A Splash of Vanilla (Three Sisters Catering Book 3) Page 6

  “What are you doing here?” he asked coldly, and I felt it like a knife in the gut.

  “Dad,” Brody chastised, his smile dropping.

  “Get inside, Brody.”

  “I want to stay out . . .”

  Before Brody could finish his sentence, our father said, “Now.”

  Brody glared at our dad, then shot me a grin and said, “I’ll be in touch.”

  I gave him a small smile and nod, then looked at my father.

  “Now, I asked what are you doing here.”

  “I . . .” I began, trying to keep reign on my emotions and praying my voice didn’t crack, and I could control the tears that I felt burning the back of my throat. “I wanted to find you . . . to let you know about Mom . . . and to . . .”

  “I know your mother passed.” He paused, and asked, “Is that all?”

  A shocked gasp escaped my lips.

  How could he be so cold?

  “What happened to you?” I whispered, appalled that this man was in any way related to me.

  “Look, I don’t see any good coming from of you being here. Why don’t you turn around and go back home?”

  “Listen up, dick.”

  I turned my head to see Mick storming up the path looking very, very pissed.

  “Watch yourself, son,” my father told Mick. “I’ll call the cops.”

  Mick planted himself next to me and stared my father down. He had a few inches on him and looked like he could probably bench press him if he wanted, but my father wasn’t cowed. He glared right back at Mick.

  “Dru spent time and money to find you. The least you could do is let her have her say. It’s not asking much, and she is, after all, your daughter. How about you show her a little respect,” Mick said, crossing his arms and standing his ground.

  I felt his strength and it bolstered my own.

  Rather than give my father the upper hand any longer, I looked him in the eyes and said everything I’d wanted to over the years.

  “I just want to say that I think what you did was horrible. I think you took the coward’s way out, and I don’t know how you can live with yourself. I don’t know how you thought it was okay to disappear on your family and make a new one, without ever looking back. I wanted to let you know that our mom loved you, to her last dying breath. She was a beautiful person inside and out, and didn’t deserve what you did.” I felt my eyes fill, but held the tears back. “I wanted to let you know that in spite of you, we’re all happy. We had a wonderful childhood and have grown into successful business women. In fact, we run a business together. Millie and Tasha are both married to amazing men who love them, and Tasha is pregnant with your first grandchild, not that you’ll ever see him or her. I want you to know that we’re happy without you. That we don’t need you, and I hope you live a long and miserable life.”

  I took in a deep breath, shocked by the words that had tumbled out of my mouth, but my dad looked unaffected.

  “Is that all?” he asked, and although I wasn’t a violent person by any means, I really wanted to hit him.

  “I’m going to get to know my brothers. I think it sucks that you never told us about each other, and I won’t let you keep us apart any longer.”

  “You’ve said your piece, now go,” my father said, and promptly shut the door in our faces.

  Mick

  I WATCHED THE NUMBERS GO by as the elevator ascended.

  After the faceoff with that douche-ass, Johnson, I’d brought Dru back to the hotel and left to go get dinner.

  She seemed okay, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d been holding it together for me, then lost her shit once I shut the door. Whether that meant crying out her frustrations or screaming them into a pillow, I didn’t know, but I knew Dru was strong as hell and quite the bad-ass.

  I grinned, thinking of her giving her father the business while he stood in front of her like he had a stick up his ass.

  I didn’t know why some men made amazing fathers, and others shouldn’t be trusted caring for a hamster, but Dru and her sisters had definitely gotten the shit end of the stick when it came to fathers.

  From everything I gathered, that’s just the kind of deadbeat he was . . . his sons hadn’t fared any better; in fact, they’d probably gotten it worse. Because, although I didn’t think old Johnson had ever laid a hand on his girls, I had eye witnesses that said he hadn’t been afraid to smack his boys around when they were young.

  That shit probably stopped once they grew old enough to fight back. Lord knew there was no way Johnson was the kind of man who’d engage in a fair fight. He was the kind of scumbag who liked to pick on those he saw as weaker than he was.

  Boy, I’d sure love to get him in the ring.

  I stepped off the elevator, a large, steaming meat lover’s pizza in one hand, and a cold six pack of beer in the other, and faltered.

  Shit, what if Dru isn’t the beer and pizza type?

  Before I could second guess myself any further, the door two down from the elevator opened, and Dru’s head popped out.

  “Hey,” she said with a small smile. “I was hoping it was you.”

  I searched her face as I moved toward her, noting a bit of puffiness, and shot her a smile of my own.

  “I’d just realized I hadn’t asked what you wanted when I left. I hope pizza and beer is okay. If not, I can run out and get wine and pasta, or some water and a sandwich . . . whatever you’d like.”

  Dru chuckled and stepped back to let me in to her room.

  “Beer and pizza is perfect,” she assured me, and I felt the knot in my belly loosen.

  I didn’t want to add to her shitty day. In fact, I’d do what I could to make her smile again, as much as possible.

  I walked over to the small table in the corner and placed the pizza box on it, then pulled out a beer, popped the top, and handed it to her, before doing the same for myself.

  Once we were seated in the chairs opposite each other, I asked, “How you holdin’ up?”

  Dru opened the lid of the pizza and selected a piece.

  “A little disappointed, but overall okay.” She shrugged. “I’m happy I got to tell him what I thought of him, and still in shock over the fact that we have three brothers. I hope Brody was serious about getting to know us.”

  “I’m sure he was,” I assured her, even though I knew no such thing.

  Still, if I found out I had three sisters, I sure as hell would want to get to know them.

  Dru smiled and lifted the pizza to her lips. I tried not to stare at her mouth, so I shifted my focus to her hair. It was wet, so she must have showered while I was gone, and looked ink black. She had it pulled off of her face and piled on her head in a bun, which showcased her long neck.

  Without realizing it, my gaze traveled down the length of her neck and settled on her cleavage.

  Is it getting hot in here?

  Shaking my head slightly, I turned my attention to the pizza, choosing my slice like it was a life or death decision, and took a long pull from my beer.

  Once I’d selected the biggest, meatiest piece of pie, I cleared my throat and took a big bite. Only then did I look back into Dru’s face, only to find her staring at me, a knowing grin tipping her lips up provocatively.

  She’d totally busted me.

  I shrugged, grinned, and demolished my slice.

  “So, what about you, Mick? What are your parents like? You told me a little about your mom, but what about your dad?”

  Pain sliced through my heart, like it always did when I thought of my pops, but being there with Dru when she confronted her father today, I didn’t mind getting a little personal with her.

  Plus, it was good to talk about him, to keep him at the forefront of my mind.

  “My pops was the best,” I told her, leaning back in my chair and balancing my beer on my knee. “He was a fighter, took me to the gym with him as a boy and taught me everything I know. He was a big brute, but the minute he laid eyes on my mother, he knew she w
as the one for him. They were good together. I can still hear the way they’d laugh with each other over breakfast each morning.” I smiled, remembering the sound. The looks on both their faces. How happy they were. “But, fighting professionally ain’t easy, especially back in those days, and he never made it big enough for the TV spots or the big paydays. Eventually, he had too many hits in the head, until the final blow killed him. He got knocked out and never got back up.”

  “Oh, my God, I’m so sorry,” Dru said, reaching out and placing her hand on my knee, which was the closest thing to her. “How old were you?”

  “Seventeen,” I replied. “My parents met later in life, so got a later start at marriage and having me. I ended up being the only kid they could have, but I never minded. My ma never got over it, over him . . . never moved on or dated again, no matter how hard I tried to talk her into it. For her, he was it. The one.”

  “My mom was the same way,” Dru said softly. “Although, sounds like your mom won the lottery with your dad . . .”

  She trailed off, and I knew she was thinking hers wasn’t so lucky.

  Dru

  WHEN I GOT BACK HOME from my trip, I went straight to work and didn’t stop.

  Not only were both my sisters enjoying their honeymoon, but I needed to keep my mind off of my trip to see our father. Tanisha, Claire, and the rest of the staff were fully capable of taking over Natasha and Millie’s workloads, so it wasn’t as if I had to stay late every night to cover the load of three people, but it felt good to escape into my work just the same.

  I missed my sisters, and, yes, their husbands, too, and there was so much I wanted to tell them. On the trip back from Chicago, I’d decided to come clean about hiring Mick and going to see our dad. I was going to tell them everything, even if it meant dealing with their possible anger and or disappointment.

  They deserved to know. And, once that chore was over, I was excited to tell them about our brothers.

  Honestly, if the boys didn’t exist, I might be able to keep finding our father a secret forever. But, I knew they’d want to learn we had brothers, to get the opportunity to meet them and hopefully grow some sort of relationship. But, I couldn’t tell them about one without the other.

  I also hadn’t spoken to Mick since he’d dropped me off at home.

  I’d thought about him constantly though. Not just because his mother’s birthday party was coming up this weekend, and I’d been neck deep in planning it, but because that trip to Chicago had made me feel closer to him.

  We never had talked about the kiss, but he’d shared so much about his past and his personal life, and I felt more than ever that I wanted to get to know him better.

  The more I learned about Mick, the more I liked, and I found myself wanting to learn everything.

  “Hey, you almost done?”

  I looked up at smiled at Tanisha, before looking back down at my To-Do List and nodding.

  “Yeah, just crossed the last thing off for today.”

  “Great . . . I was wondering if you’d maybe want to go grab a bite and a drink at Prime Beef. I called over and they have room at the bar.”

  I pushed back from my desk and stood, stretching my back out before replying, “That sounds great actually.”

  Much better than another night alone in front of the TV eating leftovers and drinking wine out of the bottle. Which may or may not have been the way I’d spent every other night this week.

  “Do I have time to run upstairs and freshen up real quick? I won’t take long, I promise.”

  “Yeah, I’ll do the same and meet you in the hallway,” Tanisha replied, and we walked out together, turning off lights as we walked.

  Ten minutes later, I was showered, with my hair piled up in a bun and a comfy maxi dress on. I’d put on some light makeup, just because Prime Beef was the kind of place you went on a date, and called it good.

  I was pretty sure they would have let me in even if I’d thrown on some sweat pants and a T-shirt and gone in bare-faced, what with Jericho being my brother-in-law and being on a first-name basis with most of the staff. But, that seemed not only rude, but like I was taking advantage; plus, I’d rather go into a place feeling comfortable, yet confident, rather than sloppy and like I’d just rolled out of bed.

  Tanisha must have felt the same way, because she looked sweet and fresh herself, in a floral romper and gladiator sandals.

  “Ready?” I asked.

  “Am I ever,” she replied with a light laugh, and we headed downstairs and across the street.

  One of the best things about living above the shop was that fact that we were right in the middle of Main Street, and could walk to get just about any, and every thing. I loved the convenience of it, especially when I was busy at work.

  “Hey, ladies, I saved a couple places for you at the bar after Tanisha called. You can go right on back,” the pretty young hostess said after we walked in.

  We thanked her and headed back to the bar.

  I did my best to ignore the other patrons in the restaurant, not wanting to intrude on their happy moments or romantic glances. All I wanted was a fruity drink and some tasty appetizers, and I knew I was about to get both.

  Tanisha and I got settled, ordered our drinks and began looking over the bar menu.

  “Are you all set for Mrs. O’Donnelly’s birthday party?”

  “Oh, yeah, it’s going to be so much fun. I cannot wait to meet Mick’s mom and see her face when she realizes what he’s done for her. It’s really the sweetest thing,” I said, smiling down at my menu at the thought of Mick, and how cute he was every time he talked about his ma.

  There was just something about a man who loved his mother . . . especially when he was a large, burly dude, who looked like he could bench press a semi.

  “I read through the file when I was ordering the decorations, and I have to say, I think you’ve really outdone yourself with this one. We’ll need to take tons of pictures, before and after, and get them up on our social media. I have a feeling this theme will be a big seller.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll look in Tasha’s file and get the number for the photographer,” I said, then told the bartender, “I’d like the Ahi Poke Nachos, please,” as he set my Moscow Mule in front of me.

  “And, I’d like the Alaskan King Crab Cakes,” Tanisha added, picking up her Lemon Drop martini and taking a sip.

  “Thanks,” I said, once the bartender walked away to input our order. “Admittedly I was one of the last on board with hiring staff and loosening the reigns on our baby, but we really hit the jackpot when we hired you, T.”

  “Well, well, two of the most beautiful women in the county have wandered into our restaurant . . .”

  I looked over my shoulder and smiled at Hector.

  “Just the county?” I asked, raising my eyebrow and biting back that smile.

  “Sorry, I meant the country . . . Strike that, the world,” he amended with a tip of his head.

  “That’s more like it,” I said with a chuckle. “Hector, you know Tanisha, right?”

  “Yes, we’ve met briefly,” he said, moving past me to T and holding out his hand. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

  I watched as she put her hand in his, then blush prettily when he raised it to his lips and kissed the back softly.

  Hmmmm, interesting.

  “Are you off? Would you care to join us?” I asked, thinking Tanisha may be just who Hector was looking for.

  “Almost,” he said, looking toward the kitchen and nodding, before adding, “Let me just finish a few things, then I’d love to join you for a drink.”

  When Hector walked away, Tanisha turned to me and said, “He is so hot . . . he makes me nervous.”

  “T, Hector is hot, but he’s also the sweetest guy in the world. Plus, you are sitting there on fire, practically burning this place down. You have nothing to be nervous about. If you like him, show him. Go after what you want.”

  As soon as the words were out of my mo
uth, I knew I needed to take my own advice. The next time I saw Mick, I was not only going to bring up the kiss, but I was going to tell him how much I liked it, and why I thought we should do it again.

  Repeatedly.

  Mick

  “ALL RIGHT, MA, YOU’RE LOADED up on Little Debbies, Jolly Ranchers, sweet tea, and I restocked the hot Funyons stash you didn’t think I knew about.”

  My mother looked me straight in the eyes and didn’t blink. Daring me to try and tell her what she could or couldn’t eat.

  I didn’t have a death wish, so I let it pass.

  “Now, let’s get you dressed and I’ll join you for dinner.”

  She narrowed her eyes at me, like I knew she would, and asked suspiciously, “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

  I took in her bright-blue track suit and replied, “I just thought it would be nice for us to dress up a bit . . . have a nice dinner. It is your birthday, after all, and since you won’t let me take you out, I’d like to join you here.”

  “No reason to go out and spend money on some fancy dinner just because I woke up a year older. You do look spiffy though, Mickie, I’ll give you that . . . I just assumed it was for a lady friend,” my ma said, then muttered, “Wishful thinking.”

  “I heard that,” I said with a chuckle.

  She shrugged, not the least bit worried. In her eyes, it was her duty to mention marriage and children each and every time I saw her. The older I got, the more often she slipped something about my bachelor status into conversation.

  I didn’t care, I knew she loved me and worried about me being alone.

  I felt the same way about her.

  “You know, I wouldn’t be lonely if you’d move in with me,” I tried.

  Ma glared at me and said, “Get out my red dress. If my son’s escorting me to dinner for my birthday, I guess I’ll make an effort.”

  I turned before she could see my grin and went to the armoire to get out her favorite dress. Then I took out her dressy black flats, slip, and panty hose, and laid it all out for her.

  “Here you go, I’ll step out and give you some privacy.”