Chapter 20
Archer
A girlfriend.
Somehow, I landed a girlfriend.
I still think about the spontaneous way I asked Hazel a few days ago.
After Allegra came to see me, it made sense. And the weird thing is, I’m not scared by it. But a part of me feels that Hazel being my girlfriend isn”t enough. I want more.
But what does that mean?
I don”t have what it takes to be anyone”s husband. Yet the idea of not leveling up our relationship to all it could be bothers me. I know if I lost her, I”d lose the best part of my life.
I shake my head. Maybe I”m on a high.
Took me so long to get semi-domesticated, and now I think it”s all puppies and rainbows. I never asked for any of it—for puppies or rainbows.
I ring her doorbell, and her father opens up.
”Hi, Archer,” Rick says. He looks good, and his face is a bit slimmer, which means the work Hazel has put into being the food police has paid off. ”She”ll be down soon. Come inside.” He gestures for me to enter.
Moonshine greets me excitedly, jumping and sniffing me like a juicy steak. I caress her head and sit on one of the couches.
I”m sure Rick knows about the true nature of our relationship by now. I”m picking up his daughter for Sarah”s birthday party tonight, yes, but he must know this isn”t a regular work function. Not with the time we spend texting each other, even off-work when she”s gone after her shift ends.
”How are you feeling, Rick?” I ask.
”Oh, good as new.” He smiles.
Moonshine takes a seat on the couch next to me.
”Moonshine, get off,” Rick instructs, but she wags her tail and jumps on me.
”She”s fine,” I say as she licks my cheek. “Friendly dog.”
Rick plops on the recliner chair opposite, scooting to the edge, his eyes trained on me. ”Hazel said she”s going to a new friend”s birthday party. Someone she met before.”
“Yes.”
His face grows serious, and he takes a good look at me, shooting me a warning glance. ”You know… I understand she works for you, but if you hurt her, I”ll end you. Don”t think that because I”m twenty years your senior and with a new hip, I can”t do some damage—especially if I don”t have anything to lose.”
I hide my amusement. Her dad is older than me and way out of shape, but I can”t help but admire his sense of fatherhood. He”s doing what any good parent would—protecting her from me. ”I wouldn”t underestimate you.”
He scratches his chin. ”Good. I have to be honest; you”re a whole lot older than her. And I see the look in her eyes when she talks about you. I don”t want her to be disappointed.”
The amusement from his threat gives way to the rattling in my chest. I process his words quickly. I see the look in her eyes when she talks about you. I know the weight they carry. She’s the most important person in his life, and he wants her to be happy—not hurt.
”I”d never hurt Hazel. I know I don”t deserve her.” I look down, feeling emotionally naked in front of a stranger.
He shifts in his recliner. ”No one does. But knowing that is a good start.”
I nod. ”Agreed.”
Moonshine licks my hand again, helping to dispel some of the tension stiffening my body. I make a mental note to send her an overpriced dog basket.
”I”ll get you a lint roller.” Rick stands and heads to the pantry.
I pet Moonshine, who sighs and rests her head on my lap. Puppies and rainbows. I”ve never asked for puppies, but it can”t be that bad. As if reading my mind, she barks, demanding my attention.
Then I realize she”s barking to announce Hazel”s arrival.
What an arrival.
She wears a long, silky forest green dress that hugs her curves, especially her hips. The color gains some depth as she walks, perhaps because of the soft fabric. She shines. The green complements her beautiful hazel eyes, and I take a deep breath. I will my desire away so I won”t have an erection when her father is mere feet away. ”Are we ready?”
”Yes. We”re ready.”
Much later,I take another drink of my scotch. We’re on the terrace at the Harrington’s mansion—exquisitely decorated with elegant lights and luxurious furnishings. A jazzy live band plays in the middle of the garden. Guests in designer clothes mingle and socialize, and the party has a more intimate feel than the gathering at Malcolm’s weeks ago.
When we arrived, Brooks showed himself as a good host—warmer than our last interaction—and introduced me to Beck and Grant. Beck Roderick is the head of marketing, and Grant Lewis is the director of technology. Two powerful partners of Sugar Silk.
Now, Sarah is showing Hazel and a group of women around the house. The perfect time to pitch my idea to all the three key players standing next to me.
”So Brooks told me you”ve been thinking about a travel collaboration with us,” Beck says. He’s an attractive man in his mid-forties, happily married to his wife Eliza, a widely known jewelry designer, after they were separated for a while.
”Yes.”
”Would this be for ongoing sugar relationships or new ones? I wasn”t sure when I told him,” Brooks asks before he sips his scotch.
”The focus would be new,” I say, squaring my shoulders. ”Think about a current take on single cruises but curated sugar daddies and babies instead, and we can create different itineraries.”
”So, not everyone can join?” Grant asks.
From what I learned about him online, he married his then-assistant. Earlier, I almost made a joke about that to Hazel but stopped myself.
”No, this would keep the curation and exclusivity that Sugar Silk is known for.”
”Why travel to meet people?” Beck asks over the rim of his tumbler.
”These group activities would add a different flavor to your brand. So people could date others without having to commit. They wouldn”t need to be exclusive, and as you know, when we”re on vacation, there’s a different intensity to things. The process of dating five or six different people would move faster and be more fun.”
”How often would these things happen? I don”t want to give my team more work,” Beck says.
”We’d organize the itineraries, billing, everything, and give you your cut. We can start with two or three trips a year, then increase as needed.”
”I like the idea,” Grant says. ”It”s good to branch out and be one step ahead of the game.”
“We’ve seen increases in organized, curated trips for select groups,” I say truthfully. “I’m confident this will go over well. There’s a hungry market for it.”
”Okay. Send me the proposal, and we”ll show it to our lawyers,” Brooks says.
“You won’t regret it,” I say, and we shake hands.
“Sounds good. If y’all excuse me, I have to leave early,” Beck says. “One of our kids is getting over the flu, but Eliza wanted to come and give Sarah a birthday hug.”
”Yeah, kids change everything,” I say.
”Do you have any kids?” Beck asks.
”Not yet.”
Not yet. I mentally gut-punch myself. Why didn’t I say no?
I always thought children were a better idea for someone else. My mother loved me, and we had a good life for the most part—until my father came back into the picture. But overcoming her loss and what my father did after she passed took years.
How can I be a good dad when mine sucked? I wouldn”t know where to start—and I stay away from projects in which I can”t excel.
Besides, I doubt Hazel wants kids soon.
Would she have them with me?A voice inside me growls.
The simple act of wondering scares me. I take another sip of my scotch and pray to God that this nonsense will go away.