Eden's breath caught in her throat. She and her dad had only exchanged a handful of menial texts over the past two weeks since his visit, so this request surprised her. If she took Rudy home for dinner with her dad, they would have to pretend he was her boyfriend again.
Despite agreeing they shouldn't kiss anymore, something had shifted between them. Mutual acceptance and respect seemed to strengthen the bond they shared. The tension was always there though. She wished they could just stop fighting what was happening between them and enjoy a real relationship. Maybe they could if she'd ever figured out what she wanted to do with her life.
She finally applied for two jobs yesterday, leaning more toward marketing and branding rather than analytics. Part of her hoped that one particular job panned out, because she felt she'd enjoy working for Avant-Garde Home Decor. The rest of her hoped neither did because it would mean she'd have to leave Providence. And she wasn't sure she wanted to do that.
Even though she and Rudy hadn't kissed again, there had been more across-the-room eye contact accompanied by smiles and an occasional wink. They'd shared a few casual yet lingering touches. And every time he touched her, her heart skipped a beat.
Every. Single. Time.
Her phone buzzed in her hand, and the screen showed another text from her dad.If you really like this guy that much, I figure I should get to know him.
Did she really like Rudy enough that she wanted her dad to get to know him?
Yes!Her heart screamed.
Could she convince Rudy to have dinner with her dad, knowing she'd be taking him into a lion's den full of condescension, judgment, and piousness.
Other thoughts flooded her mind. Did her father really want to get to know Rudy or was this just a ploy to get her close enough to try to force the whole engagement to Tristan thing?
If so, she'd rather not subject Rudy or herself to dinner with her dad. She'd love to see Helen, but she'd be more than content to spend her Friday night playing games with Rudy's parents and Scott and Kennedy.
After several long moments of internal debate, she typed out a response.I'll invite Rudy if you promise not to mention Tristan while we're there.
Eden's phone rang in her hand, causing her to jump again. The noise echoed through the quiet house for several long seconds as she regarded her father's face on her screen. Her stomach tightened at the thought of speaking to him, especially if he intended to talk about Tristan. But she couldn't ignore his call, since he knew she was near her phone.
She pressed talk. "Hello." She kept her voice low and hopefully, steady.
"I was afraid you might not answer." Her father's voice was equally quiet and hesitant.
"I almost didn't."
"I guess I can't blame you." He let out a heavy sigh. "I owe you an apology."
"What?" Eden didn't think she'd ever heard her father apologize.
"I was...rather hard on you."
"Uh...which part are you referring to?"
Her dad gave a small cough. "I behaved quite deplorably, letting this thing with Laurent and the prospect of exclusivity turn my head. I was aware of Tristan's reputation, yet I tried to force you into the engagement anyway. In light of recent developments, I'm glad we didn't tie ourselves to him."
We? Ourselves?
Eden had no idea what recent developments her father referred to, but he made it sound like he was the one who'd refused involvement with Tristan.
"Uh... I'm... What?"
Eden stared at the flashing cursor on her computer screen as she attempted to make sense of her father's words. He was a proud man and not one to apologize easily. Yet, he'd done it twice now. Sort of. And he was dropping the whole Tristan thing? Just like that? What recent developments was he referring to?
"I'm sorry my insistence that you get engaged to Tristan drove you away from work and from Spokane."
Did he just apologize a third time?
"Wait. Wait. Wait." She shook her head, hating her inability to articulate words sometimes. "What recent developments are you talking about?"
"Haven't you seen the tabloids?" Incredulity filled her father's voice. "Tristan's latest...indiscretions are all over social media."
"I haven't paid much attention to Instagram lately." Other than to post pictures and process the online orders for Hattie, that is.
