Page 57 of Tempting Him

Alek isn't one to roam the hotel anyway, so I hope I don't see him as I make my way to the lobby. However, I wonder if this is just a strange coincidence, or does my dad know he's staying here and picked this place on purpose? Does he plan on seeing him too?

I don't have much time to dwell on it because as soon as I step inside, I spot my dad sitting in an armchair, reading a newspaper. He notices me and stands up, a wide smile on his face.

We're nearly the same height, but he's far leaner than me, and where I'm almost bald, Dad is all the way there with the shiny head and everything. In a gray suit, he saunters over with a chuckle.

"Lookin' good, kid."

"Must get it from you. Lookin' pretty sharp yourself."

We embrace and laugh before he walks me back over to the sitting area he was in.

"Doesn't look like you're missing any meals," he says with a chuckle. "When I went to college, I swear I lost twenty pounds."

"Broke college kid eating noodles every day?" I ask.

"Something like that."

"I've been eating like crap lately because I'm not in any sports, so I feel less disciplined, but during a season, I'm pretty strict with my diet."

"Well, you look good. Your mom's complained you don't FaceTime her enough, so we'll have to be sure to do that while I'm here."

"I know. I get caught up in life and...yeah, I should be better."

He grins. "Don't worry about it."

"I see you're getting a few more gray hairs in that beard, Dad. Gettin' old, huh?"

He rubs a hand over the hair covering his jaw. "Getting better, son."

I laugh. "Oh, that's what we call it."

"You better believe it."

"So, what's with the sudden visit? How long are you here for?"

"I just wanted to see you, and decided to use the weekend to come out. Of course we'll be back for graduation, so you'll see your mom and sister then, but I figured we could have a nice father/son weekend."

"Dope. I can think of a few things we can do."

"Good, but first, dinner. I'm starving."

"Where do you wanna go?"

"I made reservations in the restaurant here." He glances at his watch. "Let's head over."

Opposite from the front desk, we walk to a restaurant in the corner called Tito's. Any concern I had about Alek showing up quickly dissipates the longer we're seated. We get through appetizers and the main course, talking about everything from my schooling, dad's job, my sister and what she's been up to, and Mom's plans to open her own restaurant in the future. We laugh and have a good time, and finish our meal without a hiccup.

My dad is known to bring up my plans for the future and harp on me not taking life seriously enough, but he doesn't preach to me about any of that now. Maybe he's satisfied with the internship I have, with the hope that I'll have a permanent position at the end of it.

"There's a bar in here somewhere," he says at the end of the meal. "Want a drink?"

"You want to drink with me?" I ask, surprise likely etched over my features.

"I know you drink, so don't act brand new. Didn't I tell you your sister shows me the pictures?"

I roll my eyes. "It's college. We're supposed to drink. I think it's an unspoken rule."

"Right," he says with a snort. "We'll have one drink. One."

---