Page 83 of Protecting Hailey

22

Christian

I was folding a linen shirt, ensuring the creases were in the right spots, when my phone rang. Stepping away from the luggage on the floor, I walked over to the nightstand to check who it was.

It was my father.

“Hey, Dad,” I said, surprised to hear from him. “How have you been?”

“I’m good, Son. How’s everything on your end?”

“We caught Hailey’s stalker, so everything’s real good.”

“Yeah, I heard about that.” He didn’t say anything further, so I checked the time. Hailey and I had to leave the house for the airport in an hour.

“How’s Mom?” I asked, wondering how much longer I had to make small talk until I could end the call politely.

“She’s fine.” Again, he was silent.

“Hey, Dad. You know I’d love to catch up, but I’m heading out to Puerto Rico with Hailey in an hour. I’ll call you on Monday.”

“This can’t wait until Monday.”

I placed a hand on my hip, wondering what he was talking about. Was it bad news that he had to share or was I misinterpreting the tension on the other end?

“What is it? Just say it.”

“What the hell are you doing getting mixed up with that girl?”

What?!

Surely, I hadn’t heard him correctly. “What are you talking about?”

“I heard from Daryl that you two are dating now. I can’t believe you would cross the line with a client.”

I sighed. He had this all wrong. “It’s not like that, Dad. I’m not just fooling around with her. I care about Hailey.”

“You care about her? So, are you going to marry her? Is she going to live in L.A. and you in New York?”

“We haven’t discussed the logistics yet. We’re taking it day by day.”

“Day by day? Have I taught you nothing? You don’t just let life happen, Christian. You plan for it, damn it. People who plan for success achieve it. People who let opportunities slip by, watch their lives happen.”

I shook my head. This felt like a lecture and I had no time for one.

“I appreciate the advice. But Hailey and I will discuss this when we’re ready. The two of us. No one else needs to get involved unless we ask them to. So, if there’s nothing else, I’ll talk to you on Monday.”

“You’re going to let everything we worked hard for go down the drain? Your business with your friends? For what? To follow some pop star around like a lovesick teenager? I raised you better than this. How can you be so stupid?”

“Goodbye, Dad.”

I hung up the phone and shoved it into my pocket.

No matter how many assignments I completed, or how much wealth I accumulated, it would never be enough for him.

But it was enough for me.

Stepping back in front of my linen shirt, I finished folding it and then moved on to the next one.

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