Faking Ms. Right (Dirty Martini Running Club #1) - Claire Kingsley Page 0,81

didn’t realize the connection until later, and by then, I already knew I wanted to be with you. And then we saw Shepherd at the gala, and he pretended not to know me. I didn’t know why, but I went along with it. I was afraid you’d leave me if you knew.”

My dad was a softie, but he wasn’t a complete idiot. Not even when it came to beautiful women who were far too young for him. He straightened, his back going stiff. “You expect me to believe that?”

“Yes, of course. Richard, I care about you. I’d never do anything to hurt you.”

“Interesting, considering I just caught you trying to seduce my son.”

“He came on to me,” she said, feigning shock.

I stared her down, my gaze hard. “I wouldn’t come on to you if you were the last woman on earth and the fate of humanity rested on us perpetuating the species.”

Dad took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “Well, that’s it, then. Svetlana, it’s been nice knowing you, but it’s time for you to leave.”

“You’re going to take his word over mine?” she asked, the pitch of her voice rising.

“In this case, absolutely,” he said.

She balled her hands into fists, her lips pressing together. Her eyes darted between me and my dad a few times, her nostrils flaring. Without another word, she stomped into the other room, grabbed her things, and slammed the door behind her.

I let out a long breath and wiped my mouth again. Fucking gross.

Dad didn’t say anything. He turned and went to his room.

Fuck.

I decided to give him a little time to process, so I took a shower to wash off any trace of the harpy. When I finished, I dressed and went back to the kitchen to clean up the broken glass. Then I poured two whiskeys and went to face my father.

I rapped a knuckle against his partially-open door. “Can I come in?”

“Sure.”

He took the glass of whiskey I offered. I lowered myself onto the corner of his bed.

“I’m sorry I lied to you,” I said.

“What I don’t understand is why. Why would you keep that from me?”

I stared down into the amber liquid in my glass. “When I saw her with you at the gala, you were receiving an award. It was your night. I didn’t want to ruin it.”

“And after?”

“Come on, Dad. Then you dropped the bomb on us that not only were you facing the worst financial crisis of your life, you’d been diagnosed with cancer. Ethan and I figured Svetlana was just another fling. Maybe your way of dealing with the fact that you were facing your own mortality. We decided to let it run its course. It’s not like you haven’t had short relationships with younger women before.”

He sighed, turning his whiskey glass in his hand. “You’re right. I have.”

“I hoped you’d realize she wasn’t right for you and we could all move on. And you wouldn’t have to get hurt.”

“You were trying to protect me,” he said. It wasn’t a question.

“Yeah.”

“I knew something wasn’t right with her. I ignored it because… well, because she was very beautiful, let’s be honest. And because I’m an idiot. Here I am, sixty-three, and I’m chasing women more than thirty years younger.”

“You’re not an idiot.”

“It’s ironic. My first day in Hawaii, I’d resolved to stop dating. I decided I was better off alone. I guess I didn’t really believe that. Twenty-four hours later, I met Svetlana, and I threw that out the window.”

“You don’t need to give up. But if you’re dating women for the wrong reasons, you’ll attract the wrong women. Trust me, I know a thing or two about that.”

He nodded slowly and took a sip. “I suppose being with a younger woman isn’t going to make me live any longer. Probably the opposite.”

“You need a woman who wants to be with you because she wants to share a life together. Not because she’s good at being arm candy and wants to live in luxury.”

His mouth turned up in a grin. “Like Everly.”

That hit me like a punch to the gut. Fuck. “Dad, there’s something you need to know about Everly.”

“What?”

Damn it. I didn’t know what was worse. Having to confess to this, or telling him he’d been unknowingly dating my ex. “She’s my assistant.”

“I know that.”

“No, what I mean is, when you met her at the gala, she wasn’t my girlfriend. I saw Svetlana with you, and I had Everly come down to pose as my date.