The Playboy

by Alice Ward

  “She is,” Ray agreed, smiling kindly. “Listen, I want to take you out to lunch today. Both of you.”

  “Why?” I asked suspiciously.

  “Just to talk about things,” Ray shrugged. “Nothing formal.”

  “Okay,” I said slowly. It suddenly dawned on me that Tara still hadn’t arrived. “Where’s Tara? She wasn’t in the conference room. I was going to check her office, but you called me in here before I got the chance.”

  “Tara took the day off,” Ray said simply. He looked at me with an impassive expression. I wanted to ask questions, but I hesitated, in case it somehow gave away mine and Tara’s relationship. The last thing I wanted to do was get her in trouble with her boss.

  “Okay,” I said again.

  “So,” Ray said. “Lunch. How ‘bout it?”

  “Sounds good,” I said with an automatic nod.

  “Great,” Ray smiled. “Tara left a few things for you to go over. I believe she set them up in the conference room. Why don’t you spend the morning in there, and I’ll come get you when it’s time to leave?”

  “Okay,” I said. I felt like the word was becoming my mantra. I gestured for Paisley to follow me. She jumped up and hurried with me toward the door.

  As we stepped into the hallway, I glanced back at my father, still wondering what his motives were. He wasn’t looking at me. His attention was focused on his computer. I shook my head and turned away.

  ***

  My father took us to a pizza place for lunch. I was surprised when we pulled into the parking lot, but his reasoning became clear when we stepped inside. He immediately pulled a few coins from his pocket and handed them to Paisley.

  “Here you go,” he said, winking at her. “Why don’t you go play some games while we order the pizza?”

  Paisley shrugged. “Sure.” She took the coins and stuffed them into her pockets. She glanced at me and said, “I only like cheese.”

  I smiled. “Got it.” She turned and ran toward the arcade without another word.

  Ray ordered us a large pepperoni and personal size cheese pizza. We filled our drink cups and found an empty table. As we sat down, I glanced over to check on Paisley. She was enthralled with a pin ball machine and looked to be having a good time. I smiled, thinking how happy I was to have her around.

  “So,” Ray said, pulling my attention back to him. “How are things really going? With your daughter, I mean.”

  “It’s great,” I answered shortly. I didn’t trust my father enough to talk to him about anything real.

  “Really?” Ray asked. “I imagine it would be a rough adjustment, especially for her.”

  “She misses her mom,” I said. “It’s natural that she should. Claire just died.”

  “I’m sorry about that, again,” Ray said. His face fell slightly like he might actually mean what he said.

  “I’m sure you are,” I said. My eyes were narrowed while we spoke. I knew there was more to this lunch than he was letting on.

  “Anyway,” Ray said. He cleared his throat. “I wanted to take you to lunch so I could thank you. I can’t tell you how happy I am that you decided to come work for the company.”

  “Uh huh,” I nodded. “Well, the money really was too good to pass up. Now that I have Paisley to think about, I couldn’t say no.”

  “Still,” Ray said. “Money aside. I’m glad to have both my sons working with me. It feels right. Like we’re becoming a real family again.”

  “We aren’t,” I snapped. I glared at my father in disbelief. Did he really mean the crap he was spewing? Did he honestly think that, after everything, we could become one big, happy family over night?

  “Listen,” Ray said. “I know things between you and your brother are strained.”

  “Strained?” I scoffed. “Maybe you’ve forgotten, but they are much more than strained.”

  “I know,” Ray said. He held up his hands defensively. “But, I think if you gave him a chance, you would see how much he’s changed. He really is a different person now, Sean.”

  “Somehow, I find that hard to believe.”

  “Then just give me a chance?” Ray pleaded. “Things could be great again if you just let us back in. Your brother isn’t the same person he was all those years ago.”

  I stared at my father with disgust. It was obvious by the pleading look in his eyes that he meant what he said. Deep down, he truly wanted us to become a family again. He knew all the reasons that was impossible, and he still insisted on insulting me with his free lunch and pathetic begging.

  “If he’s changed so much,” I said. “Then why isn’t he here right now? Defending himself?”

  Ray opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He shook his head. I could see the wheels turning as he tried to think of something to say, but I couldn’t bring myself to sit there any longer. If he only invited me to lunch so he could berate me about my relationship with Zach, then there was no reason for me to continue listening to him.

  Just as I stood up, the pizza arrived at the table. I quickly packed up Paisley’s cheese pizza and grabbed a few napkins. I looked at my father with a mixture of anger and pity.

  “Thanks for lunch,” I said, even though I hadn’t eaten a bite. “But we’re leaving.”

  “Sean,” Ray began, but I cut him off with a look. I turned and hurried toward the arcade where I took Paisley’s hand and led her through the restaurant.

  She looked behind her at Ray as we walked, but she didn’t ask any questions. For someone so young, she understood more than she should. I felt bad for dragging her away from the arcade, but I couldn’t stand the idea of sitting at that table for one more second.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Tara

  When I arrived at work on Thursday morning, everything felt off kilter. I couldn’t remember the last time I took a day off, and it felt strange to be returning in the middle of the week. Still, I was excited to be there. Having an entire day to myself felt wrong, especially when it meant not seeing Sean for a full twenty-four hours. It surprised me just how much I missed him.

  I stepped into the conference room, checking emails on my phone as I walked. I didn’t expect Sean to already be in the office, but when I looked up he was sitting at the table shaking his head at me.

  “You know,” he said. “If you’re late like this, I may need to rethink our agreement.”

  I chuckled and glared at him, feigning seriousness.

  “Oh?” I asked. “You may want to check your contract, Mr. Yates. You’re locked in for the duration.”

  “Well,” he teased. “If that’s the case, then maybe I need someone new to work with. Someone who can be on time to our meetings.”

  I laughed and walked over to him. Paisley sat beside Sean with her sketchbook open and a colored pencil in her hand. When I approached, she set down her pencil and jumped to her feet. She hugged me quickly before she sat back down and continued her drawing. I watched her for a second before I turned my attention back to Sean. He was smiling at me.

  “What?” I asked nervously.

  He shrugged. “Nothing. It’s just nice to see.”

  “What’s that?” I asked with a frown.

  “You two together,” Sean said. He shrugged again, clearly trying to keep his voice casual, but it didn’t work. My heart leapt at his words. I blushed and cleared my throat awkwardly. There was so much I wanted to say in response, but we were at work and Paisley was sitting between us.

  “So,” I said. “We should get started. I—”

  “First,” Sean interrupted. “Where were you yesterday?”

  “Oh,” I said, taken aback. “Your dad actually asked me to take the day off. He said he wanted to spend some time with you himself, that he had some things to discuss with you.”

  “He certainly did,” Sean said under his breath. His expression changed quickly. He had been light-hearted and happy just seconds before, but now he looked like he was trying to control a sudden rage.

 
; “He said he wanted to take you to lunch,” I continued slowly, watching Sean’s face with rapt attention.

  “He did,” Paisley answered. I hadn’t realized she was listening. “We got pizza.”

  “That sounds fun,” I said with a smile.

  Paisley shrugged. “The arcade was pretty cool. But, we didn’t stay to eat. We took the pizza to go.”

  I glanced up at Sean with a questioning look. He shook his head and looked away. He obviously didn’t want to talk about it, but it wasn’t in my nature to let things go.

  “What did he want to talk about?” I asked. “He didn’t mention any specifics to me.”

  “Nothing,” Sean said. He tried to wipe the anger off his face, but it was no use. I could already read him too well. “Just work stuff. I’m sure it’s nothing you haven’t already discussed with him.”

  “Really?” I asked skeptically. “That’s it?”

  “Yeah,” Sean nodded. He looked at me with conviction. He knew I didn’t believe him, but he was silently pleading with me to drop the subject. When I opened my mouth to argue, he glanced down at Paisley to remind me we weren’t alone. I closed my mouth quickly and nodded. I understood. There were some things Paisley didn’t need to hear.

  “Okay,” I said. I smiled at Sean to let him know the conversation was over. “So, did you go over the files I left for you?”

  “I did.” Sean nodded. He looked grateful to be talking about work. “My speech is tomorrow, right?”

  “Right,” I said. “We should practice it today because I want it absolutely perfect. This is too important to mess up.”

  “Have a little faith,” Sean joked. “I’ve done well so far, haven’t I?”

  “You have,” I admitted. “Which is why we have to keep the ball rolling. We can’t afford to move backward. Not now that we’re finally gaining some real momentum.”

  Sean rolled his eyes playfully and groaned. I knew he was just being difficult, but I still glared at him warningly. Yesterday was my first day off in longer than I could remember and I hated it. Now that I was back in the office, I was ready to get to work. Things were starting to look up for the company, and I wasn’t about to slow down now.

  “So,” I said. “Your speech.”

  I reached into my bag and pulled out a fresh copy. I handed it to Sean and watched while he looked it over. He nodded as he read, and I knew he recognized it from the day before. I smiled to myself. He hadn’t spent all day yesterday slacking off. Even when I wasn’t around, Sean still did his job. He’d come a long way from the slacker, attitudinal man I first met.

  “Seems pretty straightforward,” Sean said when he finished skimming the paper. “Am I reading this word for word?”

  “Yes,” I nodded. “That’s why we’re practicing. You need that memorized before tomorrow.”

  “Memorized?” Sean blinked. “I won’t have the paper with me?”

  “You will,” I said. “But it won’t look good if you continuously glance down. You need to know it already. The paper will only be there in case you forget something in the moment.”

  “Okay.” Sean sighed. “This is going to suck.”

  I laughed and shook my head. With a nudge, I pushed him to his feet. He grimaced at me and cleared his throat.

  “Get going, mister,” I said.

  ***

  Sean read his speech over and over, and I quickly began to memorize it myself. It wasn’t a long speech. I designed it to be no more than ten minutes, but it felt long to Sean. I knew he was having trouble by the way he stumbled over the words and constantly cleared his throat. Still, it was early and he had plenty of time to get it down.

  When he messed up yet again, Paisley looked up from her sketchbook and shook her head slowly.

  “Nope,” she said. “That’s not it.”

  “How do you know?” Sean asked her with a surprised look.

  “Because I’ve been listening to you practice for like eighteen thousand hours,” Paisley explained simply.

  “I think someone’s bored,” I said with a meaningful look at Sean.

  “Yeah, me,” Sean said with a groan. “I think we all need a break.”

  “That’s not exactly what I was thinking,” I said mischievously.

  Sean looked at me with nervous eyes, unsure what I was getting at. He watched me carefully while I reached in my bag and pulled out a bag of trail mix. I grinned and wiggled my eyebrows at him. Paisley glanced at the bag and frowned.

  “What’s that for?” Paisley asked.

  “Well,” I began. “It was supposed to be my snack for the day, but I think we can put it to better use.”

  “What do you mean?” Paisley asked. She closed her sketchbook and focused her attention entirely on me.

  “For each mistake your dad makes,” I said. “We throw one at him.”

  “What?” Sean asked with a laugh. I grinned at him.

  “You heard me,” I said. “Paisley and I need some entertainment and you need some motivation. This works perfectly.”

  “I don’t know how I feel about this,” Sean said hesitantly.

  “That’s the point!” Paisley laughed. “Let’s do it!”

  “Look what you’re teaching her,” Sean scolded. “She’s an impressionable young girl and you’re corrupting her. I don’t think I can stand for this.”

  Paisley reached into the bag of trail mix. She grabbed a peanut and threw it at Sean’s face. Sean’s eyes widened in shock, and Paisley laughed, a huge belly laugh the filled the conference room. I had never heard her laugh like that before and judging by the look on Sean’s face, neither had he. He grinned at me appreciatively before he looked back at Paisley.

  “I see how it is,” he said. “You girls are ganging up on me.”

  “Yup,” I nodded. “Now, get to work.”

  I grabbed a raisin from the bag and poised my hand for the throw. Sean raised the paper in his hands to hide his face. I giggled and nudged Paisley with my shoulder. Paisley laughed back and grabbed a handful of trail mix, ready to throw when necessary.

  For the next hour, Paisley and I took turns throwing pieces of food at Sean. Each time he stumbled over a word, he got beaned with a peanut or a raisin or a chocolate chip. He couldn’t pause too long or mutter the word “um” without one of us tossing things at his head. By the time the bag was half empty, Paisley and I were both flushed from laughter.

  Sean was doing well, though. He quickly learned his speech to avoid any more flying food, and he even looked to be enjoying himself. He smiled every time Paisley laughed, and I knew he was having a great time.

  When Sean finally got the hang of his speech, Paisley and I had less reasons to throw the trail mix. We started eating the pieces instead of using them as ammo. When lunchtime rolled around, the bag was empty and Sean’s speech was perfectly memorized.

  “I think you’ve got it,” I said. I had to admit, I was impressed.

  “Only because I was afraid you two might never stop,” Sean laughed.

  Paisley shrugged. “We got hungry.”

  Sean and I laughed.

  “You’re ready for tomorrow,” I told Sean. I stood up to face him, and I smiled warmly as he walked toward me.

  As we stood there, I had the urge to lean forward and kiss him. It wasn’t a new urge. I’d felt it on and off all day, but now that he stood so close to me, I had a hard time ignoring it. I cleared my throat and shuffled my feet nervously.

  Sean stepped closer to me and glanced over at Paisley. He made sure she wasn’t looking before he kissed me swiftly. It was soft and quick, so quick I almost didn’t feel it. He stepped back and smiled. I laughed softly and felt my cheeks blush.

  “I am ready,” Sean said. “Tomorrow will be great.”

  “It will,” I agreed. “Now, you guys get out of here. Paisley, make sure Sean practices some more tonight, okay? You know what to do.”

  I winked at Paisley and she winked back conspiratorially. Sean laughed behind me and gestured for P
aisley to pack up her things.

  “Remember,” Paisley said suddenly. “This weekend. You’re coming over, right?”

  I glanced at Sean who just nodded.

  “I remember,” I promised.

  “Good,” Paisley said. “Because we’re going to make dinner and rent movies. Right, Sean?”

  “That’s right,” Sean said with a nod. “We have it all planned out, so you can’t bail now.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” I swore. I grinned at Sean, my eyes drifting to his lips again. He knew exactly what I was thinking because he grinned back at me.

  As he stepped around me to join Paisley, he brushed my arm with his fingertips. I felt a shock run through my body and I shivered. His touch was already so powerful, it could have knocked me over if I hadn’t been prepared for it.

  Sean mouthed “goodbye” to me and ushered Paisley across the room. She turned and waved as they stepped out into the hallway. I watched them go, my heart aching with how much I already felt for them both.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Sean

  “What if she doesn’t like mac ‘n’ cheese?” Paisley asked, a look of panic flickering across her young face.

  I laughed and shook my head. “Everyone loves mac ‘n’ cheese,” I promised her.

  “Everyone?” Paisley asked.

  “Everyone.”

  Paisley nodded and continued stirring the bowl. She perched on a step stool so she could reach the counter. A giant bowl of mac ‘n’ cheese sat in front of her. She stirred it slowly with a large wooden spoon. I watched for a second before I ducked down to check on the chicken.

  It was baking perfectly in the oven, almost ready to serve. I smiled and flicked off the oven light. When I turned back to Paisley, she was frowning at the bowl.

  I walked over to her. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “There’s still chunks,” she complained. “I can’t get it all mixed.”

  “Here,” I said. I wrapped my hand around hers so we both held the spoon. I stirred the mac ‘n’ cheese fast and hard. I jerked our hands around playfully, making sure to get every single chunk.