*Alex*
I have sent Fallon multiple messages between last night and today and still nothing. Maybe the situation with her friend was a lot more serious than she expected it to be. I slouch back in my seat. She'll get back to me when she can. At least I hope she does.
I sigh, "Where is he?" I ask my brother who is sitting next to me. We have been sitting here for an hour now and I'm starting to grow impatient.
"Patient's brother, he does have other meetings."
I roll my eyes. How can someone schedule a meeting with his kids and be late?
"Besides, one day he will retire and we will be the ones running the business," he adds. "Then we can pencil him in and make him wait."
I snort. As good as that sounds, I doubt he'll retire completely. He'll still have some pull around here, I'm sure of it. And to tell you the truth, I don't want him to retire any time soon. I'm happy with my own business.
"Already discussing my retirement I see," my father's voice rings throughout the room. He was wearing a black Armani suit with a red tie. He had his salt and pepper hair slicked back neatly.
"Correction...he was discussing your retirement," I tell him.
"I know," he tells me flatly, taking his seat behind his desk. He narrows his green eyes on my brother. "Can't wait to get rid of me, I see."
If you haven't already picked up on it, Nick and my father don't get along. You would think by the way my mother treats me that I was her pride and joy. But when it comes to Nick, clearly it's him she fancies. Now don't get me wrong, my mother has always treated me well. She just seems to favor Nick more.
I don't know. I don't let it get to me, I know she loves me and that's all that matters. Right?
But when it comes to my and my father's relationship, clearly I'm his favorite. I'm normally the one who accompanies him on most of his business trips and the one he expects most out of, which is odd if you ask me. I thought that it was the firstborn— the eldest who was supposed to be the one to take on the business responsibilities— after their father retires, not the secondborn.
Guess he doesn't find Nick responsible enough!? I don't know.
The tension in the room is so thick right now that if someone was to flick it, it would snap. "Now Father don't go insinuating things that aren't true," Nick says leaning back in his seat comfortably.
"Can we get to the point of why we are here in the first place?" I cut in before things could escalate.
My father sighs and leans back in his chair. "I'm throwing a party and I want you both to be there," he says. "I need you both looking your best. There will be some very important people there that I want you both to meet."
"Future partnerships?" I ask and my father nods.
"Why partner when you could buy?" Nick huffs. "I'd rather own it."
Sometimes I think Nick is stupid.
My father leans forward and folds his hands on his desk. "You can't just talk someone out of their business, Nick. You have to work for it. Besides, this will be a permanent partnership until he is ready to sell, and...when he is, I will be the one to buy it."
I was secretly praying that Nick kept his mouth shut. My father is literally on the edge of his seat right now, waiting for him to say something smart. Surprisingly he didn't.
My father shrugs, "Point is...the two of you are to be there and that's final."
I actually don't mind attending these parties. They always have good food and most importantly, alcohol.
"Oh and before I forget," he stands. "Bring a date." The corners of my mouth twitch. "This is strictly business. Most of the woman that will be there are married and I don't want either of you taking their wives home," he says sternly. "That's all I need," he mutters.
Nick snickers, "You won't have to worry about Alex. He's off the market now. So their woman is safe."
God, he makes it sound like I'm some predator hunting for its prey.
My father's eyes light up with curiosity. "Oh...and who's this lucky lady?"
If anyone's lucky it's me. "Her name is Fallon."
"Fallon?" He repeats slowly, a knot forming in the center of his forehead. "Why does that name sound so familiar."
"She's a waitress at Ray's diner," Nick says. If he thinks I didn't catch how he emphasized waitress he's sadly mistaken. I thought he liked her.
"I don't care if she's a waitress," I state through clenched teeth. "Her job description doesn't justify who she is." No one should be judged by what they do for a living.
Nick throws his arms up in surrender, "Calm down. I didn't mean any harm."
I decided to ignore him and turn my attention to my father. "What day is the party?"
"This Saturday at 7:00 pm."
I stand, "I'll have to see if she can make it. Either way, I'll be there."
He nods and then turns his attention to Nick. "Make sure you have a date," he tells him before walking out of the room.
I can feel Nick's eyes on me, burning a hole in the side of my face. "I already told you that I liked the girl. If I offended you, I'm truly sorry."
He's sorry now because I caught it. "You are just like mom," I tell him. She is always judging someone. Whether it be about their hair, clothes, where they live, and of course let's not forget about their job description. "You may like the person but you're always judging them behind their back."
And that's when it hit me. I swear if it was a snake it would have bitten me thirty times over. She favors him more because he is just like her. Why didn't I see it sooner?
I stand up to leave and he grabs my arm, stopping me in my tracks. "I am nothing like her," he says. He almost sounds offended.
I yank my arm harshly out of his hand, "Yes you are. You are just too blind to see it."
He opens his mouth to say something but I don't give him the chance. I walked out of the room with my head held high. I don't care who you are, no one and I mean no one will talk bad about Fallon as long as I'm around. Not even my family.
***
When I got home, Max greeted me by knocking me to the ground and licking me all over my face. "What's got into you?" I laugh, pushing him off me.
I lift myself off the floor and walk out to the patio, taking a seat in my favorite lounge chair. This is the most comfortable chair I have out here. Out of nowhere, Max pounces right on top of me, knocking the air out of my lungs.
"Get. Off..." I laugh, pushing him off, once again. "What has got into you?" He's been acting strange all day.
Just then my phone receives a text. I pull it out and my heart flutters when I see Fallon's name, saying to call her and that she was on her lunch break. I can't help but smile. This is the first time I've talked to her since last night.
When she answers my smile quickly turns into a frown. She sounds extremely tired.
She apologized for not getting back to me sooner and told me everything that was going on with her friend and how she was late for work. When asked about how her day was going now, she proceeded to tell me that it was long and slow and that she couldn't wait to go home.
I could hear her talk for hours.
She asked me about my day and my heart just about stopped beating. I still haven't told her about me owning the club and I know that if she accepts my invitation to my father's party someone along the line will tell her— one in particular being my mother. My mother isn't going to like Fallon because she doesn't meet her high standards and that makes me nervous. I have a feeling she's going to try and stir the pot when she gets the chance. My plan is to make sure Fallon doesn't get left alone with her.
Avoid that shit as much as possible.
"Hey so..." I start. I'm feeling pretty nervous about all this. "My father's company is having a party and I have to go. And I was wondering...if you would like to...be my date?"
She's silent for a moment. I can hear muffled voices in the background like she's talking to someone and doesn't want me to hear. But then I heard her beautiful voice, "I would love to go. What time should I be ready and what should I wear?"
You can definitely hear a hint of nervousness in her voice. "It's kind of formal," I tell her. "But nothing extremely flashy. I'm sure you'll look beautiful either way."
I can hear a smile form on her face. God, I wish I could see it right now. We talked for a few more minutes about nothing. Max interrupted us a few times and I put her on speakerphone so she could say hi and talk to him, which was pretty fucking cute if you ask me and he seemed to like it too. When she told me that she had to go, she promised to get a hold of me when she got home.
"I'm going to hold you to that," I tease.
She giggles, "I wouldn't expect anything less."
"Hope the rest of your day goes by quickly."
She sighs, "Me too...but I really have to get back. I'll call you when I get home."
I know she needs to go, but I really don't want her to. "Okay," I breathe. "Talk to you later."
"Bye."
"Bye."
I swear that was the saddest bye I have ever said in my life. I place my phone on the patio table and lean back in my seat. Max walks up places his head on my lap and looks up at me. I scratch his head lovingly and lean my head back, letting my eyes drift shut.