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“I’ll handle your brother.” Dad gave him a pointed stare as he took another puff of his pipe. “Will you do this for me? And for yourself?”
“Of course.” He didn’t mention that he already planned to help Genevieve or that he was happier about that than any of the work he’d done lately.
A smile spread across Dad’s face. “You’ve made me very proud.”
“For agreeing to help with the fundraiser?”
“Not only that. I’m proud of who you are, of the man you’ve become.”
The guilty feeling was back. If Dad knew he had pretended to be someone other than a Schultz, he wouldn’t be so proud.
“I see great things in your future, my boy.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Dad smiled and went back to his pipe.
“When you met Mom in college, did you know right away that she was the one you wanted to spend your life with?” Sebastian asked.
Dad’s eyebrows raised at this line of questioning. “Actually, we hated each other at first.”
Sebastian was taken aback. “You never told me that. I thought you met her and were crazy about her from the start.”
Dad shook his head.
“But you always said she was yours from the moment she tasted Granny’s truffles.”
A little chuckle was his father’s response. “It took me months to get her to even try one.” He turned his eyes to the sky outside and looked as if he was reliving a memory. “At first, I didn’t want her anywhere near me.” He looked at Sebastian again. “She gave me attitude for the longest time because I set up my truffle cart near her dorm at the same time she was coming back from class every day. There was always a long line blocking the door, and she hated all the commotion I caused.”
Sebastian laughed. “Did you set it up there because of her?”
“Not at first. But once I knew it bothered her, I kept coming back for more. And then I realized that I looked forward to that adorable scowl on her face every day. Took me a while after that to get her to actually try a truffle, but like I said, after that, she was mine.” Dad winked.
“I love that.” Sebastian took a breath in and let it out again. “I met someone today.”
Dad set his pipe down and rested his elbow on the arm of the chair and his chin on his fist. “Oh?”
Sebastian rested his head back against the cool leather. “She’s amazing. So smart and funny. And she’s so beautiful, but I don’t think she even realizes it.” He shook his head and looked at Dad again. “I feel like she’s different. Special. But I’m so afraid she’ll turn out to be like the others and only want me for what I can give her.”
“Go with your gut.”
“That’s the thing. I don’t trust my gut anymore.”
“If she’s as special as you think, then she’ll see you for you. All you can do is be yourself.”
An uneasiness settled in the pit of his stomach then. Be himself? Who was he? Sebastian Schultz or Kurtis from PR?
“Your mother and I have prayed for you since before you were born, and even though we don’t know her yet, we’ve prayed for your future wife.”
“You have?”
Dad nodded. “Yes, especially after all the hurtful people you’ve encountered. Wealth is a blessing, but it can also be a curse at times. You’ve dealt with your share of parasites over the years, and we want better for you. We’ve prayed for someone special who would love our Sebastian, even if he didn’t have a penny to his name.”
“That means a lot,” Sebastian said.
“We love you, son. Your happiness is our greatest desire.” Dad reached over and patted him on the shoulder.
“Thanks, Dad.”