“But you have feelings for her.”
“I’m attracted to her, yes,” Trap said. “It’s not a crime, last time I checked, nor is sleeping on someone’s couch. Nothing happened.”
“Oh, I think some things have happened,” Daddy said.
“Could you maybe take your sass down a notch?” Trap glared over to his father. “I’m a grown man. And yeah, I forgot to set my alarm. Well, actually, I set it, but I set it for p.m. instead of a.m. And yeah, I overslept, because I get up at five-fifteen every day, Dad, and I work for twelve hours. I have almost no downtime, because even when I come home, I’m dealing with after-hours calls, and paperwork, and catching up on stuff with Jason and Sawyer. So why can’t you trust me when I say it’s nothing?”
He came to a stop at a red light, the two tall, fifteen-story buildings in Three Rivers looming in front of them. He looked over to his father, his irritation blazing through him when he wished it would quiet. His daddy searched his face, and Trap let him look while he steadily gazed back.
“I’m not a petulant child,” he said. “It took you forever to trust me with MSW, and it’s disheartening to know that you still don’t think I can handle myself.”
“I didn’t say that,” Daddy said.
“You don’t have to say the words in that order, Dad. They’re coming through loud and clear in the things youaresaying.”
“I apologize,” Daddy said, and he lifted one hand in acquiescence. “You’re right. I do trust you, and if you say this is not a big deal, then it’s not a big deal.”
“Thank you,” Trap said, and he eased off the brake pedal as the traffic in front of him moved forward.
He had to circle the block a couple of times to find somewhere to park, but he caught a guy pulling out only a few spaces down from Sunnyside Up, and he took the spot and put the truck in park.
“I know you’re going to have to tell Momma.”
“Yep,” Daddy said.
“I really will go get checked if you want me to, but I don’t think I need to. I feel fine. I’ve gone to the bathroom, and I’m going to monitor my fluid intake today, and I’m only going towork in air-conditioned spaces.” Trap wasn’t entirely sure if he could actually do that or not, but if it would get his father off his back and placate his mother, he’d make it happen.
His father nodded. “All right,” he said. “Let’s go eat.”
Trap turned off the truck and dropped to the ground. He met his father on the sidewalk, where he clapped him on the shoulder and pulled him in for a side hug.
“I love you, bud. You’re my oldest son, and I don’t know how to do anything right with you. You know that, right?”
“You’re doing fine, Daddy,” Trap said.
“It’s just no one else has had a serious boyfriend or girlfriend. No one else has had to take over the company,” he said. “And I know I expect a lot of you, I always have, but just because I’m your father and I’m older than you doesn’t mean I know what I’m doing when it comes to being your dad.”
Trap turned into him and hugged him. “Like I said, you’re doing fine.” He stepped back and nodded at his father. “I like Lila Mae, and I know it’s crazy. I’m going to be working on her project for the next six months. We talked about it a little bit, and she said she wouldn’t fire me if it didn’t work out.”
Daddy laughed. “That’s something, I guess.”
“And I figure if she does, well, I’ll have to deal with things as they happen.”
“Yeah,” Daddy said.
“You got any advice?” Trap asked. “I’m willing to listen.”
“I mean….” Daddy trailed off, and they started down the sidewalk toward the restaurant. His daddy pulled open the door to a lively atmosphere inside. Their conversation got put on hold while a hostess seated them in a corner table for two, and a waitress appeared with coffee only a moment later.
“I’ll be back in two shakes,” she said, and off she went again.
“You’ve got Sawyer and Jason,” Daddy said. “I guess that would be my advice. If you think you can’t have a romanticrelationship with Lila Maeandwork on her project, then you turn it over to one of them.”
Trap sighed, because that was the exact opposite of what he wanted to hear. He also knew it was good advice, so he nodded and reached for the pure cane sugar packets to put in his coffee.
“I don’t really want to give the project to Jason or Sawyer,” he said. “They obviously know the details, but this is my first big project on my own.”
“Yeah, I know,” Daddy said. “So you’ll just have to decide if you’d rather have the project.” He grinned at Trap as he reached for the little carafe of cream. “Or the girl.”
