“Yeah, honey, what’s up?”
“Liz had to leave early,” I say, shutting the door behind me.
“Okay? She could have emailed.”
“Phillip’s cancer is back.”
“Fuck,” my dad hisses out, leaning back in his chair.
“She was crying, so I told her to head home for the day and that I’d help pick up any slack.”
“It looks like we’re lucky to have you on the team, then,” he says, and I roll my eyes and plop down in the chair in front of him.
“Listen, old man, if you have something to say, say it,” I tell him.
He only has himself to blame for my direct attitude. He grabs his mug and takes a sip of his coffee, his eyes not leaving mine as he sips.
“It’s already been said. You’re keeping up your end of the bargain?”
“I am.”
“How was the matchmaker?”
“Not as bad as I thought,” I tell him, not a complete lie. Only, I’m talking about Max, not about the cracked-out matchmaker I don’t trust as far as I can throw her.
“What do you and Liz have planned for the preseason?” he asks, crossing his arms.
The thing about my dad is he’s the biggest hard-ass I know, but he’s also a complete sucker when it comes to me. I know he’s busy and stressed, but yet here he is, taking time out of his day to talk to me and make sure it isn’t rushed.
“I’m rebranding the mascot.”
“What’s wrong with Finnegan?”
“He’s boring. He’s almost as ugly as Harvey the Hound, and Ethan is great. He just needs a chance to let his personality shine through.”
“Who’s Ethan?”
“Jesus Christ, Dad, he’s been the mascot for two seasons now.”
He waves me off.
“My job isn’t to worry about the mascot.”
“Then let my job be to worry about the mascot. I guarantee you I can make a video that gets over a million likes and it’s solely mascot content.”
“That confident?”
I arch an eyebrow at him. “Want to make it interesting?”
“You get people to like that glorified rodent, and I’ll give you five grand. You don’t get the likes and you have to go on a blind date with the pack of my choosing,” he says.
I grimace at the thought. He would probably set me up with the most boring finance guys he could find in all of Connecticut.
The thought alone gives me shivers.
“You have a deal,” I say, reaching out my hand and giving him a firm shake like he taught me.
“Oh, don’t forget about your mom’s birthday next week,” he says as I stand, and I scoff.
