Damaged Beyond Repair by Kashmira Kamat (KittyKash) (best short books to read TXT) 📗

I laced my fingers through his, waiting for an answer.

"I love Alana."

My heart stopped beating all at once. I hadn't expected him to put it so bluntly, but, it's what my father needed to understand.

Rowan continued, "I've said this before, but I'd do it again if I have to. I wouldn't call my feelings towards her an infatuation. I never regretted the best part of my past life and your daughter is one of the best things that could ever happen to me."

"And what's the other best thing that happened, if I may ask?" Dad was quick, I bet he had kept a written note pad all rolled up with a list of questionnaire.

"My daughter Minnie." Rowan responded.

I think I saw a thin line of respect cross my father's agitated face. He wouldn't admit he was impressed. Not yet.

"You're obviously not teaching anymore, right?"

Rowan gave a nod. His plate still seemed to be crowded with the first helping. Why was my dad doing this? Why was he giving Rowan a chance to hate him? Rowan was talking which was a miracle, considering the fact that he was never a social bee. He was trying, for me.

Ronnie remained glued to Rowan since the time he'd entered the house, Ronnie's face rested on Rowan's lap, his saliva had already made a wet spot on the denims. Ronnie was in love.

"I have an interview for an economics professor at the Lowell University in the neighboring town. I also have a few modeling contracts, plus my brother's been hounding me to take care of a department in the company, which I'm not sure if I'll be able to manage. Although my father insists on me helping him."

My dad nodded in agreement. "Your father is?"

  There goes the background check. Smooth, daddy. Real smooth.

  Rowan was too thick to get my father's elaborate schemed questionnaire. "Gary Masters. I'm sure you know him, sir."

"Well, I do but not on a personal level. One of the other leading companies in the country had filed a case against him. I worked on that case, as your father's opposing counsel. It was a long time ago; you kids were probably in school."

"I'm not a big fan of my father's ways of dealing business. I never appreciated it to begin with. And that's one reason I don't want to be a part of it."

"Son, it's not your father's fault. You need to remain as cold and cynical as possible, with no regard whatsoever to human sensitivities if you have to survive this industry. You either choose to get trampled on or crush the system, that's the way we roll."

"I agree with you." Rowan said as he sipped the champagne flute.

Did he just call Rowan's father cold and cynical?

We ate our food in silence; I was hardly part of their conversation. Ask me what topic they missed out, from movies, to politics and they damn near covered every aspect of what's there to life. I was both surprised and amused with how well their tastes matched where movies and sports were concerned.

Next was desert on the menu, I never had time to appear stunned or gape at my father for his beautiful hospitality. Each of our plates was served with a large moist slice of strawberry cheese cake, with oozing syrup. I couldn't wait to dig in. Part of my mind wondered if this was how my father was trying to impress his future son-in-law. Let's keep the future son-in-law part to ourselves, shall we?

"What's it like in Denmark? Alana told me you lived there for a while." I noticed he'd asked Rowan out of curiosity, he just wanted to know what it was like being away in a foreign country. But, what my father didn't know was that Rowan was in Demark for very different and unusual reasons. Reasons which would make him to judge Rowan, something that I was dodging since the evening.

I'd already briefed Rowan as to what he was supposed to say. Rowan was in Denmark for work purposes and during that time he ran into Karl Hansen, who offered him a modeling contract. See? Simple? Lying was easy if it was done for a good purpose.

"Good experience is not exactly the right word. I was in Denmark for other personal reasons. Work definitely wasn't among them."

My breath hitched for a moment, a frigid bolt of fear tightened my chest. I gave Rowan a look of warning.

"May I ask what it was?" Dad frowned at Rowan.

Rowan sighed, "I'm not sure what Alana told you sir, but, I went to Denmark to get rid of my drug abuse and alcohol addiction. I'm diagnosed with depression. I admitted myself in a rehabilitation facility for a two year program. That's where I had been for the past two years."

I wanted to drown my face in a bucket full of misery; and I was hoping the ground would wallow me up whole. I wanted the gates of hell to open right in front of me because I knew what was yet to follow, anything was better than Rickson Hayes silent fury.

Note: I used his full name. You get the idea how serious this issue was?

I was beyond irate. I wanted to ask Rowan why he'd lied to me and told my father about the past he usually never liked to speak of. Then I realized he was doing it for me, he was done lying to the world, pretending to be perfect. He wanted people to understand that he was never like the others. He could never be. A tear grazed my cheek which I quickly wiped.

Rowan was still holding my hand in his. I didn't dare a look in my father's direction. I knew he was gearing up for a rant and Rowan had pushed me in a bucket filled with deep shit of trouble. Granted, he was jumping in that bucket along with me.

"Alana, can I have a word with you in private?"  Dad said, he didn't wait for me as he strode away from the table in the back yard and into the living area.

  That's what I resented on hearing. That exact question.

I glanced at Rowan, and he looked at me. Everything was going to be alright, I kept telling myself.