Page 38 of The Last Date

Or perhaps he knew how snobby my parents were, and didn’t know if they’d approve of a man who wasn’t the right kind of success in their eyes.

If he ran several companies, he was certainly a success to me. Not that I even really cared about that.

Maybe there was a way to make my parents like Oakley before they knew that we were really together. They loved going to fancy restaurants. Maybe we could all go to Nurture, and once they were dazzled by the food, and how busy the place would likely be, he could come out and chat with them.

As I walked into the house, I thought that I would talk to Oakley about it first, to get his opinion. We also needed to have a long chat about being more open. Just because I was a bit quiet today didn’t mean that I was going to be silent all the time.

Before I could walk up the stairs, I heard my mother’s voice screeching from the living room. “There she is, our indiscreet little sneak.”

My mother was always a bit old-fashioned, but it c

ame out even more when she was truly angry.

Taking a slow, deep breath, I walked into the living room to see both of my parents sitting on the couch. Narrowed eyes and serious scowls made me instantly nervous.

“Hazel Betancourt just called me, congratulating me on my daughter’s choice of new boyfriend.”

Darn it. I hadn’t even thought that one of my mother’s well-connected friends might have been at that tasting.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” I asked, trying to keep my fidgeting hands and feet still.

“Even under normal circumstances,” my father said sternly, “I’m not sure if a chef is good enough for our daughter. But certainly not someone like that… that…Oakley person.”

“But you’re friends with his brother...”

My mother held up her hand. “Please. It’s a wonder his brother still speaks to him. Caspian is a well-respected investor and businessman. But no, you had to choose the black sheep of the family.”

“I didn’t mean to choose anyone,” I said slowly. “It just sort of happened. And he’s really nice to me.”

“When he’s sober, maybe,” my dad snapped.

Mentally skimming through every time we’ve seen each other, I didn’t think I’d ever noticed Oakley touching alcohol. “I’ve never seen him drink,” I said.

My mother blinked in surprise. “Really?”

“No.”

She turned to my father. “When you boys were out there with your fancy scotch, was Oakley drinking?”

His eyes fixed on the edge of the table for a second. “Come to think of it, he was drinking coffee.”

“See?” My mother said, turning to me. “This is why I always say to have non-alcoholic options already prepared whenever you have a get-together.”

“This is not the time to discuss party manners and planning,” my father snapped. I don’t think I’d ever seen him so riled up. “No daughter of ours is going to be associated with someone with that sort of reputation. It reflects horribly on all of us.”

Usually, it was Mom who was concerned with appearances. Hearing it from my dad was just plain strange.

“I really don’t care what anyone else thinks,” I said softly. “He’s incredibly sweet to me, and I like him a lot. That’s nobody else’s business.”

“When the reputation of this family is at stake, it’s everyone’s business,” my father said sternly. “There’s no way my daughter is going to be seen with a man who is so much older, for one thing. But a washed-up drunk of a TV host? Absolutely not. I am putting my foot down.”

The only time he had ever used that phrase before was when he was childishly joking about the man of the house being entitled to the last handful of chips. His energy was actually frightening.

“I’m sorry to say, but your father is right, honey,” Mom agreed. “You’re much too young and naive to be keeping up with a man like that.”

“How can you say that after all of the dates you bullied me into going on?” I said, not quite believing that I was raising my voice to my mother. “You sent me off on dates with rude men. Aggressive men. Men who tried to grope me under the table. Men who expected me to go back to their condos with them.”

Her mouth fell open in absolute shock. “I did no such thing.”

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