A/N: You guys, I'm like a month late. So please listen to Jaymes Young because his EP really got me through this chapter. Despite the fact that Wattpad kept freezing and sending me into shock episodes because I thought I lost over a thousand words. -_- Come on Wattpad, install that AUTO save, please!
Without further complaints, please enjoy.
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                "No."
That was my go-to, immediate reply. That one simple word became my safe haven. I felt that I had been on one wild ride for most of my time meeting July and now, it was my turn to take control of the wheel and which way it turned.
 The look written across Herenandez's wise face told me of the oncoming disappointment he would be conveying to me in just a matter of seconds. I knew just how important this moment was to him, but was I supposed to sacrifice my reasons for saying no just so he could control his nephew's life?
"No?" He turned my statement into a question, sitting up straighter in the chair across from mine. It was clear to see that he was in shock. "But I thought...I thought we made a mutual agreement. Isn't this what you've been working at? What could have possibly came up that's changed your mind?"
"Herenandez, I took some time out to think about this and it doesn't seem appropriate. Do you have any idea how many college students are working their asses off to become interns for us? And I'm just going to give July a freebie?"
"July has his bachelor's in Business Administration. It's not like I would toss you my nephew without any kind of education that could contribute to the success of Arizona Springs." Herenandez gave a tight lipped smile. "Jesus, which is why I'm trying to get him to see that we have many opportunities here for him."
I sighed under my breath, regretting that I ever agreed to consulting Hernandez on the promise that I would help him match July with the company. I should have thought about the repercussions that would follow. I knew that me saying no would set our friendship on the rocks.
My office phone beeped and I leaned over my desk to pick it up.
"Mr. Waltz is on line 2 ," Danyel spoke excitedly into the phone, "Should I forward his call or ask him to hold?"
"Hold for one moment please," I replied before hanging up. I stood up, rounding my desk and opening the door for Hernandez who was slowly pulling himself to his feet. "I'm sorry, I really am, but I don't think-"
"How about dinner?" Hernandez intercepted, "We can talk about this whole thing at dinner. My treat, buddy."
No. I did not want to discuss this at dinner. I wanted to squash this right here and now.
I exhaled with a single nod, "I'll think about it, okay?"
If it wasn't obvious before, it's obvious now who July gets his persistence from.
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"Daddy!" Avery nearly jumped into my arms as I walked into her classroom to pick her up from school. I took off early from work just to pick the kids up from school and let Carley have the day to herself.
"Hey hunnie, how was your day?" I lifted her up, making sure her dress stayed down. I smiled as her little mouth starting running, rehearsing everything that she did in her day from the time she woke up this morning.
"...and then Mindie told Lori that she wasn't her friend anymore." Avery pouted, her short arms hooked around my neck and her nose nearly touching mine.
"Does that make you feel sad, sweetie?" I asked as I opened the back door and flung her book bag into the seat. I uncurled her body from mine and lifted her into her booster seat before strapping her in. She nodded eagerly at me and I smiled, pinching her cheek.
"I'll tell you what," I began to propose my plan to her, admiring the way her eyes lit up and the grin that was slowly twitching at the corners of her small lips. "How about we make cookies and you can take both of them a cookie for lunch tomorrow? The cookies will be so delicious that they will have no choice but to be friends again." I gave her my pinky finger and she hooked hers through mine with a huge smile on her face.
"Chocolate chip?" She asked, licking her lips.
"Double chocolate chip." I smirked before closing the door. I jogged around the car to the driver's side and got in, buckled my seat belt before I turned off into the street.
By the time I reached Mehil's school, Avery was fast asleep.  It took no time for her to fall asleep while the car was in motion. It was as if she took onto narcolepsy symptoms every time the car started moving. One minute she would be running her mouth and the next she would be snoring. It was cute. I took pride in these little moments because I knew I wouldn't have them for long.
I pulled the car around the pick-up circle, searching the crowd of kids standing by the school entrance. I decided that it was impossible to spot Mehil among all the others. I knew that he would be looking for his mom's car to pick him up, so I stepped out of the car for a moment.
I finally found him standing by one of the main doors with a girl. He was casually leaning on the structure, wearing a soft expression on his face. He had his soccer ball under his armpit and his bag slouched across one shoulder. The girl on the other hand was clutching a pink journal to her chest. She had a short hair cut that was almost boyish despite the way she was dressed. Whatever Mehil was talking about, it seemed like she was truly interested in every word.
Is this who he's been distracted by lately?
I couldn't allow the smile from escaping my lips as I cuffed a hand to my mouth and called out Mehil's name. He snapped his head around immediately, looking for me until he saw that I was waving him over. His smile dropped which was alarming for a split second. I brushed it off as possible embarrassment. I watched as he said goodbye to the strange girl before quickly walking towards the car.
I ducked my head back in, closing the door as he opened the passenger door. He tossed his stuff in before getting in himself.
"Seat belt," I reminded before shifting gears and locking the doors.
"Dad, what are you doing here?" He asked, shocked as he buckled his seat belt.
I bit my lip on that note. It wasn't the exact greeting that I was hoping for but it was definitely realistic if you judged the previous circumstances. I was rarely the one to pick the kids up from school. So of course Mehil would be shocked.
"I took off of work early to pick you guys up," I shrugged, "In fact, I'm going to try and start doing this more often." I gave a quick glance at Avery in the rear-view mirror with a slight pang of guilt.
"Cool." Mehil simply said back, digging his phone out of his pocket.
"So, who was that girl?" I stopped at a traffic light, turning to stare at him momentarily.
Mehil stopped fidgeting with his phone screen and paused for a moment. "No one." His voice took on a stiff tone, before he went back to playing with his phone.
"Funny. By the way you smiled at her, it seemed to me like she was someone special," I smirked, steping on the gas as the light switched.
Mehil groaned inwardly, "Oh come on, dad. It was no one special, just a friend."
"Well, tell me about this friend," I prodded, "I won't tell mom, I pinky promise."
Mehil gave me a sideways look of disbelief, "What am I? Four?" He snorted, "Are you going to throw in a cookie too?"
I used my free hand to smack his head softly, "Watch it, Mr. Sarcasm. You can at least tell me her name."
Mehil went quiet for a minute before a sigh slipped his lips. "Chris."
"Chris?" I repeated, doubtfully. "Is that short for Christina or something?"
"This is why I didn't want to tell you. You won't understand." Mehil crossed his arms across his chest.
"Mehil, I'm trying to understand, but you keep dropping this subtle details. I'm not a mind reader you know. I just want to know who this Chris girl is."
He didn't respond and I thought to drop the conversation. I didn't want to make him feel cornered. I wasn't going to try and pressure him to open up to me. I would give him his space and allow him to talk to me when he felt comfortable.
I turned the radio up to avoid the awkward silence and focused my attention on the road. Mehil hadn't said anything up until we pulled into the driveway and the car was turned off. He opened the passenger door, collecting his stuff before looking to me with a nervous frown.
"Chris isn't a girl. Chris is a boy." He closed the door before I got a chance to react.
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Cookies were baked within a time frame of an hour and a half. The kitchen was a horrible sight for eyes. Cookie batter was caked to the granite counter tops and melted butter greased the wooden floorboards. A mass of dishes were stacked in the sink and a batch of burnt cookies was stuck to Carley's favorite baking pan.
Nevertheless, the look on Avery's face made up for all of it. She sat at the table with a plate of cookies in front of her, munching away and humming happy tunes. I finished wrapping up the other cookies for her friends in little gift bags, scribbling their names on the tags.
Mehil was locked in his bedroom ever since he told me about his friend Chris. Well, I wouldn't say he explained the situation, but more of opened the door to a storm of questions that I was conjuring in my thoughts. It wasn't abnormal in this day and age for kids to find themselves at a younger age.
I wasn't going to look down on Chris or his parents for that matter. I was actually proud of Mehil for befriending Chris despite the differences. Kids could be cruel and very ignorant towards things that they didn't understand. This lack of knowledge resulted in bullying and harassment. I was just happy that Mehil hadn't succumbed to such disgraceful tactics.
I knocked on his door, holding what was left of the cookies on a plate in my hand. He didn't respond so I opened it anyway to find him laying on his back, flipping through the television channels.
"Double chocolate chip cookies?" I offered, one hand on the door knob and the other gripping the plate.
"Are they burnt?" He sniffed, his eyes flickering from the flat screen to me.
I tilted my head a bit and he sat up, "Just saying...you're not the best cook." He shrugged his shoulders, taking on a gentle approach.
"Thanks," I snorted, taking a seat beside him. "Cookies are actually my expertise." I extended the plate to him, "Try one."
Mehil arched his eyebrow before grabbing a cookie and taking a bite into it. I watched him morph from his usual I'm-too-cool persona to something more casual...more relaxed. As he chewed, I studied his face. He resembled me when I was his age a great deal.
Although, I can't really remember ever trying to be the cool kid, I could compare his authentic character to mines. I was always open to new ideas and concepts. I liked to observe people and their environments. Most importantly, I craved attention from my dad. My heart bled for his respect the way I feel that Mehil's is.
My father wasn't the best dad. He would be away for more hours in the day than I am now with my own kids. It was often surprising to ever see him at the dinner table. With him being gone so much, I would try to cherish those hours that I did get with him. I would tell him everything that I'd learned in my studies and ask him a bunch of questions. Most of the time he would cast me away, tell me that he would talk to me later, or that he was too busy for childish chats.
I stopped depending on him after awhile. I thought that if he was too busy for me, I could be too busy for him. I indulged myself in my studies and turned to extracurricular activities in school. As I grew older, I would see more of him, but by the time it really didn't matter. He was there, sure. But he wasn't there when I needed him there, or wanted him there. I cared less, since I was older.
That's what I fear with Mehil. I didn't want him to become another me, as I became a replica of my own father. I wanted him to become his own man. I wanted to be a good influence.
"They're pretty good," He gave a loop-sided grin, grabbing another one. "What's the catch?"
"There isn't one," I laid the empty plate beside me. "Just wanted to share some cookies with my son." I pressed the cookie to my mouth, taking a chunk out of it with my teeth.
He nodded, silently still eating his cookies and turning his attention back to the television.
"How's soccer?" I inquired, dusting my hands off on my slacks.
"Great. Our next game is coming up. It's against our biggest rivals." He explained.
"Oh really? Think you boys can take them?" I challenged.
"Dad, we got this," Mehil rolled his eyes, giving me a look of disapproval, "How dare you even ask such a thing?"
I laughed, "Don't get too cocky." I grabbed the plate and stood up, making my way to the door.
"You'll be there, right?" He called out to me and I looked over my shoulder briefly.
"Duh. How dare you even ask such a thing?" I smirked with one final nod, closing the door on my way out.
By the time that I finished cleaning the kitchen down, wall-to-wall, corner-to-corner, Carley was finally home. She arrived along with the pizza guy and I ignored the look she gave me intentionally as I handed him a twenty, allowing him to keep the change. I closed the door and greeted her with a kiss.
"Welcome home." I grinned, placing the pizza on the dinner table.
She shook her head before taking her shopping bags into our room and coming back out with a hand on her hip. She watched me silently as I grabbed plates for the kids, making small grunts and sucking her teeth.
"You could've at least gotten vegetarian pizza." She watched in disgust as I held a slice of pepperoni pizza at my mouth, tugging at the extra cheesy cheese.
"Dinner is ready!" I yelled to the kids, placing my slice down and wiping my hands on a paper towel.
"And why is my favorite baking pan...scarred?" She furrowed her eyebrows.
"I'll replace it, I promise." I chuckled, drawing her hands from around her waist and pulling them around mine.
"Mommy!" Avery and Mehil finally entered the dining room, happy to see their mother. They both collapsed against our bodies, forming a group hug. If a stranger walked in, they'd say we were just some big, happy family. No mark of errors, no uncertainties, and minor traces of mistakes.
"How was school?" Carley pulled away, bending down to kiss Avery.
Avery, like I knew she would, told her mother the exact same story in the same manner that she had told me earlier today. I had to direct her attention to the pizza just to get her to hush.
"After dinner, bath time then bed time, understood?" I pointed a finger at Mehil then Avery.
"That's so uncool," Mehil grumbled through a mouthful of pizza. "Whatever."
"Okay, daddy!" Avery shrugged her little shoulders as she happily waved her head from side-to-side as she ate her pizza.
Carley led me into the bedroom where she put on a show of all the things that she bought. She modeled a few outfits and numbed my nose with a bunch of fragrances. All the while she smiled, reminding me of the gorgeous girl that I met in the coffee shop. She fell back onto the bed, laying her head in my lap and looking up at me.
"Thanks for today," She sighed, thoughtfully. "I really needed a break."
I stroked her hair, "I know how stressed you've been lately. I just want to make sure you're not pushing yourself to the extreme."
My phone buzzed on the nightstand and I leaned over to reach for it. It was a message from Herenandez, reminding me of our dinner with the restaurant name and address. I had been so caught up with my day that it slipped my mind.
"Herenandez wants me to have dinner with him tonight," I looked down at Carley. "I want you to come with me."
I had a strong feeling that July would be with Herenandez. I felt that if Carley was with me, July would confirm for himself that I was where I needed to be.
"Dinner for what?" She shifted her head on my lap.
"He has a nephew who wants to be my intern," I slipped her head from my lap and got up. "I'm still indecisive on whether I want him to."
"What about the kids?" She asked, leaning up.
"Once they're in bed, they'll be fine. We'll be back in at least two hours." I flipped the light switch on in my closet and pulled out a classic black suit, a pair of leather shoes, and a matching tie. At the mention of the kids, I thought to bring up Mehil's friend, but I left that subject alone. Like I said, I wanted him to open up with me, not shy away from telling me things.
"You never invite me to your 'business' dinners," Carley gave me the air quotations and I rolled my eyes her way.
"Think of this as a formal meet then." I laid my suit on the bed before unbuttoning my shirt. "No business discussion. Just us dressed up to meet Herenandez, like old times."
"Is it formal enough for my black gown?" She pressed a contemplating finger to her chin.
"The one without a back or the one with the V cut?" I tried to peek into her thoughts.
"Guess you'll see when I put it on," She teased, hopping up from the bed. "I'll go get Avery ready for bed."
I collected a few things before going into the bathroom to take a quick shower.
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Carley turned out wearing neither of the black gowns that she mentioned and instead, a simple midnight blue dress with a sequence of rhinestones twirling around her waist. She wore her hair in an elegant bun. Her neck was graced by a string of pearls and pearl studs pinned her ears. Her make up was faint, exploiting her natural beauty. She looked stunning and any man would be a fool not to feel conceited that he had her by his side.
"You look stunning." I voiced my thoughts to her as she closed the door to Avery's room.
She flashed a wide smile, "We look stunning." She hooked her arm through mines and guided us towards the front door.
I entered the security code, setting the alarm before we slipped out. I fished my car keys out of my pocket and unlocked the door. I allowed Carley to get into the car first before lowering myself into the driver's seat.
We got to the restaurant within a time span of twenty minutes. We found Herenandez seated in the corner of the restaurant and approached his table. Surprisingly, he was alone. He laid eyes on us before standing up with a welcoming smile.
"Carley, you look like you just stepped off the red carpet." He squeezed her hands in his before pulling out her seat.
"You look handsome yourself, Herenandez." She smiled at him.
"Thanks for coming." Herenandez gave me a friendly pat on the shoulder as we took our seats.
Herenandez started light conversation with Carley as she sipped from a glass of wine. It was nice to watch the two catch up on things. We laughed and joked for more than thirty minutes, picking over the appetizers and still lingering on what to order as our entree.
Just when we made our mind up and the waiter was ready to take our order, July comes strolling towards our table, escorted by the host.
"Sorry I'm late," He directs his apology towards Herenandez, but his eyes are firmly on me.
"Julio, this is Carley, Herald's wife." Herenandez takes control of the introduction and I'm somewhat glad he does. "Carley, this is my nephew Julio."
July finally takes his gaze off of me and places it on Carley. He takes her hands in his and kissing the back of her palm, cordially.
"Pleasure to meet you. I've heard so much about you."
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Yes, you indeed waited a whole month for that boring ass chapter. Lol. Sorry about the limit of action.