Page 44 of Up All Night

She blew out a breath between her lips, finally looking at me. “You know my mom? She is constantly relying on other people to help her and…” She paused, shrugging her shoulders as her voice turned soft. “I’ve never wanted to be like that.”

I didn’t know Halle very well, but I knew she wasn’t anything like her mom. Halle was an independent and hard-working woman who seemed confident enough in herself and her abilities that she didn’t need to rely on a man.

“I know we’re just getting to know each other,” I said. “But I think it’s safe to say that you are nothing like your mother.”

“Thanks,” she said with a soft smile. “It’s not like I don’t love my mom, it’s her lifestyle. It’s not a life I want to live.”

I could understand that. Her mom’s life was the opposite of stable.

“What about you? Are your parents crazy?” she asked, looking like she wanted to keep the conversation going, which made me hopeful I wasn’t the only one who wanted her to stay.

I chuckled. “No, not really. Depends on what your definition of crazy is.” I stretched my arms out, using my hands to lean against the counter. “My dad can be pretty intense. Always demanding perfection. Not wanting to hear your thoughts or opinions, wanting you to agree with his.”

“I can’t imagine he’s not proud of your job and what you’ve been able to accomplish.”

I let out a laugh, but there was no humor in it. “You would think.” I shook my head. “No matter what I do, it’s never good enough. I go to work early every day and am the last one to leave every night. I work around the clock. I do everything he asks. But still, I’m a disappointment.”

I hadn’t meant to open up so much, and a wave of embarrassment washed over me.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to unleash all my daddy issues on you,” I said, chagrined. “You didn’t come here for a shower and a sob story.”

“Wait.” She ignored my apology and my attempt to shift the subject away from me. “Is your dad the boss you mentioned you were trying to prove your worth to?”

She remembered that? It had been two weeks ago when I had told her I was trying to prove myself to my boss, and I’d said it in hypotheticals.

“Yeah, I work at my father’s company, Vanderhall Capital.”

Her brows lifted in surprise. “That sounds rough.”

I shrugged one of my shoulders. “It could be worse. Thankfully, I love what I do. I just don’t love my father’s unreachable expectations.” And how I had to show the company I deserved this job no matter what my last name was, but I stopped myself from adding that part.

She gave me a soft smile. “Hopefully one day he will acknowledge that you’re a great employee and a great son.”

“Hopefully.”

We stared at one another in the silence, a moment that was shifting things between us. We seemed to be quickly moving from civil neighbors to actual friends as we slowly opened up to each other. Did she feel it, too?

The sound of the front door being unlocked had both our gazes moving to the front door. Soon Cannon walked in, whistling an unrecognizable tune. He stopped short at seeing Halle in our apartment in her pajamas.

He gestured between the two of us. “What did I miss here?”

I let out a sigh. “Nothing. Remember I told you that Halle and Kate’s shower doesn’t have any hot water, so they were going to use ours until it gets fixed?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry.” He dropped his bag and tossed his keys on the counter. “I forgot about that. I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything.” The mischievous look he cast my way was so typical of him. He knew he hadn’t been interrupting anything, but he’d said it anyway.

“No,” Halle hurried up to say, her cheeks going a light pink. “I was actually just leaving.” She bent over and picked up the tote bag that held what she needed to shower. “It is almost nine o’clock, after all.” She smirked. “Wouldn’t want to get West all bent out of shape.”

Cannon’s loud laugh filled the room. “Yeah, he turns into the Hulk at nine.”

Halle’s laughter joined in with Cannon’s.

“You two are hilarious,” I deadpanned.

“Thanks again for the shower,” Halle said to both of us as she walked toward the door. “I hope you two have a good evening.”

Cannon and I said good night to her, and then she was gone.

I didn’t think a full second had passed before Cannon pounced.

---