My Father's Best Friend

by Ali Parker

  "I didn't call to get a lecture, Erica. It's not a hospital. They'll take visitors anytime. Just make sure you don't forget. Text me later after you've been over there."

  "And what do you want me to tell her when she asks where her son is?" And she would. She only cared about Daniel. I might as well have been one of the maids that cleaned her room.

  "Tell her that I'm away on business."

  "I hate lying to her. You know this." I pressed my hand to my head and rolled onto my side. Bacon. Was it bacon that I smelled?

  "You're fine with it when it benefits you."

  "Fuck you too." I dropped the call and left the phone in the bed as I sat up and ran my fingers through my hair. I had to look like hell, but it was what it was. Bacon was an addiction that I rarely fed.

  The sound of music playing in the kitchen had my lip turning up in a smirk. I stopped by the door and watched Matt shake his cute little butt as he sang under his breath. He had on a pair of shorts that hit him mid-thigh and nothing else. His back was lined with muscles, but the little love handles on the sides of his hips were too cute. Where he was a little bigger than most of the guys I'd dated, I found it comforting. He was perfect.

  "Shake it a little to the left. Your right ass cheek is getting all the attention." I laughed as he glanced over his shoulder and his cheeks burned pink.

  "You're watching me dance?"

  "Yep. I like it." I walked across the short space between us and moved up beside him, taking the fork from his hand. "Did you know that bacon is my favorite food in the whole world?"

  "Nope, but I think I might love you a little now that I know it is." He smiled and moved over to the fridge, pulling out the orange juice and pouring us both a glass. "How's your head?"

  "Much better. Sorry about last night." I reached out and took the glass he offered before letting my eyes run down his chest. He was all muscle, which surprised me a little. He never wore anything too fitting, so I'd always assumed he was fit, but not muscular.

  "It's all good. Your couch is amazing, but I have slept in some shitty places, so I might be a horrible judge of good sleeping material." He was talking fast and fidgeting a little. He was nervous. I loved it.

  "My bed's even better. You should have joined me." I pulled the bacon onto a plate he had sitting to the side of the stove. I laughed as I glanced over at him. His blue eyes were wide and mouth hanging open a little. "What? You can't tell me you didn't think about coming and poking me in the back last night. I'd never believe you if you told me that, by the way."

  "Of course I thought about it, but I'm not sure what that would do to our friendship." He lifted his glass toward me. "I want to start there. I know there's something between us, but I need to figure out what that means for me, and what I'm going to do about it. With so many decisions in front of me, I just want to make sure I make the right choices."

  "Of course. I'm happy being friends. You like your eggs fried or scrambled?"

  He groaned and walked to sit down at the table. "You know how to cook fried eggs?"

  "Doesn't everyone?" I turned to face him and fell a little bit harder for him as he gave me a goofy grin. The man was complex and unwrapping him would be my greatest delight. I just hoped that the stars would align in a way that let that be a possibility.

  "No. No one does really. I hate it when Martha says she's going to make eggs and promises to fry them. She scrambles them every time."

  "Martha is your dad's chef?"

  "Yeah. She's great, but damn her eggs are nasty."

  "I'm going to fry these for real. How many do you want?"

  "Four?"

  "Jeez." I laughed as he shrugged and downed his orange juice.

  "What's up for the day? You want to go walk down by the harbor with me? I'd love to poke my head into some of the small art shops and see what new artists they're featuring now."

  "That sounds great actually. I have to stop by this morning to see my mom at the retirement home, but I can catch up with you when I'm done visiting with her." I cracked a few eggs and tried to ignore how good it felt to have him watching me so closely.

  "No, I'll go with you unless it's a private visit and you need some time to yourself with her."

  "No, I'd love for you to go. I'll warn you ahead of time that she doesn't care much for me."

  "What? That sounds crazy. Who wouldn't wanna be around you?" He scoffed.

  "My mother. She prefers my brother, Daniel, who's a lawyer here in Seattle. She thinks art is stupid and doesn't like the fact that I followed my dreams in some capacity."

  "What were your dreams?" He stood up and moved up behind me, standing a little closer than I would consider comfortable for friends.

  "To do what you're doing. To paint and have my art hanging on the wall in a major gallery." I glanced over my shoulder as he breathed in deeply.

  "Those look so good."

  I glanced down at the eggs and then to my breasts. "What looks good?"

  He chuckled. "The eggs look good. You look incredible, but you know that already."

  I turned to face him as he moved toward the cabinet and pulled down two plates.

  "Why do you assume that I already know that I look good? Maybe I have no clue how other people think I look." I put my hand on my hip and cocked my head to the side. "It's nice to hear a good-looking man tell you that you look good."

  "Not good. Great, and I'm not good-looking. I'm just me." He patted his chest and nodded toward the stove. "Don't burn the eggs. A lot is riding on how these turn out."

  I laughed loudly. "Oh yeah? This is an interview?"

  "It is now."

  "And if these are the best eggs you've ever had in your life?" I turned back to the stove and plated them for him.

  "You got a spare ring around here that I can use to propose?"

  The very idea of Matthew Bryant getting on one of his knees and asking me to spend the rest of my life with him left my pulse racing and my knees weak. It was a pipe dream and a half, but it was one that I was happy to entertain.

  "You're so silly." I walked over to the table and sat down, reaching for the bacon as he started to cut his eggs.

  "I like silly." He took a quick bite and closed his eyes. "I love them. Marry me?"

  "Yep. Let's do it today. My insurance is great at M&B, but you need to buy us a bigger place." I glanced around as he chuckled.

  "There is a softer side to you. I like it." He reached out and brushed his fingers over my hand. "Why aren't you following your dreams? I have a sneaking feeling that your work would be just as good as my own. Why not pursue it?"

  "I don't know." I ran my fingers through my hair and pulled my legs up into the seat with me. "My father would have wanted me to, but it wasn't like being an artist was something I could do if I wanted to pay the bills right out of college. I made different decisions."

  "And you're happy?"

  "Yes, very." I stood up. "I met you, didn't I?"

  "You lucky, lucky girl." He turned and glanced over his shoulder as I stopped by the stove.

  "I'm going to go change. You really don't have to go with me to the retirement center if you don't want to."

  "I know I don't, but that's the thing. I wanna go. I'd love to see if you got your looks from your mom or dad."

  I lifted my eyebrow as curiosity raced through me. "And why would that matter?"

  "I just need to know who to thank. You're clearly the most attractive woman in my world."

  "You don't get out much." I turned the corner and walked back to the bedroom to the sound of him talking smack. It would be so nice to visit my mother with someone else there. She usually took to berating me the minute I walked in the door, but with Matt by my side, there was no way she would show her ass. Why Daniel made me go was beyond me. It had to be because he disliked me as much as she did. I disrupted their orderly world and brought color in amidst the grays and blacks they loved so much.

  I changed into a long skirt and a fitted top before working
my hair into a bun and slipping sandals onto my feet. I put on a little bit of makeup, and earrings. A yelp left me as I turned to walk out of the bedroom and ran into my handsome weekend visitor.

  "Sorry. I need to change if you don't mind." He ran his hands over my shoulders slowly as his eyes moved around my face. It was an odd side of him, and yet I was quickly falling for anything he might be willing to give up. I'd wanted those hands on me for the last two years, and now that I had a taste of them, I couldn't seem to imagine a life without more of his time, his attention, his affection.

  "Sure. And just so you know. You owe me, and I'll be collecting today."

  "What? What do I owe you?"

  "I played girlfriend to you last night in front of Jonathan. I need you to play boyfriend in front of my mother so I don't have to answer a million questions about who you are and why you're tagging along with me today."

  "Sounds good to me." He moved around me and popped my butt, surprising me again. "My women show more skin. How about you put on a shorter skirt."

  "You wish, buddy." I laughed and walked back toward the living room.

  His women? I couldn't see Matthew sporting a handful of women. One would be nice, especially if she were me.

  Chapter 11

  Matt

  I snuck glances at her as she talked about work and the new project she was working on for my father. Something about being around her made me feel fifteen again. She was alive and full of so much passion that it bubbled up around the edges of her persona. I wanted to reach over and run my hand up her thigh, but the subtle touches earlier that day combined with the kiss the night before were probably more than enough.

  She knew how I felt about it. The question I'd posed was a serious one. What was I willing to do about all of it? Moving to Seattle seemed the right answer in so many ways, but being away from Damon, and Dad, from Sophia and Bethany? That sounded like hell. All I would have is Erica.

  She was more than enough, and yet if things didn't work out between us, I would have to pick up and move back to Dallas. Something about admitting that failure left me not wanting to jump too quickly. I could feign that the move was more about working closer to Jonathan or being a part of the advertising division of M&B, but I would know the truth. I'd moved to see what could be with her. Was love worth all of that?

  "Are you even listening to me?" She reached over and poked me in the side.

  I gripped her hand and tugged a little before releasing her. "Yeah, I'm listening. I just keep trying to figure out what I'm going to do about this position you keep subtly throwing my way. I wanna be a part of what my father and Damon are building, but wearing a suit and trying to keep up pretenses in a large office building downtown sounds like hell on earth."

  "It's not that bad, and honestly you wouldn't have to wear a suit unless we were meeting with investors." She brushed her fingers by her lips and let out a soft feminine sound. "You know what? I bet we could even talk to your father about letting you work remotely. We could get you a killer apartment downtown by the art district, and you could work on your M&B projects there."

  "Hmm... that doesn't sound bad, but I hate the thought of getting special treatment because of who my dad is."

  "Right, but you can't have it both ways. People are going to know who you are no matter what. At least your special treatment makes sense. I mean, take the situation with Bethany for instance. She's totally getting special treatment, but no one is going to say shit about it."

  "No one knows that she's Kent's daughter but a select few."

  "Oh." She glanced my way. "Is that because of her and Damon's relationship?"

  "Exactly. It's too complicated for any of them to deal with. It's easier for everyone to simply think that my dad married a pretty younger woman and that's all they get. Bethany hasn't been connected to that relationship, nor will she. We rarely do anything with the company and the family that would connect her." I shrugged, trying not to let my thoughts move back to my brother and all of his troubles. I loved him too much to think on it too long or I'd start working through the list of fixes that might work. He'd never listen to me anyway. He was too pigheaded.

  When he and Bethany decided to start putting the other first in the relationship, everything would change. It was a lack of communication and a touch of selfishness on both of their parts. They were the main reason why getting into a relationship seemed a bad idea altogether.

  "Very interesting." She parked the car and turned the engine off, but didn't get out. "Is it horrible that I'd rather be anywhere but here?"

  "No. I felt the same way when I used to visit my mother's grave. I loved her with all my heart, but the way she destroyed Damon and never had to reap any of the pain that she bore him still leaves me sick. I'd force myself to go out to her grave with fresh flowers and sit there almost like I was in penance. It was disturbing."

  "Do you still do it?" She reached for the door handle.

  The innocence in her voice caused something inside of me to crack open.

  "No. I decided that sitting beside a headstone and talking to the air with falsity and lies was a little much. I just make sure to lift a shot of vodka to her from time to time now. She loved that shit."

  Erica laughed and got out of the car. I followed her and met up with her at the front of the car, unable to take my eyes off of her.

  "Will you at least consider coming up here to work at M&B with me?" She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and studied my face like she might have the power to change my mind if I said no.

  "Yeah. I'll consider it. We can talk more about it this weekend. I need to understand what you have in mind. I've honestly not been paying much attention every time someone brings it up, but that's because everyone keeps shoving it in my face." I shrugged and tried hard not to get defensive. "I'll hear you out and really think it through when I get home next week. I love it up here, and it makes sense for me to be closer to Jonathan with the way things are going with my art. I'm just not sure of the time commitment I can make to M&B. I want other things in life outside of success and money. I'm not the typical billionaire."

  "Agreed, but I like you just the way you are." She slipped her arm into mine and pulled me toward the retirement home. "Remember, you're my main squeeze."

  "Can we sneak kisses in front of your mom?" I opened the door and smiled as she giggled. It was a feminine sound and drove a stake of desire through me.

  "You're corrupt. Don't be touchy feely please. My mom was a lawyer in her past life. She's intensely pragmatic."

  "Lovely." I rolled my eyes and moved into the narrow hall behind her. There were a few things I could deny about wanting to be in Seattle for, but she wasn't one of them. Should she question me about wanting to be closer to her, and I'd have to confess. I'd started to fall for the bossy woman in front of me two years ago when she came to work for my father. I'd just been forcing myself not to think about it, and when that didn't work, I turned her into the type of woman that I wouldn't want in my life. Lies. All lies.

  I stopped behind Erica and slipped my hands into my pockets to keep from reaching out to touch her again.

  She glanced back at me with an uneasy expression. "Thanks again for coming with me."

  "Of course." I followed her into the apartment-like place. An older woman with a perfect blond bob haircut glanced up from reading a Time magazine and nodded at me and Erica.

  "Is your brother out of town?" The woman's tone was flat and filled with condemnation. I ached for Erica without having to hear more than her mother's greeting. My father had been nothing but overly loving my whole life. I wasn't sure I would know how to deal with one of my parents not wanting anything to do with me, or wanting me to be something different than I was.

  "Yes, Mom. This is my boyfriend, Matthew." She moved to the side as I walked up and extended my hand to the older woman.

  She shook my hand, but didn't address me. "Why do you wear skirts like that? They make you look frumpy. You have a handso
me young man's attention now. Don't fuck it up."

  I jolted at the older woman's comment. With the way she looked, she was the last person I expected a curse word to slip out of.

  "Right. Thanks Mom. I heard you're going to be moving to another room today. Is that right?" Erica sat down and moved closer to her mother. The older woman stiffened and glared at Erica like she was trying to take her purse.

  "I'm going to make a call. I'll be right back." I leaned down and kissed the side of Erica's face. I hated to leave her, but there was no damn way I was going to be able to sit in the room with her mom treating her so badly. I was about to start verbally swinging if Erica didn't take up for herself, but I knew without a doubt that she wouldn't disrespect her mother. The slight rounding of her shoulders told me that she was defeated before anything really happened.

  I walked out of the room and let out a soft exhale before pulling my phone out of my pocket. I had a text sitting on my phone from Sophia from the night before. Seeing that I wasn't in the business of lying to people I cared about, I called my old friend back and walked out into the sunny fall afternoon.

  "There you are. I thought maybe the she-devil ate you."

  I laughed. "She's not a she-devil. She's a hot woman with a big heart and a strong sense of who she wants to be. She scares me because I can't seem to catch my breath around her."

  "Nice. I want that, but can we have it be with a really hot rich guy?"

  "Yeah, your Dubai prince." I smiled and found a bench to sit on that was perfectly positioned for maximum exposure to the sun.

  "Try again. I'm not that lucky."

  "What did you need last night? Everything okay at home?"

  "Oh yeah. It's great. I just wanted to check on you. I know you were worried about everyone shoving decisions down your throat. Just wanted to remind you that you're your own man. Make the decisions that you think right now would make you the happiest."