Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
WREN
The next morning, after Eli made the house a hearty breakfast of protein pancakes and sausage, we sat around the main room and bantered with the guys. It had taken my mind off the discussion I needed to have with my father.
As midday rolled around, I left Eli at the house, reassuring him once again that I needed to face my father alone. He was my father, after all. How hard could this be?
I drove to the restaurant, parked and strolled along the walkway to the front.
The formidable structure held an enormous square turret at the entry with a gigantic, pivoting door featuring iron components.
As I stepped inside, I spied my father sitting at a booth along the clay-colored wall, the seats in orange leather with the backs in turquoise.
I waved and strode across the slate-tiled floor.
“Hey, Dad.” With a quick smile, I dropped in across from him.
“Hi, Wren.” He wove his fingers around a tall Bloody Mary.
Hell, he was drinking already? Maybe Mom was right about the booze. My stomach tied in a knot. “Thanks for having lunch with me.”
“Of course. We live so close now, we can see each other more.” He sipped his drink. “Let’s order food and then have the discussion you wanted.”
“Sure.” As my palms grew sweaty, I picked up my menu. “What are you ordering?”
“The Mongolian beef. I always get that here.” He flashed a grin.
Always? How often had he come here? My chest pinched, and I breathed through it. “When, uh, when did you move here, Dad?”
“A few months ago.” Stirring his drink, he gave a stuttered chuckle. “What does it matter?”
As heat flickered through my chest, I opened my mouth to speak.
His gaze snapped to mine. “Oh, we wanted to be settled before we saw you.” He took a long sip of his drink.
The server stopped by the table, and I ordered an iced tea, along with the seafood hot pot. Eli’s breakfast had been filling, but it had been a few hours since then, and I didn’t need any alcohol to inflame my emotions.
“Why didn’t you call me before the move to let me know?” I unrolled my silverware from my napkin and set it on my lap.
Shifting in his seat, Dad blew out a breath. “There was a lot going on. As you know, Karen was pregnant, and we had to orchestrate finding a home here, getting the house in California ready for renters and multiple doctor visits.” He toyed with the edge of his napkin and then unrolled it.
Multiple doctor visits? Was her pregnancy in jeopardy? My heart pricked. I’d only learned about the baby last week, but I already had some feelings for him. “Is Karen okay? Is there a problem with the pregnancy?”
The server brought me my tea, and I drank some.
“No, it’s typical to have doctor’s visits when a woman gets pregnant. You have ultrasounds and bloodwork…” He huffed. “This is her first, so she’s taking every precaution.”
“Oh, okay.” I drank more tea. Should I use the words Eli had given me? “Dad, I know there’s a family trust and—”
“Can discussion of that wait?” He glanced toward a server with food on a tray. “It looks like our food is here.”
The server delivered the meal and left.
Picking up my fork, I stared at my plate. “But one reason I wanted to see you today was to talk about it.” I wasn’t sure I could eat now.
“Wren, it doesn’t concern you.” He took a bite of his Mongolian beef. “Oh, they have the best food here.” He tapped his fork on his plate.
I pinched my lips. “But…it does concern me, Dad. The money in your trust goes to me when you, uh, pass.” Shit, that didn’t come out right. I crept my gaze to his.
His gaze hardened. “Is that what you want? My money?”
I gaped. “N-no, I only wanted to talk about it. We’ve never discussed it, and I should have some information about it, like how much money is it? Who’s the executor after Aunt Nadine—”
“Your mother put you up to this, didn’t she?” He pressed his lips into a grim line. “She’s trying to get more child support out of me, or is it money for your college she wants?”
“What?” My brows snapped up. “No, how could she still get child support? I’m twenty-two.
The college fund you and Mom started when I was young pays for my schooling.
” What the fuck? Seriously? As heat ignited in my chest, I fisted my free hand on the table.
Through my teeth, I said, “You know what? Mom continued to put money into my college fund while you paid her what, two-hundred dollars a month in support for me? And then I went to community college to stretch that fund.” I flared my nostrils.
“Seems it’s pretty hard to raise a kid on two-hundred dollars a month.
” Not to mention the custody issues. He hardly saw me, even though I was supposed to be with him every other weekend.
But it never happened. I took quick breaths. Damn it, this was getting out of hand.
“So, she instigated this. I suppose she has Nadine on her side too.” He sucked his drink down and stuffed food into his mouth. “I’m done talking about this.”
I glared at my food. Eli had been right. I was too emotional to have this discussion without a moderator. “I’m sorry, but Mom didn’t put me up to anything. This is all on me.”
With a scoff, Dad’s gaze roamed my face.
“Your mother did well for herself after our divorce. Isn’t that what you told me at dinner?
” He wiped his mouth with his napkin. “The courts base child support on the father’s income, the custody arrangement and the mother’s income. At the time, I wasn’t working much.”
I didn’t fucking care about his excuses.
He was sitting on all that money and didn’t want to support me.
Period. What a fucker. But his new baby was another story.
As a lump crawled up my throat, my vision blurred.
No, I would not grant the asshole the satisfaction of seeing my tears.
“Yeah, okay.” I was done talking too. He’d shut me down.
I stuffed food into my mouth but couldn’t taste it. I only wanted to go back to Eli.
“Wren, let’s not talk about money anymore. It only leads to arguments.” He ate more of his beef. “Why don’t you tell me about the game yesterday? Did ASU win?”
Who else had he been arguing with about money?
Aunt Nadine? Karen? Had Karen been the mastermind behind the scheme to use real estate to grab money from the family trust?
“We won, Dad.” I slipped a forkful of food into my mouth, willing the pit in my stomach to unravel.
“It was a good game, and Eli played well.” Of course, Dad had watched none of it.
“That’s good to hear.” He sipped the last of his drink and flagged the server to our table to order another one. “The Bloody Marys served here are amazing. You should try one.”
“No, thanks. I have studying to do this afternoon.” Not that he cared. I shoveled food into my mouth. I didn’t want to sit here with him anymore. I could barely look at him. Did he ever really care about me? As my eyes stung, I blinked the tears back. I had to hold it together.
“What are you studying in school?” He ate more food, as if the earlier tenseness had never existed.
Hadn’t I already told him? “Marketing, Dad.” I swallowed a bite of my hot pot down.
“How are things with you and Eli? If he’s getting an NFL contract, you’ll be moving with him to another state, won’t you?” After the server set down his fresh drink, he took a few gulps.
“I don’t know yet. It’s still early in our relationship.” It wasn’t like we’d had those discussions already. I poked a shrimp with my fork.
“But you two were boyfriends in high school, so you’ve known him for a long time.” Dad raised his brows, leaning close and fixating on me. “Seems to me he’d be a great catch. NFL players make millions.”
I stared at him for a moment. He’d said he didn’t want to talk about money. “So? It wouldn’t be my money. It would be his.”
He swung his fork at me, a grin curling his lips. “But if you married him, then it would be. Well, the money would belong to you both.” His grin waned. “Unless he insists on a prenup.” Shaking his head, he dove into his meal. “Don’t sign a prenup.”
I couldn’t help myself. “Didn’t you make Karen sign a prenup?” A grin swept my lips.
Chuckling a scoff, he said, “No, of course not. She wouldn’t have married me if I had made her do that.”
She was after his money. I knew it. Was she using the pregnancy to get to it?
Damn, poor Stuart. It was a terrible reason to have a kid.
I watched Dad eat and down his drink. He had always behaved poorly as my father.
Stuart would probably experience the same thing.
Karen was in for it if she thought otherwise.
I mean, she’d seen how he treated me. Why would he be different with Stuart?
“What’s on your mind, son?” He set his fork on his plate. He’d eaten all of it.
“Nothing. I’m just taking a breather from eating.” Lie. But wasn’t that what we did best? Lie to each other? “I had a big breakfast, so I’ll take the rest of this home.” Maybe Eli would want it?
The server stopped at our table. “Can I get you anything else?” He flicked his gaze from Dad to me.
“A box, please?” I sipped my tea. I couldn’t wait to leave and see Eli.
“Yes, and please separate the checks.” Clearing his throat, Dad gulped the last of his drink.
Was he fucking kidding me? He wouldn’t offer to pay for my meal?
My chest squeezed, and I clenched my jaw.
Of course he wouldn’t after our conversation.
He suspected I was seeking his money. I suppose I shouldn’t have expected it from him, but Mom always paid when we went out.
I was still in college, for fuck’s sake.
“Yes, sir.” The server left.
With a peek at Dad, I squirmed in my seat. There was nothing left to say to him.
The server returned with our checks and a to-go container.
After I boxed my food and we paid, I followed Dad toward the door. This was awkward as fuck.