Thane poured them both a glass of water, glancing over at the shelves that held the liquor bottles. He sure could use something stronger right about now. “Would you like something else?”
His father gave a single nod, still standing by the table, facing Thane’s direction. “Liquid courage.”
The words made the anxiety swell deeper inside his gut. He smelled a trap; he didn’t yet know the extent of how badly he’d been set up.
Thane used a tray to bring the water glasses and two scotch and waters, heavy on the scotch—his father’s drink of choice. He slid inside the booth first, his father finally taking the seat across from him as Thane put each drink on the table, placing the tray at the table behind him.
“Just tell me whatever it is you have to say.” Thane stared straight at his father while taking two hearty gulps of the scotch, forcing his facial features to remain neutral as the drink’s trademark bite dragged across his tongue and down his throat. Scotch was an acquired taste, one he’d never taken the time to develop.
His father didn’t take a drink of either his water or his cocktail. Instead, he crossed his arms over one another, resting them on the table. The casual demeanor was back, and his dad leaned in, staring him straight in the eyes. “Nathaniel, I’ve been trying to tell you this for a while. I thought you needed to hear it face-to-face. You’ve always held so much contempt where I’m concerned.”
Thane nodded, confirming that last sentence. All their baggage had been well established, made very clear years ago after a particularly harsh scolding about Thane’s grades in college. Thane had snapped that afternoon and left his father’s office upset. He was certain no student or faculty member on that particular hall could have gone without hearing him raging at his old man. Not one of his prouder moments.
“I’m fine not knowing whatever it is you think I need to know.”
Interestingly, his father’s face dropped in a show of defeat and that seemed odd to Thane. His father had never cared one way or another about how Thane felt about anything. “Son, any request you make to the university is reflection upon me…”
Thane cut his father off right there. For days, Thane had assumed this meeting was about his requests. He’d almost tripped Thane up with the diversion of his mother meeting them, but he’d prepared for this battle and stopped his father’s flow of words with a slice of the hand as he spoke. “I only made some inquiries to point a friend in the right direction. I didn’t ask anything of the school and never used your name.”
His father lifted a hand, stopping him from continuing. “I didn’t say you did, Nathaniel. Please, let me get through this.”
Thane shut his mouth and sat back in his seat, taking the drink with him.
“Whether you like it or not, I became included in your inquiries. Since this was a first, I took the liberty of looking into the person you wanted to help, and I had hoped he might be important to you. I wanted to encourage you to find love in your life.”
Thane kept his poker face in place, trying to figure out what hand his father was playing. Certainly, Walt Walker didn’t feel qualified to give Thane advice about his love life when his old man had made such a mockery of his own. More than anything, his father needed to stay out of his love life and totally away from Levi.
“You’ve never known what happened between your mother and me. She never wanted you to know. I loved your mother, Nathaniel. I loved her as if my last breath depended on her, and in many ways, it did.”
Thane couldn’t help the scornful laugh that spontaneously erupted from his throat. His dad didn’t think he’d believe that, did he? He’d had front row seats to his father’s treatment of his mother.
“I deserve that. You were the collateral damage to the intensity of my love. I’m sorry for that, Thane, but it also resulted in the man you’ve become…” His father lifted his hands, spreading them to include the restaurant, showing what Thane had built.
“You had no involvement with any of this…” Thane’s contempt resonated in every harshly uttered word.
“No, you’re right. I didn’t.” The smile his father had started to form fell from his face, and for the first time since taking a seat, Walt picked up the scotch and downed the liquid in two long gulps before looking down at his watch. “Son, we’ve got less than fifteen minutes before your mom arrives. If you’re still angry, I’d like to keep her from all the fallout. She carries guilt where you’re concerned.”
Shockingly, his father’s need to protect her from being hurt seemed genuine. He couldn’t even imagine such an about-face from the man who seemed to live his life to hurt his mother.