Once Theo had poured two glasses, and passed one off to him, he said, “Take a seat, Jamie.”
>
Jamie settled into one of the large leather wingback chairs and gave the whiskey a cautious sniff, then took a small sip. Surprisingly, it was incredibly smooth. He could taste the undertones of chocolate.
Theo watched him and then said, “Nice, huh?”
“Do I taste chocolate?” Jamie asked, confused.
“Yeah, raisins and chocolate. I’m impressed, boy.”
Jamie took another small sip and said, “I’m more of a beer guy, myself. You can pick up the same kind of flavor notes in some of the craft beers. It’s interesting. I never really thought of applying it to scotch, but I guess that’s where it started out.”
Theo nodded appreciatively and then said, “So you’re dating my girl again.”
“She’s difficult to resist,” Jamie admitted. “When I saw her again, it was as if nothing had changed.”
Ignoring his statement, Theo asked, “You’re going to stick around this time?”
Jamie nodded and said, “Yes, Sir. I am. I’ve started an ad agency.”
“You’ve done very well for yourself. I’m surprised you turned down the VP job, though,” Theo remarked.
Jamie studied him for a moment, confused. Cora had just made her father aware the other night that they were dating again. How could he possibly know how Jamie was doing unless...Had Theo run a background check on him?
His eyes narrowing, Jamie asked, “Did you—”
“I meant no disrespect, Jamie,” Theo said, holding up a hand. “You showed up in her life out of the blue seven years later. After all she’s been through this past year, I had to know. She’s all I’ve got left.”
Angry, he stared at Theo. Jamie understood the point behind the actions, but that didn’t mean he was any less pissed off about it. “You could have asked, ya know? I don’t have anything to hide. It’s not about the money. It was never about the money.”
“I didn’t think so, but people change,” Theo said, unapologetically. “The last thing I wanted for her was more unhappiness.”
“I get that,” Jamie said as he set his drink down with a thump on the side table. “Honestly, I don’t entirely blame you even though it pisses me off.”
“She’s my baby,” Theo said again, this time looking slightly more regretful. He took a sip of his drink and sighed.
“You could have just asked,” Jamie repeated. “And, how you could think I’d want to be with her for any other reason than the fact that she’s amazing is beyond me.”
“I’m sorry,” Theo said. “I only want to protect what’s mine.”
Jamie heard a light tap on the door, followed by Cora’s voice softly asking, “Is it safe to come in now? Did you finish your man talk?”
Theo said, sighing, “Yeah, I think we’re about done with that.”
Taking pity on the man, Jamie said, “I was just telling your father about the Shinobi Games campaign. I was going to save this for later, but—”
Cora perked up and asked, “Did Tim like the concept art you sent over?”
“Loved it. We’re not contracted yet, but I’m pretty sure it’s heading that way. He’s going to show the board and get their buy in,” he said, his mood significantly better.
Cora gave an excited bounce and said, “That’s so incredible!”
“That’s a big win, son,” Theo said. “Congratulations!”
“Thank you, Sir,” Jamie said. “I’m really excited about what this will do for my business.”
Theo waved a hand at him and said, “Every time you call me ‘Sir,’ I picture Grandpa Blanchard on the porch with that wooden switch in his hand. Call me Theo. Please.”