Page 16 of Pretend for Me

Once I’d graduated Princetonmagna cum laude, Wyatt and Liz thought I would be the perfect protégé. More like their little bitch boy. So far, I hadn’t lived up to their expectations. This didn’t stop my father from constantly reminding me of how I was destined for more. Or deter him from berating me about settling for less and squandering the opportunities he’d handed me.

Just last month, Wyatt started insisting on grooming me to take over the company’s CFO position. I argued that not only wasn’t I cut out for the business world and was still too inexperienced, but it was also Parker’s—Liz’s brother-in-law—position, one that he had held for many years. Nepotism wasn’t how I wanted to get ahead in life. Instead of starting out in the mailroom, like so many before me, I was already in a corner office with a secretary. I’d already been handed opportunities too easily because of my last name. It kinda made me sick.

I don't want to be groomed for Parker’s job much to Wyatt’s dismay. We had been at an impasse ever since. I’d been positioned as an executive until Wyatt “found” something more suitable. In Wyatt lingo that was code for “until he could convince me to take Parker’s job and demote him.”

“Is everything okay?” Parker looked concerned. “You seem different.”

“Different?” I lied, “It’s probably just the lack of sleep I’ve been dealing with.”

I threaded my fingers in my hair. I couldn’t unload on him—not about Wyatt and not about Cassie. The former would just cause Parker unneeded stress, and there wasn’t a whole lot to tell on the latter. Divulging that your ex-girlfriend who you haven’t seen in ten years couldn’t even stand five minutes in your company and slapped you doesn’t exactly make for riveting conversation

“Yeah, different.” Parker nodded, chuckling. “Like you have a lot on your mind. I don't know, ignore me.” Parker paused and it looked like he wanted to say more but seemed to stop himself.

I shuffled my feet. “Thanks, Uncle P, but I gotta get to that stack of papers on my desk.” I turned and started rounding the corner to my office.

“Wait, Matthew,” Parker called out.

I looked back at my pseudo-uncle, my eyebrows raised, gesturing for him to go on.

“If you ever need someone to talk to, or just I don’t know, be there, I’m here. I know I’m not really family, but you’re important to me. Your happiness is important to me. It always has been. And I don’t know … I’m here.” Parker’s shoulders slumped as he shook his head. “And don’t think I’ll go back and tell Wyatt?—”

I wanted to question him further but footsteps stopped me. “Tell me what?” Wyatt approached, resting a hand on my shoulder. I widened my eyes and held back an eye roll.

Wyatt was dressed casually even for him, sporting a pair of slacks and a polo. His hair was combed perfectly, which made sense since his trips to the barber cost enough; it should look perfect.

Parker and I looked at each other, wordlessly having a conversation that Wyatt was seemingly oblivious to. “Tell you that I jammed the copy machine,” I quipped. “Parker was just helping me.”

I looked to Parker to corroborate the story. Parker nodded, smiling at his brother-in-law.

“Yeah that fucking thing needs to get replaced,” Parker commented, looking at the papers in his hand.

“Excuse me, control the language when you’re in my building,” Wyatt scolded, making a tsking sound. “Matthew, can we have a word?”

I couldn’t help that my shoulders slumped, not in the mood for Wyatt and his berating, but I would have to hear it regardless, so I nodded and we walked in silence to my corner office. I made sure the cuffs of my long-sleeved shirt were pulled down to my wrists. I didn’t need to add another lecture about how I desecrated my body by getting tattoos into this mess.

Wyatt sat in my seat and looked down at the litany of papers strewn across my desk. “Matthew, you really need to get this shit straightened up.”

I didn’t bother to call him out for the hypocrisy of using foul language after he’d just reprimanded Parker. “Yeah, I know. I've been busy working on the Daniels’ account,” I lied through my teeth. I hadn't done much work lately, which was unusual considering the workaholic attitude Wyatt had instilled in me.

I looked out through the floor-to-ceiling windows, my gaze unfocused as I pondered where Cassie could be. I knew so little about who she was these days, and the tiny glimpse I had of her had reignited all the feelings I’d buried after she’d run away. She had seemed so angry, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized I had so much I wished I’d had said. If I had known our paths were going to cross again, I’d have handled it differently. Now I just had to find a way to do it over. I would do whatever it took to get her to listen to me, to let me apologize. I just had to be determined. She would have to listen to me eventually.

“Matthew, did you hear a thing I just said?” Wyatt chastised, narrowing his eyes at me, his bootleg protégé.

“Yes, I’m sorry. I’m just tired. I haven’t been sleeping well.”I never did sleep well without her.

“Get back on those sleeping pills. I don’t need you off your game. These next few months are going to be critical. We have so many deals that need closing. I need you to bring your A-game,” Wyatt rambled, clicking around on my computer screen. “You also seriously need to consider taking on more responsibility. The more time that passes, the more time this company goes to shit. Parker just isn’t cutting it, and it’s time for a change.”

I rolled my eyes.The only thing that needs to change is that Parker needs a different brother-in-law. One with loyalty.

But I kept silent, as I was conditioned to, pretending to consider Wyatt’s recommendations.

“Your mother wants you to come home more often, son. She’s getting weaker by the day.” Wyatt softened his tone.

I grimaced. I hated when my father laid down this guilt trip. My mother had been dealing with complications from heart surgery and sepsis. She had been bedridden ever since. But the truth was, I couldn’t afford to lose anyone else. Much like Cassie, I had already lost too much. Our upbringing scarred us both from having healthy relationships, so I clung to the ones I still had left. I knew it wasn’t a good way to live, and I had been thinking about going to talk to someone for a while. I knew I needed to fix myself if I wanted a chance at being happy.

“I’ll be by for dinner later this week. Maybe Wednesday after I take care of a few accounts for the merger,” I offered, just wanting to shut him up and get him out of my office.

Wyatt nodded, semi-satisfied. “I’m heading out. I’m meeting Arthur for dinner.”

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