Page 63 of Sweet Temptation

I’d been standing in silence staring out at the view for slightly too long, and I somehow tore my gaze from it to turn to him. His lips were curved in a half smile like he understood just how easily the view of New York City could suck you in. I gave him a nod, but as I went to follow him, I had to wonder how ready I really was.

This was my chance to hear his side of the story. It was finally time to uncover the reason why the LaFleurs hated the Hastings family so much.

CHAPTERSEVENTEEN

The dining room was just as lavish as the rest of the apartment with a long table that ran alongside one of the huge windows overlooking the city. At the far end of the room, I could also see an outdoor terrace with a swimming pool. It was emitting a warm blue glow as lights shone up from below the surface of the water.

The room felt too big and too grand for a father-daughter dinner. It felt so formal and nothing like my meals back home with my mom. We always sat on stools at the kitchen counter whenever we ate. We didn’t have a proper dining table, and I found I was somewhat grateful for that. Matthew’s setup didn’t feel comforting or homely at all.

We took a seat at the massive table, and waitstaff arrived moments later. I hadn’t seen them in the kitchen, so I had to wonder if there were other rooms I’d missed on the tour. It wouldn’t have surprised me.

“I know you’re not feeling well, so I had Jacques prepare something light to start with,” Matthew said. “If you’d like something else, I can have him put it together—”

“This is perfect,” I said, interrupting Matthew as a bowl of chicken soup was placed before me along with a freshly baked but plain bread roll. “I’m not sure I could handle much more than this.”

He smiled at me before he started on his own bowl of soup. I felt bad he was being subjected to the same bland food as me, but I was glad he hadn’t had his staff go to extra effort to accommodate two different meals for us.

I took a small mouthful of the soup and was immediately surprised by how something so basic could taste so good. It made me wish I were feeling better so I could try more of Jacques’s cooking. If he could make chicken soup taste this good, I couldn’t begin to imagine what else he was capable of.

I lowered my spoon after taking several mouthfuls and considered my father. I knew I needed to ask him about Noah’s family, but I wasn’t sure where to begin. I also wanted to find out what Noah was doing at his office today, but I didn’t know how to bring that up without admitting I’d gone there to ambush him.

“How has school been?” Matthew asked, breaking the silence between us before I had a chance to broach any of the topics on my mind.

“It was fine. Nothing too exciting going on really.”

“Have you had a chance to take your car for a spin yet?”

“Uh…” My cheeks reddened as I remembered what a disaster my attempt to drive it had been. “Once. It didn’t go well. I’m not a very good driver.”

“Your mother said you were still getting comfortable on the road.”

I was surprised he’d spoken to my mom about it. Perhaps he’d wanted to get her approval before getting me the car. If that was the case, I’d be even more surprised she didn’t tell my father the car was unnecessary. Mom accepted charity even less easily than me.

“That sounds like she was trying to put it nicely,” I said. “I’m a terrible driver. I just get so nervous.”

He gave me a conciliatory smile. “Would it help if I arranged a driving instructor for you?”

I hesitated.

“They might be able to help you gain a little confidence?”

After my disastrous drive with Anna, I’d been determined not to get behind the wheel again, but perhaps Matthew was right and with an instructor I could build the confidence I needed. “Uh, yeah, that might be a good idea,” I agreed. I couldn’t be worse than my experience with Anna.

“Okay, I’ll have Caldwell set it up.”

“Thanks.” I smiled.

“Also, Caldwell tells me you haven’t used the credit card I got for you.”

“Oh, uh, I haven’t really needed to yet. They have everything I need at school.” I’d completely forgotten I even had the credit card. I felt uncomfortable at the idea of using Matthew’s money. It was bad enough he’d paid for my schooling and given me a car.

“Well, it’s there to be used.”

“Like I said, I don’t really need anything.”

He chuckled under his breath. “You must be the first teenager that has to be encouraged to use their parent’s credit card,” he said.

I shrugged. The whole thing made me uneasy. I didn’t like spending money unnecessarily, especially his, and I had enough money saved in tips from working at my mom’s café to get me by.

---