I give the upscale restaurant a once-over, but there’s still no sign ofDad.Wereconfirmed.Lastweek,Ieven texted him and asked him to update the reservation to amodate three.Sowhy he’ste,Idon’t understand.I’mnot particrly upset.I’menjoying this pretentious restaurant, with my date.I’mnot sure ifAverywould call this an official date—but she’s wearing her sexy ck dress, her makeup is done, and she’s even wearing golden hoops in her ears.Ididn’t even realizeAvery’sears were pierced until tonight.
Thathas to be something.Ifshe’s putting in this much effort to fix up like this to meet my dad, she must want to make a good impression.Because…<i ss="calibre2">she cares, right?</i>Shehas to be feeling the wayI’mfeeling.
Ourwaitress, who politely introduced herself asPenny, returns to our table and smiles, and she silently refreshes our water sses.
“Excuseme,Penny, could we start with an appetizer, please?”Iask and the waitress grimaces.
“I’mso sorry.Restaurantpolicy is we can’t put in food orders until the entire party has arrived.Ican get you another round of drinks and more wasabi nuts, though.”
Ince at the tiny dish of almonds thatAveryhasn’t touched.Averyisn’t a picky eater andI’velearned in the past month that both in the kitchen and in the bedroom, she’s open to trying pretty much anything at least once, but wasabi is off the table.Shenearly gagged when the waitress set them on the table.
“Wouldyou like a drink,Queen?”Iset my eyes onAveryand after a quick smile,Ilet my gaze wander down to her ample cleavage.<i ss="calibre2">Ah, damn.</i>Holdingout might be a little harder for me thanIrealized.ButIdon’t know how else to get her in my studio.Iknow she doesn’t want me to document her body, but it’s not for me.It’sfor her.Sheneeds this.I’veseen it so many times before.It’swhyIgot into boudoir photography.TheprideIget when a woman finds her confidence and finally sees herself as all the things she never thought she was…it’s unrivaled.Ilike giving that gift.
Pennyturns her head and stares right atAvery.Hershoulders rx, and she changes her tone to a casual one. “Excuseme, girl.Hecalls youQueen?” she asks.
Averycovers her eyes as her smile spreads and her cheeks turn pink. “Everytime he sees me.Hetreats me like one too.”
Pennywhips her head around and nces at me.Sheclutches her chest. “Howlong have you two been together?”
“Alittle over a month,”Irespond.
Averyraises her brows at me andIshoot her a little wink.Shekeeps her eyes on me as she grips her water ss and brings it to her lips. “It’sbeen a really good month,” she says before taking a small sip.
<i ss="calibre2">There.</i>Thereit is.Validation.Iknew she wanted more too.Ifelt it.Buthow?Shouldshe stay inVegas?ShouldIgo toCalifornia?Longdistance isn’t an option.Iwatched that travesty unfold with my parents.Maybewe’re not ready for this conversation yet.Maybewe’re just ready to own up to what this really is, no matter how it got started.
“Youtwo,”Pennysays, pointing back and forth between us on opposite sides of the booth, “are perfect together.”Hereyesnd onAveryagain. “Holdonto him tight, honey.Whena man calls you a queen every day, hold on<i ss="calibre2">damn tight</i>.”Sheclenches one of her fists in the air, showing off her red-manicured nails. “WhatcanIget you to drink?”This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.
Averytaps the long, skinny drink menu to her left. “Ican’t decide between theShowMeLoveor theStartMeUp.What’syour rmendation?”
“Um, let’s see.ShowMeLovehas a delicious lychee puree.It’sunique and fresh.You’llnever taste anything like it, but it’s light and a touch sour.StartMeUpis much sweeter and bolder.Thepassion fruit puree mixes perfectly with the pineapple rum.Bothare fantastic choices.”
Allright, time to flex a little.IknowAveryisn’t after the finer things in life, but if she’s with me, she can have them.
Ipull out my wallet and fish out a few hundred-dor bills. “Bringher both.JohnnieWalkerBluefor me.”Ifold the bills between my ring and middle finger and hold them out to the waitress. “Andplease put in an order for the cmari and the brie-stuffed mushrooms.”Itry to make sure my smile is kind but assertive.Idon’t love acting like aHarvey, but fuck ifI’lllet my girl go hungry because my dad can’t get his ass to a restaurant on time.
Pennydoesn’t even hesitate.Shesnatches up the bills. “Ourlittle secret,” she says with a wink and hurries off to the back of the restaurant to put in our drinks and appetizer order.
Theminute she’s out of earshot,Averyleans into the cloth-covered table between us. “Okay,FinnHarvey—fess up.Areyou already loaded?Isthat why you don’t care about making money from your photography business?”
“WhosaysIdon’t care?”
“Youdidn’t take any of my suggestions.I’m<i ss="calibre2">great</i>at whatIdo.I’vehelpedpanies near bankruptcy make it into theFortune500.Strategicpartnerships, brand positioning,SEO, and local newsletter ads would make your business soar, but you ignored all of it.Youonly care about the stinking shark fin logo.”
“Becauseit’s pretty damn cool.I’mFinn.It’sa shark fin…”Itap my temple with two fingers. “Thatshould’vee to me sooner.”
Averydoesn’t return my smile.Sheblinks at me with a nk expression.
“Okay, okay, you want the truth?”
Shenods. “IthinkIknow the truth.Youdoubt me.”
Reachingacross the table,Igrab the tips of her fingers, decorated in light green polish, and squeeze tenderly. “Notfor a damn second.I’m, uh…overwhelmed…and pretty intimidated.Youkept talking about metrics and measuring campaign sess…”Releasingher fingers,Ibury my face in my hands before blowing out a sharp breath. “Itake pictures,Ihave a studio,Iedit, but the business part?Iwas never cut out to be entrepreneurial.IfIstart all that stuff you told me to do,Iwouldn’t know how to handle it after the summer, when you go back toCalifornia.”
Shetilts her head to the side, a look of pity washing over her face. “Finn, you could call me whenever, for whatever, andI’dbe there for you.Iget this kind of thing can be a lot at first.”Shelets out a frustrated sigh. “Dammit.”
“What?”
“WhenIasked you to help me in exchange for my services,IguessImade the thickheaded assumption that your business was your main source of ie.ButImake pretty good money,Finn, and never once in my life haveItipped a limo driver or waitress hundreds of dors to get my way.Sobe honest…you don’t actually need my help, do you?Yourphotography business is more of a hobby.You’realready filthy rich.”
Thetemperature of my blood begins to rise.Thisis the side of my lifeIprefer not to highlight.Itattracts the wrong characters.Butthis isAvery…
“Notyet,”Imutter. “Yes,I’llget part of my inheritance whenI’mthirty, but until then, the next year and a half will be a little tight financially—”
“Thenwhy are you wasting your money on showing off?”
Myjaw drops open. “I’mnot showing off.It’snot really my money.”
Ihave almost one hundred thousand dors thatI’vetucked into a separate ount.It’sa culmination of money from my dad, which he gifted for birthdays and holidays.Theount also contains the huge chunk of change he gave me whenIbuilt an in-home photography studio.Itry my best not to touch the money.Mydad is convinced he can buy rtionships.It’sdirty money.<i ss="calibre2">Forgiveme.Loveme.Lovethe monster.</i>Butyeah, sue me,Imade a few withdrawals to takeAveryout and show her a nice time.
“Look,I’mtrying to be—”<i ss="calibre2">HowdoIsay this?Idon’t like dipping into that ount…butIdo it for you.Toprove a point.You’reworth the white glove, five-star, royalty treatment.Theway no one’s ever treated you in your life.</i>“Idon’t want you to see me as a guy who is all looks, has a failing business, and can’t treat you to nice things.”Igesture around to the extravagant restaurant.
“That’sfunny,” she mutters almost under her breath.Herface falls as her eyesnd on herp.
“What’sfunny?”
Sheshes me a brief, clipped smile. “Ijust liked it better whenIthought you needed me.”
“Oh,Ido—”
Aloud bellow ofughter sounds at the entrance of the restaurant, causing me to stop midsentence.EvenAverywhips her head around at themotion.Thehairs on the back of my neck rise asIwatch him charm the young, brte hostess.Fine, my dad has game.Butshe’s thirty years his junior, at least.
<i ss="calibre2">Twentyseconds.</i>No, less than.<i ss="calibre2">Lessthan fucking twenty seconds,</i>and we haven’t even spoken andI’malready irritated.Iraise my hand to beckon him over to our booth at the back of the restaurant, but he doesn’t see me.Hiseyes are fixed on the young hostess’s chest as he makes an excuse to touch her arm.Idon’t know what they’re talking about, but “<i ss="calibre2">your table is this way,</i>” really shouldn’t involve so much flirting.
Averystraightens in her seat, her bugged-out starending on me. “That’syour dad?”
“Mhm, that’sJunior.”
“Junior?”
“Yes,GrampsisSenior,DadisJunior, andI’mGriffinHarveytheThird.”Icock my head at the zed look in her eyes.Sheseems both rmed and amused at the same time. “What?”Iask.
“Nothing,” she says, shaking her head. “Youguys just look<i ss="calibre2">a lot</i>alike…”Butthe way she says it…
<i ss="calibre2">Ugh.</i>Iroll my eyes. “Don’tsay it.”
“Ididn’t say anything,” she insists, trying to cover her giggle.
“You’rethinking it.”
“I’mnot.”
Ire at her. “Youare…Fine.Justsay it.”
“Ihave nothing to say.”
“Justget it out,Avery,”Igrumble.
“You’llforgive me?” she asks, giving me an adorable, innocent smile.
“Ofcourse.”
Shemakes a big ordeal of coughing into her fist. “Yourdad”—<i ss="calibre2">cough, cough</i>—“is hot.”Shebursts outughing. “Okay,I’mkidding.Kindof.It’sjust he doesn’t look his age.Actually, how old is he?”
Inarrow my eyes at her again. “Why?Youwant his number?”
“Oh, stop,Finn.”
I’mnot proud to say it, but it would not be the first time one of my dates ditched me for my dad.
“He’sfifty-six, a pilot, disgustingly rich, and has the sex drive of a man in his early twenties.”
Averyshakes her head, her long, brte waves falling over his shoulders. “Oh, geez.Yourpoor mom.”
<i ss="calibre2">That.Thatright there is whyAvery’sthe one.Shegets it.</i>
Ince overAvery’sshoulder, watching the hostess heading to our table with my dad in tow.Hepurposely trails a foot behind so he can watch her ass.It’slike watching a lion stalk its prey.MaybeIshould warn her, but judging by that stupid giddy smile on her face, she’s happy to walk right into his trap.<i ss="calibre2">Usea condom.Gettingchild support out of him will be a bitch.</i>
“Look,”Isay in a hurry, “my dad is a nice enough guy, but if you’re ufortable at any point, we can leave—”
“Finn.”Averyreaches across the table and squeezes my hand. “Youasked me toe here for support.SoI’mhere.Unlessyour dad ps a hockey mask on and starts chasing us around with a machete,I’mnot going anywhere.Don’tworry about me.”Sheraises her brows. “Worryabout you,” she says in a hushed tone as my dad approaches.
“Youhave my number, honey.Callme after your shift and maybeI’lllet you buy me a drink,”Dadsays with a wink to the hostess, who scuttles away, blushing. “Champ!” he bellows.Heholds out his arms andIscoot out of the booth to embrace my father. “Youlook good,Son.I’mso happy to see you.”Hesps his forearm around my shoulders and pats my back with gusto. “Sohappy.”
“Hey,Dad,”Imumble into his shoulder.Mydad still has a solid two inches of height on me.Ihave a bit more muscle, but not by much.Admittedly, he’s in great shape for fifty-six. “Whyare you sote?”
“Ah,I’msorry, bud.Ididn’t mean to be rude.Truthfully,Ifell asleep in my hotel room.IfIwasn’t staying right upstairs, this dinner might’ve turned into a nightcap.Bythe timeIthrew on a sports coat and ran out the door,Iwas already twenty minuteste.”
Inod, butI’mskeptical.Ibelieve he was sleeping.Ijust doubt he was alone. “Dad, this isAveryScott.”<i ss="calibre2">Ah, fuck it.I’mjust going to say it.Let’ssee what she does.</i>“Mydate.”
Shewiggles to the edge of the long booth and rises, her dainty hand extended. “Mr.Harvey, it’s a pleasure to meet you.MayIjust sayFinnis your spitting image.”
Dadtakes her hand with a huge smile on his tan face.Hissalt-and-pepper brows lift animatedly. “Hey, honey.CallmeJunior, please.It’sso nice to meet you, too.Andno, no way.Myboy got all the good looks.Sucha handsome fellow.”
“Well, with that,Iagree.”
Stillshaking her hand,Dadpulls her into an ufortably tight hug.Avery’sbreasts tten against his abdomen. “We’rehuggers in this family, littledy.”
Pennyreturns to the table as if she was summoned, andI’msuddenly aware our fanfare of a greeting is blocking the thruway for the servers.She’sholding a tter of drinks and appetizers and she needs us to take our seats.
“Sitwith me, baby.”Ihold out my hand, pullingAveryto my side and ushering her into my side of the booth.Isit down, closing her in protectively.DadrecesAveryon the opposite side of the booth after unbuttoning his suit jacket and neatly hooking it on the dedicated golden hanger on the outside of our booth.<i ss="calibre2">Man, this ce is pretentious.</i>
“ShowMeLove,StartMeUp,”Pennymumbles as she slidesAvery’scolorful cocktails her way, “and aJohnnieWalkerBlue, neat, for you, sir.”Sheces the tter of fried cmari with four different dipping sauces and the piping hot te of stuffed mushrooms between us. “Careful, the mushrooms are scorching hot.”
AfterDadrequests a scotch, we assure her we’re all set and need a minute with the menu before she hurries off again.
Dadraises his brows. “ShowMeLoveandStartMeUp?Arethose drink names?”
Averylets out a lightugh. “Theyare, indeed.Iordered two.Wouldyou like one while you wait for your drink?”
“Hmmm,”Dadsays, “which are you willing to share?”
“Either.Iliked the sound of them both and couldn’t choose.”
Myjaw clenches asDadwaggles his brows atAvery. “Howabout we try them both?Wecan switch halfway.”
Islide my whiskey over toDadin a huff. “Takemine,Dad.You’renot a cocktail guy.”
“Aman can change,” he says through a chuckle.
<i ss="calibre2">Orstay exactly the same.</i>
Hetakes a sip of my drink and sighs with pleasure. “Ido like myJohnnie, neat.”
Wedgingmy arm between the small ofAvery’sback and the cushioned back of the booth,Isqueeze her hip. “CanItry the light green one?”Iask before nting a kiss on her temple.Ilike ying house.Ilike touching her like this.It’show it should be.<i ss="calibre2">She’smine.</i>
Shetakes a little sip of her drink in the martini ss first and puckers her lips like it’s sour. “<i ss="calibre2">Oof</i>, tangy, but<i ss="calibre2">really</i>good.Ithink you’ll like it.”Sheslides the ss across the table toward me, careful not to spill a drop on the clean white linen tablecloth.
“Aren’tyou two cute?How’dyou meet?”
“I’mFinn’sneighbor for the summer.I’mhouse-sitting.Weran into each other andIoffered to help him with his photography business.”
“Howso?”Dadasks.
“I’ma brand strategist.I’mhelping to develop some growth ns forFinn’sstudio.”
“Growth?So, like marketing?”
Averyteeters her head. “There’sa little crossover in services whenIwork with smaller businesses.Withanypany with annual revenue in the six figures,I’lldo it all.I’llhelp establish a brand image, provide insight into growth tactics, and even help implement marketing strategies.Butmainly, whenIwork withrgerpanies,Icreate a vision for thepany, and usually the established marketing team of saidpany executes that vision.Forexample,Finnsaid you’re amercial pilot?”
“Iam.”
“Whodo you fly for?”
“RoyaltyAirlines.”
“Ah, see,I’mfamiliar with that brand and it’s an interesting story—”Averystops abruptly and looks up to meet my eyes as if to ask if she’s talking too much.Isqueeze her hip under the table tenderly.
“What’sinteresting, baby?”I’mnot sure ifIparticrly care about the story behindRoyaltyAirlines.I’mjust liking how she’s letting me call her baby all over the ce, especially in front of my dad.
“SoRoyaltyAirlines’ logo is purple, as are their seats and uniforms.”
Mydad nods along. “Everythingis purple.ThankGodIlook good in it.”
Herlightugh is forced.Theway you’dugh in obligation at your boss’s joke. “Well, a lot of people assume purple means royalty and the color choice is obvious, but that wasn’t thepany’s intention—a happy ident maybe.Aboutforty years ago,RoyaltyAirlineshad a blue logo, but what they discovered at the turn of the century was that it was the matriarch of the household that was the one researching options and making the final decision on flights and travel.So, if the flight price points werepetitive and a woman had to choose between very simr airlinepanies with masculine logos and colors, there was a slight advantage to appealing toward a more feminine style.”
“Interesting…”Dadsays.Theway his brows are furrowed, andAveryhas his full attention,Iknow he means it.
“SoRoyaltydid aplete branding overhaul.Andthe more feedback they got from their new consumer base, the more they changed about the airline policies.Familiesboarding with children of age five and under would be seated first versus the other airlines at the time that was only offering early boarding for families with children two and under.Theymade their snacks more kid-friendly and offered organic juice boxes and were one of the firstpanies to offer free in-flightDisneymovies.Thvatories are a little bigger to amodate changing tables.Thenes are stocked with sanitary cover-ups for breastfeeding.Royaltywent a step even further than appealing to women.Theybecame the airline for—”
“Mothers,”Dadfinishes for her.
“Exactly.Afterthe rebrand, they went from the fifteenth most lucrative carrier in theUnitedStatesto the second…because no one canpete with theAmericanAirlinesloyalty program.”Averyshrugs. “ssceilings, you know?”
“Allthat because of a little color switch?”
Averyshrugs with a sweet smile on her face. “It’sa little moreplex than that, but yes.Prettymuch.That’sthe power of brand identity.”
Ifight the urge to kiss her right now, in front of this entire restaurant.Ilike every shade ofAvery, but this might be my favorite.She’sso intelligent and confident when she talks business and it’s so refreshing to see a woman so powerful in whatck.
“Sohow did you be a brand strategist?”Dadasks, looking as impressed asIam. “Isthat a degree?”
Averytakes a small sip through a cocktail straw from the reddish-purple-colored drink in front of her. “Ooh, try that one,” she says, sliding it my way. “Delicious.”Sheclears her throat and continues. “Iactually started my degree in nursing, butIhad trouble with science.Mygrades wereckluster and one day,te in my junior year whenIwas forcing myself to study in the library,Istumbled upon a seminar.Oneof the tenured professors from the business school was talking about jobs that would be exploding in the next decade.Hername wasDr.RuthDonovon.Ijust loved the way she spoke, with such confidence.Shebecame my mentor and convinced me to switch my degree to business.Shetaught me everythingIknow.”
“Youswitched your major<i ss="calibre2"te</i>in your junior year?”Iask.
“Ohyeah.”Averybobs her head. “Ihad to do two extra semesters of school, butDr.Donovonwas very convincing.It’sworth noting, theRoyaltyAirlinesstoryIjust told you?Shewas the brand strategist they hired, who told them to switch their logo to purple.Theypersonally thanked her at their annual executive meeting and credited her vision with their leap of one hundred billion dors in revenue in their first year after the rebrand.”
“Goddamn,” my dad says with a grunt. “Shemust’ve been richly rewarded.”
Averughs as she picks up her drink once more. “She’sretired in a<i ss="calibre2">very</i>nice house inKeyLargo.Westill talk about once a year.”
“You’rea smart man,Finn,”Dadsays, pointing his appetizer fork at me before he stabs one of the cheese-stuffed mushrooms. “Yougot yourself a workingdy.There’snothing more appealing than a woman who can hold her own in the business world.”
Mychest tightens asItake his words in the worst way possible.Iwish this defensiveness would go away, but there’s a wall betweenDadand me.Thatwall is called<i ss="calibre2">Mom</i>. “There’salso nothing wrong with a woman who stays home to take care of your house, raise your child, and ensure you never have to lift a finger when you’re home.”
“Thatkind of womanes with a hefty price tag,”Dadscoffs obnoxiously. “Anda lot of lip.”Hepops a mushroom into his mouth and chews vigorously. “Oh, these are fantastic.Youhave to try one, honey.”Dadscoots the te of appetizers towardAvery. “They’replump and juicy,” he says beforeIwatch him shoot her a disgustingly flirty wink.