Page 2 of Faking It With the Grumpy Single Dad

“Yeah, she’s great,” he replies, his voice all soft and gooey.

I wrinkle my nose at him with playful disgust. He catches me out of the corner of his eye and barks out a laugh.

“Your time will come, Pop. I’m sure of it.”

“Hm. I’m not so sure.”

“You never know. You could meet the love of your life in Mermaid Shores.”

A laugh bubbles out of me. “I still can’t believe they actually named the town that. It’s so…”

“Endearing?”

“Corny.”

Aiden reaches out and lightly swats me in the leg. “Believe me when I say that you’re absolutely going to love it there. It’s a special place, Poppy. Unlike anywhere else you’ve ever been.”

“I know, I know. You’ve shown me enough pictures. Not to mention that walking tour you gave me over FaceTime. I’m already in love with the place.” I wave my hand dismissively. “It’s not like I dropped one-point-two million dollars on a whim.”

“For all I know, spending a cool million is a normal Tuesday for you.”

“Aiden Marx, I’m not made of money!”

He laughs. “Hey, I’m just teasing. You’re smarter than you let people think, Poppy. You spend wisely. In fact, I could probably learn a thing or two by taking your financial advice.”

I snort, rolling my eyes as he flicks on his turn signal and pulls into the parking of a coffee shop with a massive pink and orange sign. Dunkin’ Donuts.

When in Rome, I guess…

I insist on Aiden ordering for me, since I usually stick to artisan lattes from a specific independent café in Malibu if I’m in the mood for coffee. Even so, there’s a brief battle of dominance when it comes time to pay—a battle that I lose when Aiden smacks my Amex Platinum onto the floor by my feet and quickly hands his own fancy credit card to the girl waiting at the window.

Grumbling under my breath, I retrieve my card and shove it back into my wallet.

“You picked me up from the airport. At least let me buy you coffee.”

“I mean, I’m the one who is literally forcing you to try it,” Aiden counters.

“Good point.”

In the end, when I try the sugary, iced concoction that he hands me, it’s actually not that bad. Not that I’m going to admit that aloud.

Aiden turns up the radio as we merge onto the highway. Not too loud to make talking impossible, but audible enough to provide some pleasant background noise as I rest my head back and try to get my bearings.

I already know that this little cottage waiting for me in Mermaid Shores is a good investment. Despite what people think about me, I’m neither stupid nor frivolous. They all assume I’m brainless because I’m blonde and bubbly, and because I’ve never really had to work a day in my life thanks to who my father is.

Still, I chose to be wise with what I inherited from him. A hundred million dollars can multiply easily if you invest it the right way. When I turned eighteen and was granted full access to the trust, I hired the best financial advisor in Southern California. Now, I own rental properties in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco. I also have a house in the Mews in London and a pretty little penthouse in downtown Manhattan, too.

And that doesn’t even cover my investments in the stock market. Although I never went to college, I’ve learned enough through experience to be a decent economist and financial forecaster.

Aiden is one of the few people on this planet who knows how smart I really am. Mostly because he’s really the only person whocares. Most of the friends I have in LA only care about spending money on designer shoes and luxury vacations.

Not that my friends back on the West Coast are horrible people. It’s just… I’m pretty sure I’ve grown up and they never will.

But at least I have Aiden. And, even though I haven’t met her in person yet, Sabrina seems like a really sweet girl.

I’m marching boldly into a new life, but I’m not doing it alone.

Aiden and I chat casually during the drive to Mermaid Shores. He points out various things as we exit onto Cape Cod, and I catch glimpses of the Atlantic Ocean every once in a while. It’s darker than the Pacific, and there’s something beautiful about how unflinchingly wild it is.

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