want to do and his turn to get angry, throw his hands up in the air, and storm out.
At least all of this is predictable. I have to give him that.
“Dad, I don’t want to manage a club or own a club or do anything with your club. It’s not who I am.”
Right on cue, disappointment fills his dark eyes and he lowers his head to look at the floor. “Your mother and I always thought we were doing right by you when we set up that trust fund to begin paying out when you were twenty-one. We wanted to make sure we took care of the future because we love you, son.”
He stops for a moment and looks up at me with anguish written all over his face. This isn’t how our usual talks go. Why isn’t he raging like always? This is when he’s supposed to list all the ways I should be acting like an adult and how I should have some job that he approves of by now.
But that doesn’t seem to be happening this time. Interesting. My father has changed things up on me.
“We see now we made a mistake, and we intend on rectifying that. From this year on, the payments won’t occur unless you have a job. We don’t care if it’s flipping burgers or delivering pizzas. A job is a job, and as long as you’re doing an honest day’s work and you’re happy doing it, we’ll be happy for you.”
I stand there in my kitchen staring at him, stunned at what he’s just said. “You’re taking my trust fund away from me?”
“No, Cade. You will, if you don’t get a job. Again, your mother and I don’t care what you choose to do, as long as it’s legal and you earn money doing it. We put no restrictions whatsoever on you. Now, if you want, you can work at the club and this will be solved. I always need bartenders, and since you have no interest in managing the club, maybe you’d like to do a job that’s less work and more fun. It’s entirely up to you.”
Barely able to contain my anger at this blackmail he’s decided to use on me, I snap, “So as long as I work behind the bar serving those goddamned drunks you call customers, you won’t cut me off? Nice, Dad. Hell of a way to treat your only son.”
He takes a sip of water and smiles. He’s won, so why not? “The choice is up to you. You can start whenever you want. Or not. If you want to do something else, do it. If you want to start up a business and make things, do it. If you want to deliver those pizzas or flip those burgers I mentioned before, do it. Just do something, for Christ’s sake, Cade!”
And there’s the anger I’m used to in our lovely talks. At least he didn’t disappoint me with that.
As he’s leaving, I quietly give him what he wants. “I’ll do some bartending at the club starting this week.”
My father doesn’t say a word before walking out of the kitchen. From the other room, I hear him say, “Afternoon, Alex. Your cousin is in there. How are things going?”
Sounding as happy as a clam, Alex answers, “Great, Stefan! Nice seeing you. Have a good one!”
By the time he pokes his head around the wall, it’s all I can do to force myself to say hi. “You just missed a delightful conversation with my father, the wonderful and hypocritical Stefan March.”
A look of pain comes over my cousin’s face. “Was it that day already this month? I thought those talks came later in the month and not so early. So did it go the same as always?”
I shake my head, still amazed at what he pulled on me. “No. Daddy’s got a brand new routine, and it’s utter bullshit.”
Chapter Seven
Cade
Alex waits to hear what I mean by that and finally says, “A brand new routine? What does that mean?”
“Seems I’m not going to get any money this year from my trust if I don’t get a job.”
As much as I wish Alex would be supportive on this, I can see by the look on his face and the shrug he gives to my announcement that he either isn’t surprised or may even think what my father’s doing is cool.
“Thanks for being there for me, man.”
“Cade, I’m your best friend, but even I can say it’s time you