Page 3 of Impressing Brett

“So, you left after college then,” she states, obviously doing the math. I was twenty-two at the time.

“Yes. Lucky for me, I already had this job lined up. I’d only applied for jobs as far away from Indiana as I could get and still be in the continental U.S.” I laugh. It sounds forced even to my ears.

“I feel bad that I never knew any of this about you,” Eve says.

“Not your fault. I try not to think about it. I have a good life. I love Seattle. I have amazing friends like you. I rarely think about my father. It’s as if he’s been dead for ten years. Estrangement is like that.”

She slowly nods. “I guess.”

I point at her salad. “Colton is going to lose his shit if you don’t eat that salad,” I joke.

She picks up her fork and sits straighter as if I’ve pointed out something important. Mostly, I was kidding, but Eve starts eating anyway. I wonder what Colt would say if she really didn’t eat her lunch?

We both manage to eat most of our meals, and I smirk as Eve sends Colt a picture before we leave the restaurant. We’re only two blocks from the office where we work at Earnest and Heart.

Just as we step into the lobby, my phone rings. An unknown number. I stare at it a moment, hedging. Maybe I should just let it go to voicemail.

“You should probably get that,” Eve points out.

She’s right. I sigh. I will have to face my father’s damn death, at least peripherally. I answer the phone while Eve watches me. “Hello?”

“Eve. It’s Max. Where are you?” His voice is urgent.

“I’m at work, of course,” I snap back. “It’s Monday afternoon.” I haven’t heard from Max in ten years either. I haven’t spoken to my father, his father, or Max since I left town. What a treat that I get to talk to both father and son on the same day. Not.

“Why aren’t you on your way here yet?” he demands.

I draw in a slow breath. He hasn’t changed a bit. Go figure. “I’m not coming there, Max.”

“What?” he shouts loud enough that Eve hears him and flinches. “Of course you are. Get to the airport. I’ll arrange a ticket and text you the flight information.”

I’m surprisingly shocked. I shouldn’t be. “No, Max. I’m not coming. I have no reason to. We were estranged. I need to get back to work.” I hang up.

Eve takes my arm. “Who was that?”

“My father’s partner’s son. He’s just as bossy as his father and my father.” I shudder. “He can stuff it right up his ass, though. I left ten years ago, and I’m not going back.”

Chapter 2

Brett

* * *

“I’m worried about Lacy,” Eve tells Colt as the three of us eat dinner.

Colt frowns as he hands Eve her sippy cup, silently reminding her to take a drink.

“What’s up with Lacy?” I ask, unaware of any issues with Eve’s friend. I perk up, though. I’ve met Lacy on many occasions. She’s gorgeous, fun, and outgoing. If I were vanilla, I would have asked her out a long time ago. I’ve never seen a shred of evidence to indicate she’s Little, so I’ve kept my attraction to myself.

It’s never a good idea to get involved with a woman who isn’t into age play. I know this first hand. I’ve tried it. More than once. It always ends in disaster. I can’t hide my Daddy side from anyone forever, and both of us end up getting hurt the longer I wait to suggest what most women find outlandish.

“Her father died,” Colt tells me as he puts a scoop of mac and cheese on Eve’s plate. Luckily, he’s not subjecting himself or me to her favorite dinner indulgence. He and I are having steaks he grilled on the BBQ. Baked potatoes. Caesar salad. French bread.

“Shit. When? How’s she taking it? Did he live nearby?”

Eve shakes her head. “No. He lived in Indiana. They were estranged. She insists she doesn’t care that he died. It’s been two weeks. She didn’t go to the funeral, but she’s been jumpy and…off ever since.”

Colt is frowning still.

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