piece of shit that does whatever he wants without regard to anyone else.”
I slowly shook my head. The man he was describing was not the same man I knew. “Are you sure you don’t have him confused with someone else?” I asked, hoping to explain the situation away as a misunderstanding.
“I would never forget that name or that face. I know exactly who he is, just as he knows who I am.”
I felt defeated. I had so wanted things to go well between them. “I thought you two would get along,” I murmured. “You share a lot in common. I just… I just can’t make sense of it all.”
“I can’t believe you brought that man here to my table.”
“This was supposed to be a nice dinner. I cannot believe you. I have never witnessed you act so disgracefully. I’m shocked and angry. Why? Why would you do that?”
He shook his head. “You better not even think about dating a man like that.”
“Why not?” I asked defiantly. “You don’t even know him.”
“If you want to date him, then you can just forget about me.”
He was full of piss and vinegar. I had never seen him behave so terribly. I was embarrassed and angry. “This is ridiculous,” I told him. “I’m ashamed of your behavior. You can eat dinner alone.”
I stood, grabbed my purse, and walked out of the restaurant, hoping I could catch Xander. I looked up and down the sidewalk, looking for any sign of him.
“Excuse me,” I said to the valet.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, waiting for me to hand him a ticket.
“I’m looking for a man, very tall, shaggy light brown hair. He was wearing a black suit with a red tie.”
“He left a few minutes ago,” the young man answered.
I sighed. “Thanks.”
“Can I get you your car?”
I handed him my ticket. “Thank you.”
I waited under the canopy, half-expecting my father to come after me. My mind reeled as I replayed their heated conversation. I would have never imagined they knew one another. What were the odds? It was fate, but fate did not like me. I wasn’t sure what I had ever done to deserve the shittiest luck on the planet, but it was getting old.
I got in my car and aimlessly drove away from the restaurant. I had to assume Xander went home. He was likely very pissed at me. I didn’t want him to be angry with me. I couldn’t control my father. I needed Xander to know I didn’t think he was any of those things my father said. Just thinking of the venom he had spewed made me ill.
I found myself driving to Xander’s house. I doubted I would be welcomed, but I wanted to try and apologize. I needed him to know I didn’t think that way about him. I wanted to ask more specifics about the drama between them but I was a little worried about what he would say. Part of me was a little angry with Xander as well. He could have been the bigger man. He could have tried to be calm or set aside past grievances. Both of them had behaved badly.
The gate to his driveway was open. I hoped that meant he was home. I parked my car and got out, suddenly feeling a little nervous. I pushed aside the nerves. I wanted the matter settled.
I rang the doorbell and waited.
Xander pulled open the door. His suit jacket was already off and his tie was hanging loose around his neck. He looked at me with irritation. “What?”
His greeting told me all I needed to know. He was going to stay mad. Well, guess what? I was mad too.
I put a hand on my hip and glared at him. “Don’t what me,” I snapped.
“You set me up,” he barked.
“How could I set you up? I didn’t know you knew each other!”
“I don’t know that man. I don’t want to know that man.”
My temper was thoroughly piqued. “That man is my father. Have a little decency.”
“He wasn’t decent. He was an asshole and you sat there and let him talk to me like that!”
“What exactly did you expect me to do? Was I supposed to stuff my napkin in his mouth to make him shut up?”
He smirked. “I certainly considered it.”
“Xander! It’s my dad! Why do you hate him?”
“Your father made my life hell for longer than I care to remember. He is an asshole.”
“He is my father!”
He shrugged a shoulder. “I’m sorry about that.”
I shook my head. I couldn’t understand how he could be so callous and horrible. “Wow.”
“Yep, wow. I can’t believe you are his child. I would have never guessed that. Not in a million years.”
“Well, I am his child. I’m his only child.”
“Sucks to be you,” he shot back.
I bit my lip, thinking about what to say next. Unlike him and my father, I didn’t feel the need to lash out and say hurtful things. I refused to resort to name calling. “I guess it’s probably for the best if we leave this right here,” I said.
“This?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest.
“Us. Whatever this was or wasn’t.”
He slowly nodded. “You’re probably right.”
“Goodbye, Xander.”
“Bye,” he said and stepped back inside.
I turned and made my way back to my car. I refused to look back. I didn’t hear the door close behind me and was unsure if that meant he was watching me or if I just didn’t hear it.
I felt sad. Whatever we almost had was never going to happen. I reached for my door handle, refusing to let him see how sad I was about the way things had gone down.
“Wait,” he called.
I turned to look behind me. He was walking across the black pavement toward me.
“What?” I snapped. “I will not stand here and listen to you insult my father or me. Whatever beef you have with him, that’s on you. I want nothing to do with it.”
“Why don’t we go get some real dinner?” he asked, completely ignoring everything I said.
“Dinner?” I asked with surprise. “Are you kidding me?”
He shook his head, that slow smile spreading over his face. “You promised me dinner. I’m hungry.”
I stared at him, wondering what the hell was going on. He was mad, and now he wasn’t. My dad’s warning echoed through my head. “You want to have dinner with me?”
“Yes.”
“You do remember who my father is, right? You’re not worried I might be tainted in some way?”
“Can we just get some food?” he asked on a sigh.
I thought about it and decided I was hungry. “Fine, get in, though. I’m picking the place and I’m driving. I don’t want you ditching me again.”
He grinned. “Not a chance in hell. Not when there is dinner involved.”
He walked around the car and got in the passenger side. I had no idea what I was doing. Playing with fire seemed like an appro
priate term. Maybe it was my rebellious side finally showing up ten years too late. My dad didn’t want me to have anything to do with Xander.
Could that be the appeal?
I slid my key into the ignition and glanced over at him. His jaw was set, and I could see the anger was still there, hovering just below the surface. He was making an effort. Or was he?
Was he using me to piss off my dad? I took a deep breath and made the decision to do it anyway. Maybe I was the one using him to piss off my dad.
“Ready?” I asked.
He turned to me and offered me that playboy smile he brought out on occasion. “I am. I don’t think there is anything worse than what already happened.”
I scoffed. “Gee, thanks.”
“Just drive,” he ordered.
I put the car in drive and pulled out of his driveway. I was probably going to regret spending another minute with him, but I couldn’t seem to bring myself not to do it. I didn’t know if it was him or the idea of him that was pulling me in. I didn’t want to think about it just then.
I was hungry and I wanted food. I wanted to live in the moment. I would worry about the consequences of my decision to share a meal with the enemy later. Hell, I had done the whole sleeping with the enemy thing. If my dad only knew, I thought with a small smile.
“Where are we going?” he asked when I took a turn that would lead us into a part of town I doubted he knew existed, considering his wealth.
In my experience, the best places to eat were the places no one knew about, except for the locals.
Chapter 25
Xander
When she pulled into a parking lot that was half gravel, half blacktop, with weeds growing through the endless cracks, I wondered if she had lost her mind. There were some rather unsavory characters sitting at one of the outdoor tables. They were looking at us like we were the enemy.
We were invading their territory. I wasn’t really up on the gangs in the area, but I didn’t want to step onto anyone’s turf. Could she be setting me up? Was she pissed at me and thinking to drop me off in a bad part of the city and hope I would get my ass kicked?