Page 19 of Unzoned

"My dad's meeting us, remember?" Jade checked her watch. "It’s almost time anyway, Let's head over. We can get an appetizer while we wait."

* * *

Bloomingonion in full bloom in front of them, Jade waved her arm in the air to signal her father. He caught her glance and waved back. When he started his way through the restaurant, she found Garrick walking right behind him. Neither of them looked pleased.

"Hey, Dad. Uh, Garrick." She hugged her father and moved to Garrick. He placed a short kiss to her cheek and watched her father as he held out her chair for her.

"What's going on? I thought you were in meetings all day." She took her seat.

"The last one didn't go so well. I'm taking a break from the next one."

"Didn't go well? Seemed to be going just fine for you. It's all the tenants who are getting fucked in your little scheme." Jade's father spat as he yanked off his jacket and tossed it over the back of his chair. "Carissa." He acknowledged her with a curt nod before grabbing a clump of onions from the bloom and shoving it into his mouth. Her father had a habit of eating his stress, and from the looks of his waistline he'd been stressed for a while.

"What are you talking about, Dad?" Jade nudged Carissa beneath the table when she continued to watch her father with obvious annoyance on her face.

"Your boyfriend there, don’t look so surprised. He told me you two are an item now. I was all for it, until he showed what a greedy bastard he is."

"If you were listening, then you heard that I’m not going along with the board. I don't like the idea, and I don't believe for one second Jamison does either. We aren't going-"

"Oh, whatever. You own the place now; you’ll do whatever you want, and I'll be out of my fucking retirement."

"Dad." Jade leaned further over the table, trying not to add to the scene.

"I've already explained, I'm not going along with it. It won't pass. Now. Can we please just have lunch?" Garrick threw his arm over the back of Jade’s chair and slid down into a casual pose. Garrick had known her father as long as he'd known her. The two of them bickered over football teams and basketball, but not with such heat.

"Dad, how's Monica?" Changing the subject to his wife was a last-ditch effort to chill the room, but even that didn't work.

"She’s fine. Why don't you ask your boyfriend there what he's doing with his new purchase?" His gaze swung back to Garrick.

Sighing she turned to Garrick. "What's he talking about?"

"The condos. The association is trying to force the owners of rentals to sell their units by changing the bylaws stating after current leases are up, no new leases will be approved by the board." Her father pointed a straight finger at Garrick.

Her father owned five condos, and she knew Garrick was dealing with some new real estate investment, but she hadn’t thought they'd be tied together.

"But Dad uses those condo's as income, just like you do with whatever you do with your investments."

"Yes, I know. I'm-"

"He doesn’t give a fuck about that. He only cares about his own bottom line." Her father shoved another onion into his mouth, a dollop of the dipping sauce dropped onto the table.

"Dad." The situation was getting out of control fast. Looking to Carissa for help proved useless, with her mouth full of fried onion and a look of amusement spread across her face.

"You don’t think it's weird he didn’t tell you?"

"Dad, we don’t really talk about work." She fidgeted in her seat. They almost never spoke about his work. She knew he invested in clubs and real estate, but he never gave her any details. That's why she didn't know he owned any part of Dark Lace.

Her father laughed. "Why do you think that is? He doesn't want you to know what a cold-hearted bastard he is."

"Now, listen. I told you, it's not going to happen. The board needs final approval from the owners, and I'm not giving my approval." Garrick’s voice rose along with her fathers.

"Why didn't you tell me about the condos?" She turned in her seat.

"What?" He looked at her, seemingly thrown off guard for a second. "I don't know, it's just work."

"But you ask about my work, my time, where I am, what I'm doing-" She felt her skin tighten. "You know everything about me, but I didn't know you were buying my father's condo complex?"

"Don't you start, too." The warning underplayed the smile he forced onto his lips for her benefit, but she wasn't having it.

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