Page 25 of The Temptation
“About ridiculous things that wouldn’t change the course of my life.”
He huffed. “You made it sound like the only career you would even consider was professional baseball player.”
I rolled my eyes and dropped into the matching chair opposite him. “Because I knew I would need to make a concession in the future if I was ever going to get you to agree to let me attend Harvard instead of Oxford.” I gritted my teeth and counted to five to control a potential outburst of temper. That was an ancient argument that had taken me nearly two years to win. In this new debate regarding my future, I was hoping to win much more quickly. Especially since there was a chance of Simon being hurt.
“I don’t want you and Mom thinking that Simon is a pawn to be sacrificed in your efforts to get me to move to Boston,” I continued when I could maintain an even tone.
“Come now, I’d at least rank him as a knight or maybe even a bishop.”
“You’re not amusing.”
While Simon might have been posing as my boyfriend in a charade to get my parents off my back, I knew he harbored feelings for me. I had no intention of allowing him to come to harm in my struggle with my parents. He wasn’t expendable under any circumstances.
Marie breezed into my office carrying a serving tray with the fancy tea set and delicate china.
“Father, I’m sure you remember my executive assistant, Marie,” I murmured as she placed the tray on the coffee table close to us.
“Yes, the brilliant young woman who accompanied you to the Boston office on your last trip. You’ve done an excellent job of keeping my son focused and prepared,” he said, beaming at her.
“Thank you, Mr. Sutton. It’s wonderful to see you again.”
“See? She’s glad I came for a visit and doesn’t think I’m a distraction at all.”
“Uh-huh.” I flashed a reassuring smile to Marie. “Thank you for your help. Could you clear my schedule for the next hour? I’ll call if I need help with anything else.”
“Yes, sir,” she murmured and beat what looked to be a hasty but relieved retreat out of my office.
When we were alone, I stood and poured tea into both cups, adding a splash of milk and sugar for my father’s and a bit of honey for my own.
“Now that Mom has given her approval of Simon, is this where you tell me your thoughts on him?” I inquired as I held out my father’s cup balanced on a saucer.
“I thought he was charming as well. It’s obvious you’ve known each other for a while, and maybe I am suspicious that you’ve suddenly started dating an old friend just as your parents come to town to convince you to move home.”
“Thisishome,” I stated, sharper than I probably should have.
Dad returned his cup to the saucer after taking a sip and made a dismissive motion with his hand. “Even when you initially proposed moving to Cincinnati, you made it sound as if it was a temporary thing. You wanted to use it as a chance to test yourself, to see if you could run a law firm on your own, which you have with little to no interference from me or the other partners.”
“Yes, and we had that conversation nearly a decade ago. I’m sure you understand that over such a length of time, things can change. Ilikeliving here. My friends are here. I’m comfortable here. And if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to build a long-term relationship here.”
“So, you’re adamantly against moving back ho—” He cut himself off and cleared his throat. “Returning to Boston.”
I opened my mouth to agree but caught myself at the last second. My mouth shut without a sound coming out, and I took a moment to rearrange my thoughts. “The truth is, I don’t know.If I had known that this year would possess a critical deadline for me, I would have already given this issue some thought, but since it feels like it’s coming from out of nowhere, I don’t know what I wish.”
“And what about Simon? If you fell in love with him and were looking to be in a long-term relationship with him—a.k.a. marriage—would he be willing to move to Boston with you?”
“No clue,” I said sharply. With the way Simon talked, I had little doubt that he’d agree to move with me immediately to Boston. What worried me was whether he’d actually be happy there. “As I’m sure you can guess, it’s way too early in our relationship to be discussing things like that.”
“Yes, yes. That is true.” Father took another drink of his tea before setting it on the table. “I look forward to seeing him perform with the symphony. Your mother, naturally, did all the social media searching and the googling as soon as we returned to our hotel room last night.” His eyes narrowed, and a smirk formed on his lips. “Nice picture of you two at the bar, by the way.”
“Thank you,” I mumbled while sending up a greater thanks and sigh of relief to Simon. He’d been right that my mother would do that background searching. Whether my parents had bought it was still in question, but it at least covered a base I hadn’t considered. I might have avoided social media like the plague, but Simon did not. It would have been strange for him not to post a picture of his new boyfriend.
“She also located a couple of videos of his younger performances. He’s a very talented and determined young man,” Father continued.
That was an understatement and a half. As far as I knew, Simon blew everyone else away with his talent and determination. That was probably part of the reason I was sonervous around him when he’d made it clear that I was the focus of his desires. Did I really stand a chance at fending him off?
“Yes, Simon is incredibly talented. He’s been playing the violin almost his entire life. He also plays the piano and flute. I’m excited to hear what original pieces he creates.”
Father seemed content with his meeting with Simon and what I had to say about the matter. But then, this was simply the initial skirmish. Barely more than a basic fact-finding mission. He would retreat, share his information with my mother, and they would formulate a new line of attack. This was not my first time dealing with them regarding something I didn’t want to do.
