Yes, I forced my assistant to watch Singing in the Rain with me, multiple times.
“Shut up! That’s totally your type.”
“I know!” I cried. “And the best part? He dances! Oh, and apparently, he’s trying to make it as an actor or something in California and that’s what Mr. Morrison meant by his lifestyle choices. I had it all wrong. I mean, he certainly has the looks…and did I mention he can dance? I’m pretty sure he just performed the scene in Singing in the Rain where Gene sings to Debbie on the studio stage.”
Wendy paused for a moment. “I know I should probably know that scene, but I’ve got to be honest with you, Bree, it’s drawing a blank. I’ve learned to fall asleep with my eyes open when we have your Gene Kelly marathons.”
My mouth fell open. “That’s it, block out Sunday night. We’re watching it again, and you will stay awake.”
I heard a groan from the other end of the phone. “No! No, I am not giving up my Sunday night for Gene, Brighton. I don’t care if you’re my boss. I’ve got plans, with a guy. One I actually like.”
“Who?” I asked.
Before Wendy could answer, the door to the bathroom opened and Lucy Morrison walked in. I panicked, hit End, and forced myself to smile as I dropped my phone back into my clutch.
Lucy returned the gesture, but there was something strange about her grin. As she made her way over to me, I found myself taking a few steps back until I hit the opposite side of the bathroom.
“So, Brighton, what do you think of my son?”
Oh. Shit. This is where I could lose my job.
“Um, he’s handsome and very polite. Nice. Dances well and carries on an interesting conversation.”
Holy shit. Did that all come from my mouth?
She clapped like a teenage girl. “Wonderful! Now, do you see yourself having sex with him?”
And I’m dead. Stick a knife in me right now because my boss’s wife, the mother of the man I indeed want to have sex with, just asked me if I wanted to have sex. With her son. In the bathroom. At the company Christmas party.
She raised a brow while she waited for my answer. With one quick look around, I realized I was trapped.
I should pack up my desk Monday morning…because when I opened my mouth to speak, I was positive neither of us was expecting my reply.
Luke
“What do you think of Brighton, Luke?”
I turned to face my father. “I like her. She’s funny.”
He raised a single brow. “Brighton’s funny? Mmm, I wouldn’t have thought that. She seems so serious all the time.”
Lifting my whiskey to my mouth, I attempted to hide my smile. Clearly Brighton Rogers had two sides, and I was certainly enjoying this one.
“Where is she?” he asked, glancing around the dance floor.
“Being cornered by your wife in the woman’s bathroom.”
My father let out a groan. We at least could agree on one thing. My father might have hated my decision to move to LA, hated that I was an actor, hated that I took dance lessons and had no interest in playing football, but he thought my mother should stay out of my love life as much as I did. It was the only thing we had in common.
“Good Lord. When your mother asked me to find you a date for the party, I picked Brighton because I figured your mother wouldn’t see you with a lawyer or a woman like her.”
“A woman like her?” I asked, glancing at him.
“Yes. Quiet, dedicated to her job. Settled.”
I drew in a slow breath. “You think I’m not attracted to a woman like that, Dad?”
He sighed. “Truth be told, I don’t know what type of woman you’re interested in, Luke. An actress, most likely. Isn’t that whom you last dated? At least that was what I read in the paper. Brighton Rogers doesn’t seem like the type of woman who’d be interested in your lifestyle, son.”
I tossed my head back as I let out a roar of laughter. No wonder she thought I was gay. My father stared at me like I had lost my mind.
“I think you’re wrong,” I said. “From the little bit I’ve seen this evening, she’s exactly the type of woman I’d be interested in. I like her. She makes me laugh, and I want to know more about her. I also like the fact that she has no earthly idea who I am.”
He turned and faced me. “And why do you think that is, son? She’d never be interested in the life you could offer her.”
A strange pain hit me right in the middle of my chest. “I told her I was an actor.”
My father stared at me for the longest moment and then smirked. “I’m going to go mingle. Enjoy your evening, Luke.”