Page 53 of Hooked on a Feeling

“Shall we pray?” Dad asked.

They all held hands, and he kept an eye on Starr out of the corner of his eye. She seemed perfectly fine praying and already had her chin tucked to her chest and her eyes closed.

“Thank you, Lord, for blessing us with this amazing meal and giving us the opportunity to fill our lives with new loved ones. Thank you for keeping our family safe and healthy. In your name we pray. Amen.”

“Amen,” everyone said in unison.

John watched Starr as she interacted with his family. He wanted her to feel comfortable and at ease and hoped like hell this wasn’t too intimidating for her. The fact that she’d already spent the past two days with his brothers really helped. She and Jersey were talking about Belle and how Starr hoped she’d be able to meet her soon.

“Does she ever come to family dinners?” Starr asked Jersey.

“Not really.” Jersey glanced at their mom. “Belle’s been to—what? One or two dinners with us?”

“Probably. Not too many.”

“She’s hard to pin down,” Jersey said. “When she’s free, we’re usually playing video games together.”

John glanced at Dad, who had been quiet all through dinner, but considering the presence of his frown lines, John knew he wasn’t happy. Perhaps John should have apologized before they ate. Maybe that would’ve eased the strain. He had to give his old man props, though, for apologizing to Starr. John knew that had come from a deep place and that it normally wouldn’t have happened.

Once dinner was cleared and the dessert eaten, John turned to Dad. “Can I talk to you in the office?”

“Now?” His dad raised his eyebrows.

John looked around the house. The women were all outside on the patio sharing a bottle of wine, and his brothers were in the kitchen doing cleanup. “Now would be the best time.”

“Let me get us a drink, and I’ll meet you in there.”

John made his way down the hallway, passing all the standard photographs of him and his siblings in school portraits and senior photos as well as family photographs that had been taken every few years since the early nineties on the same chunk of landscape.

John took a seat, and a few seconds later his dad entered carrying two tumblers, each with a single cube of ice. His dad handed him his drink. “Bourbon.”

“Thanks.” His dad lifted his glass to John’s, and that act alone was enough to break the barrier. John considered the gesture to be an apology, and that was a nice starting point, but this silent communication was his father bridging the gap. Hey, son, I still love you.

Their glasses clinked in the quiet, and they both took a long swallow. John had always loved the way the whiskey burned traveling down his throat and heated up his stomach. “Dad, there is no place I’d rather be than at Blue. It’s a part of who I am. It’s like a sibling, honestly. Been there my whole life. Sometimes it’s a love-hate relationship, but in the end, it’s where I belong.”

“I always envisioned you taking over. I probably pushed it on you more than you liked.”

“I’ve always envisioned taking over when you retired. But, Dad, come on, when are you going to retire? I deserve the respect you’ve instilled in us to show other people. I deserve it from you.” John took another sip of his drink. “I feel like I’m in limbo. One day I’m good enough to run it, the next I’m not, and you’re showing no signs of leaving.”

“When our clients get wind of you harassing a cop, I’m sure our reputation will take a tumble.”

“I’m working with a lawyer about that. I’ve never acted out the way I did that day in my life. I can assure you that I have control over my actions.”

“What changed that day? That Young woman?”

John gritted his teeth. His dad had apologized to her, but John knew it would take some time for him to accept Starr and their relationship. Starr being invited to dinner was already a step in the right direction. “Yes. Do you remember when I was about nine or ten and we were at that yacht convention in Ireland? It is my first real memory of the business of yachts and how much money is involved in them.”

John’s dad nodded. “I remember. Your mom was worried that I would lose you in the hustle and bustle of things. That you would get kidnapped.” They both laughed, and his dad chuckled. “Which is why I almost died when you stayed behind looking at some booth. I turned for one second, and you were gone. You had simply stopped to look at a ship, and I’d continued walking.”

“My Way.” The memory flooded John like it had been yesterday and not more than twenty years ago. “If you remember that, then you probably remember when we came upon that captain talking trash to that young lady. He was abusing her, breaking her down every which way.”

“I do. Not my fondest memory.”

“Dad, you punched that guy right in front of me. I was floored. I couldn’t believe my dad had stuck up for a complete stranger like that. Not to mention how cool I thought it was that I had a dad who would defend a woman’s honor. Especially someone you didn’t even know.”

“I see where you’re going with this.” His father’s frown lines disappeared.

“Yes, I did an unspeakable act. But Tyson is also a chickenshit who hides behind that badge and uses his power to verbally abuse women. I don’t regret what I did to him, but I do regret that I crossed a line with him being a person who serves our community.” John took another sip. “Come on, you know me. I’m not that kind of man. I have the utmost respect for the people who put their lives on the line for us. I wouldn’t have done that if it hadn’t been warranted. Just like I’ve never seen you punch anyone since that day in Ireland.”

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