Stripped Down (Tap That)

“No, I mean, what is going on in your life.” She leaned over the counter on the opposite side from him, watching his skilled knife work. He’d started out in the kitchen of a local seafood restaurant at sixteen. “Are you online dating or anything?”

Now he looked at her like she had lost her mind. “Where the hell did that come from?”

Resting her chin on her palm she shrugged. “Just seems like maybe you should. You’re still young, you’re handsome.”

“Do you need to borrow money?”

“What? No!” This family. Geez. “I’m just showing interest and expressing concern.”

His hand paused. Then he just started chopping again. “Did you hear from your mother or something?”

That shocked her into standing straight up. “Why would I hear from Mom?”

“I don’t know. It was your thirtieth birthday. Just thought maybe she would reach out.”

“No, she didn’t.” Sloane realized with a sinking feeling that her father still wasn’t over it. Over her. She who will not be named. “Dad, it doesn’t bother me. Seriously. I don’t even care. What bothers me is you not leading a full life. I want you to be happy.”

He shot her a look of horror. “I am happy.”

“Don’t you ever want to get married again?”

“Do you?”

“I don’t know.” Yes. If there was a man out there she could laugh with, share a dog with, have amazing sex with. Who would love her, flaws and all.

“Me either.” He handed her a tray filled with burger toppings. “Take this out to the table.”

“Sure. Good talk, Dad.”

He shook his head like he didn’t even know what they were talking about. “Yep.”

“Think about Tinder, Dad. You’d be a hit. You can write ‘hot grandfather, bar owner, loves tats, whiskey, and blondes.”

“Shut up, Sloane,” he said mildly, popping a spicy pickle in his mouth. “Or I will shut you up.”

She laughed. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

That was about as emotional as an O’Toole chat was going to go. She’d take it.

* * *

Sullivan threw a corn hole bag at him. Hard. It hit Rick in the chest before he could catch it. “What the fuck was that for?”

“For sniffing around my sister like a dog after a bitch in heat.”

Shit. He’d been too obvious. “I don’t think you should refer to your sister as a bitch in heat. Just saying,” he said, keeping his voice neutral.

“You may be bigger than me now, but I can still kick your ass.” Sullivan looked furious.

“You’re going to start a fight in front of your kid and my little sister? Calm down.” He turned and called over to Axl and Brandon. “Who’s throwing first?”

“We are. Switch sides.”

Rick took the bags and started to walk down to the other board but Sullivan grabbed his shoulder.

“Rick, listen to me.”