5. Stan
Chapter five
Stan
“Do the combo, do the combo!” Alex barks at Ruth, who is struggling to beat Selena at Mortal Kombat. “Finish him!”
“Sorry, kids,” Selena apologizes before typing a set of keys and delivering one of the most gruesome fatalities I’ve ever witnessed. Normally, the senseless violence wouldn’t faze me, but now that I have a daughter, I feel like I should be shielding her from it.
Ruth whines as she keeps her controller on the floor. “Dang it! Why are you so strong?”
“Being an actress calls for multiple skills. And that includes beating snotty brats at video games,” Selena says, a smug look of victory on her face.
Alex and Ruth grumble, reeling from the defeat.
It’s my first day being an official father to Ruth. I talked with Catherine and extended their rent for a month while I tried to sort things out, like getting Ruth’s official placement sorted.
My lawyers and financial advisor told me taking her in was a bad idea, given my rising reputation. I’ve managed to be on a winning streak these past few years. Plus, I still have the full-length movie to work on. Besides Selena, I haven’t gotten the cast sorted or the script. Nothing is really ready, but I still focus my attention on Ruth and her situation. She’s all that matters to me right now .
And to make matters more complicated, Samantha Knight has walked back into my life.
I was under the assumption that my feelings for her had faded with childhood. But the second I looked into her gray eyes, they came rushing back. She’s even more beautiful than I remember. Her brown hair is slightly darker and longer, falling to her shoulder blades. Her heart-shaped face look adorable enough to bite.
I stare at my palm and recall how soft her face felt when I touched it. When I looked into her eyes, they were puffy and red. What had made her cry? Something, or someone, had hurt her.
I don’t know who, but I’m going to find out and take care of them.
They will regret making her cry.
Sam walks into the room, eyes fixing on Ruth. “So, who’s this?”
“I’m Stan’s daughter, Ruth,” Ruth answers with no hesitation.
Shit, I haven’t introduced them yet. But hearing her introduce herself as my daughter to Samantha feels surreal.
“I’m Sam. Lucas’s cousin and unofficial sister,” she says to Ruth. Her eyes shift to me. “I didn’t know you had it in you,” she tells me. “For a while now, I was convinced you and Lucas had a thing for each other.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t call him straight so quickly,” Ruth says, gesturing to me. “I found him ogling your cousin, so the gay might still be there.”
For the hundredth time, I shut my eyes and massage my temples. This girl is too smart, too snippy, too take-charge. She’s going to be the death of me, and I’m the one who signed on the dotted line.
Sam lets out a hearty laugh. “She’s your daughter, all right,” she crows, punching me playfully in the side. “Looks like you did have it in you, after all!”
“I’m starting to think this wasn’t a good idea,” I groan.
“You’ll make a fine dad. She’s just like you, so you can figure it out,” Sam says, staring intently at me. “Daddy Stan.”
I gulp hard at the nickname and look away.
“Alright, let’s stop teasing the new father and get dinner,” Selena says, clapping her hands and rescuing me from the situation.
I sigh. What a day. And it’s not over yet.
Later that evening, I take Ruth to the bedroom I’ve made up for her. She looks up at me, hands on her hips.
“So, this is your room,” I mutter.
“I know. You showed me already.”
I’m pretty sure I’m failing at this. How can I possibly be a father to a girl I’ve just met? No, I can’t doubt myself. I’m a grown-ass man, and I’m quickly becoming the toast of Hollywood. I shouldn’t be this nervous around a teenager. I may not know what the hell I’m doing, but I should be able to fake it till I make it.
Ruth steps to the center of the room. I watch her turn in a slow circle, taking in her surroundings. The room is decorated in her color palette: dark indigo walls and a bedframe made of black wrought iron.
“Is the bed okay?” I ask. “And the room?”
She turns to me and smiles. “I’d be fine with you putting me up in the garage. Everything here is so fancy.”
“You’re saying this now? After I already spent a big chunk of change on this room?”
She snorts. “Well, I could stay in the garage and then call child services.”
“You little scheming gremlin.” I burst into laughter.
She sits on the bed and caresses the sheets with a warm smile on her face. “This is nice. Thank you, for everything.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” I tell her as I take another look at the room. “Your mom is going to be taken care of properly. And I’ll do my best to make this place homey.”
“You’re a good guy, Stan,” she says, then gets to her feet and walks over to me, shoving me out of the room. “I need to change. Get out. ”
“Fine, fine.” I let her display of strength continue until she pushes me out of the room. She pauses to look at me, then smiles again before closing the door and locking it.
I’m hit with the full impact of what I’ve agreed to do. Nerves rush in full-force, followed by a heavy dose of doubt. I decide to go online and find some tips on handling teenagers so I don’t blow this entire thing.
Later, I find myself wandering outside around Lucas’s man-made lake. He was always complaining about how the local lake was too crowded for his liking. So one day, he just decided to build his own.
I spot Samantha sitting on the edge of the dock in the distance, and my heart starts to beat a little faster.
“Swimming at this hour isn’t advisable,” I say as I approach her. “Especially since you can’t swim.”
Samantha turns to look at me. “I can swim. Dumbass.”
I shrug. “Don’t cry for help when you fall overboard.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I like to come sit on my dock and escape the new realities of my life where it’s quiet. Unfortunately, you’re here now.”
She snorts, but it’s half-hearted. She turns to face the still body of water again. “First, this isn’t your dock; it’s my cousin’s. I would know, because he told me he built it. Second, go find your quiet elsewhere.”
I decide not to remind her that I helped build the lake and the ownership is also in my name. “I have nowhere else to go,” I say. “Something I guess you’re feeling right now.”
“Right back at you,” she retorts. “How has life been? What are you doing still living in Rose Haven and not in Hollywood with your dad?”
“I’ve been producing my own movies,” I say defensively. “Caught a big break two years ago and have been growing ever since.” I’m not sure if I’m coming across as arrogant, but I do like the fact that I can gloat a little. “I was about to start working on my first full-length movie, but now…”
“Ruth,” she finishes for me. “Are you going to tell your parents?”
“It’s inevitable.” I shrug. “But not anytime soon. I want… I want to try being her father for a while. Ruth’s mom doesn’t want to drag Ruth through the ups and downs of her early rehab treatment. Doesn’t want Ruth seeing her that way anymore. She asked me to let her work on getting better for a month, so I have her for at least that long. And the two of them have no one to help them, you know?”
“You still need to tell your dad,” she advises. “I understand how heavy this situation is. While you’ll tell him in your own time, just... hurry it up a little.”
I nod. “Noted.”
We fall into silence. The only sound is the soft ripple of the lake’s surface sprung to life by a gentle breeze.
“So, what brings you to Rose Haven when it’s not summer and your parents aren’t here?” I ask. “You just showed up, and you looked like you were about to cry. Heck, you still do. Talk to Lucas about it yet?”
“I don’t have to explain anything to Lucas about what’s going on in my life,” Sam dismisses. “He’s family. He can give me a sanctuary if it’s in his power.”
“He’s a married man now, with a growing family,” I remind her. “Do you think he still has the resources to focus on babysitting his baby cousin?”
“Thanks for pointing that out, genius.” She rolls her eyes, but doesn’t look at me. Her jaw tenses, and her eyes narrow. “And it’s none of your business, Movie Boy. I’ll tell him everything when I’m ready.”
She still doesn’t face me, but thanks to the newly installed solar lights illuminating the area around the lake, I can see all her facial features. The pointy nose she used to be sensitive about. Her hair billowing in the wind. Her lips forming a pout.
We may have gotten older, but she still looks the same to me. I may have worked with a lot of actresses and models, but Samantha Knight remains the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. It was true in my teenage years, and it’s still true today.
“If you’re done staring, get off my dock,” she says.
I made her mad. But considering how she still has the energy to tell me to leave, then she’s not mad enough.
Smiling, I bend down to her, and she finally turns to face me with defiant eyes. Unfortunately for her, the flick I give her forehead catches her off-guard.
She puts her hand to the spot I just flicked and glares daggers at me. It doesn’t scare me one bit; in fact, I like the look on her face. Better that than a sad one.
“Enjoy your dock, Miss Knight.” I grin as I turn and walk away.
“Stupid rich boy,” she calls as I leave. “Why don’t you just trip over the dock and drown.”
Oh, really. I fake a slip and almost throw myself over, stopping myself before I actually fall. She screams until she realizes the joke.
Worth it.