“So, you’re here, do you…” I check my watch, seeing it’s alittle past one. “Want to grab lunch?”
“Lunch would be good. Pizza?”
“Are there any other food options?”
He shakes his head. “You are going to become a pizza oneday.”
“I can accept that.”
Daddy laughs and Ihookmy armaround his. We leave and head a few blocks down to my favorite spot. It’s oneof those pizza places you’d walk right past because it’s tucked in. Melanie andI stumbled in after it started pouring when we were walking home and it’s nowour most loved restaurant in the city.
Plus, it’s pizza.
“So, what’s happening with that big case of yours?” Dad asksas we sit down with a pie.
“Tomorrow, I have another round of negotiations.” Andanother round of seeing Cayden.
“Are you going to win?”
I shrug. “I have a very strong argument and my clients arewilling to concede on two things, which is the leverage I need. I don’t thinkwe’ll need to budge on either, but if we do, neither hurt them.”
“Sounds like you have a good plan,” Dad praises.
“A plan is just that though, I need to get the other lawyerto see my way.”
“You will.”
My dad never doubts my ability, even when I don’t see it thesame. He is levelheaded, smart, and because he was a Navy SEAL, he can handleextremely stressful situations. You know, like falling in love with opposingcounsel and sleeping with him multiple times when you absolutely shouldn’t.
“Dad, can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
I grin. “How did you handle going into missions, knowingsomeone might get hurt or worse?”
He puts his slice down, wipes his hands, and releases a longsigh. “You don’t really handle it. You don’t even consider it if you can.Battle is not a place for doubt or feelings. It’s when you rely on yourtraining and instincts. It’s no different than when you have to argue a case.”
“That’s the problem. I can’t…separate them suddenly.”
His eyes narrow and I have a feeling he is guessing there’sa boy, but my father doesn’t do boys with me. It doesn’t matter my age or thefact I am a grown woman. I am still seven in his eyes, climbing up to thetreehouse or playing Go Fish. When Itriedto date Avery Gladstone inhigh school, my mother had to threaten to make him sleep in the barn.
We went to prom and at the end of the night, his father andmine stood at the front door, staring us down to ensure we didn’t kiss.
Little did they know we totally made out in the bathroom atthe prom and he touched a boob.
“Why can’t you do that?”
“Because, my feelings are muddled.”
He quietly grunts. “And this case, is it the people you’reprotecting or fighting?”
“No, it’s the lawyer.”
Dad’s face falls and his chin falls to his chest. “Hadley,no. You know I am not rational with this shit. It’s why you have your mother.She is able to see sense.”
“Well, I need you to be a big boy and accept that I am agrown woman and I need you to help me not have feelings.”
“Good fucking luck with that. I didn’t want feelings withyour mother and we see how well that turned out. Hell, look at every damnArrowood in our family, brimming with unwanted feelings. I would really love itif you didn’t have feelings because then I don’t have to have them with thisguy I don’t even know and want to kill.”
