Chapter 32
I turned, startled to hear Vivian’s voice drift into the kitchen from the hall. She stood at the kitchen entrance, hiding behind the tall steel of the refrigerator. Vivian looked between Wally and me, concern written into the tight line of her lips.
“Did we wake you?” I asked softly.
She nodded.
“Sorry, Viv,” Wally mumbled. “We’re done talking now.”
I turned back to face him. “No, we’re not. Far from it.”
“Yes, we are.”
I inhaled deeply. I didn’t want to lose it in front of Vivian. “I didn’t work hard and come from nothing just so you could throw everything away.”
Wally didn’t scream. He didn’t raise his voice. Instead, an intense calm took hold of him. “You know what? I’m done.”
“Done? What do you mean you’re done?”
He gestured vaguely about the space. “With all this. I’m going to pack some of my things and stay with a friend.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I think you’ll find that I am.”
I crossed my arms. “Fine. Leave. About damn time you moved out, anyways.”
“I’m glad we can at least agree about that.”
“Good luck paying rent on a fry cook’s salary.”
Wally’s mouth dropped open like he was about to throw back another snipe, but he closed it and stomped past me. I heard him shuffling in his room, no doubt stuffing a bag — which I wanted to mention that I technically bought for him — before trudging to the elevator and getting inside.
“Sorry Viv, but this is exactly what I told you he was like. Good luck dealing with him.”
The penthouse, once consumed with noise, was now uncomfortably quiet.
Vivian stood there staring at me.
“What?” I grumbled.
“He could do it, you know,” she whispered.
“What are you talking about?”
“Average rent in Chicago is about two grand, depending on the area. The average annual salary of a fry cook is just shy of forty thousand. If Wally finds himself a roommate
and splits living costs, he’d get by just fine.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I work —worked— for an investment firm, remember? It’s literally my job to understand what people earn and how they can maximize their dollar.”
I shook my head. “I don’t want my son to get by just fine, Vivian. That’s no way to live. I just want what’s best for him.”
“By pushing your dreams onto him?” Vivian asked quietly. “Look, this is none of my business. Or maybe it is, I don’t know. I get that you think you’re doing the right thing, but if you don’t stop and put yourself in Wally’s shoes, you might push him away forever. I don’t want to see that happen to you. To either of you.”
As much as I hated to admit it, Vivian had a point. Maybe I was pushing my dreams onto Wally.
“I grew up with nothing,” I said. “I don’t want Wally to know what that’s like.”
Vivian stepped forward and entered my space, reaching up to brush her fingers across my jaw. “You’re a good father, Jesse. Take it from someone who knows firsthand what a shit parent is. I understand you’re trying to protect him, but at some point, you need to let Wally make his own choices.”
I kissed her palm. “How’d you get to be so wise?”
She shrugged. “I read a lot.”
“I’ll talk to him. But I think we both need to calm down first.”
“That’s a good idea.” Vivian turned toward the stove, hands on her hips. “Now. How about some pancakes?”
“I don’t have pancake batter.”
“Okay. What kinds of cereal do you have?”
“Raisin Bran.”
She wrinkled her nose in pure disgust. “What is wrong with you?”
I chuckled. “How about you get back into bed and I’ll order us something for breakfast?”
“Alright,” she said coyly. “But don’t you dare feed me something weird like tofu toast.”
“Actually, I know a fantastic spot that has that on the menu.”
“Absolutely not.”
“It’s delicious.”
“You’re wrong.”
“Have you even tried it?”
“Nope, and I don’t have to. I’d like eggs benedict or bust.”
I kissed the tip of her nose. “I guess I can brave runny eggs for you.”
“My hero,” she said dryly, but her bright smile gave her away.
I was about to tell her to lose the clothes when my phone started to ring. I didn’t want to answer, not with the promise of Vivian naked in my bed dangling before me, but I answered the call off muscle memory alone. “Hello?” I greeted gruffly.
“I ran into an error while implementing the new server,” Devin said, launching into his spiel without so much as a how do you do. “I had to do some overhauling last night.” “Good for you?”
My brother clicked his tongue. “No, not good for me. Now I need you to come in and give me final approvals to all the changes I made.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Vivian tossing off her shirt and bra, leaving it behind her in the hall.
“You have my approval for everything, bye.”
“Wait!”
“What?”
“What’s gotten into you? You’re normally breathing down my neck about stuff like this.”
“I’m busy.”
“With?” Devin scoffed. “Look, I need to show you these changes before I launch the server. Just because I’m head of cyber security doesn’t mean you leave everything to me. You’re the head of the whole firm, so you need to know what’s going on.”
“Fine, fine. I’ll be there in half an hour.”
Vivian re-emerged from my bedroom in nothing but those stupidly sexy pink shorts, leaning casually against the door frame. She raised her eyebrows at me expectantly.
“Second thought, make that an hour.”
“Okay. I’ll see you then—”
I hung up and marched to her, picking her up and slinging her over my shoulder in a fireman’s hold. She giggled brightly, the sound of her laughter ringing in my ears.
“Change of plans, angel. We’re grabbing breakfast on the go. I’ve got some work at the office.”
“And you want me to come with?”
I set her down on the edge of the bed. “How else am I going to keep an eye on you?”
She tapped her nose. “Gotcha. But do you think we still have time to—”
I kissed her firmly on the mouth, sucking on her bottom lip until it came away red and swollen. “Definitely,” I answered before diving back in for another kiss.