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Owen had always been like a brother to me, best friends and now colleagues. Since he was an orphan and never had a dad, he didn’t seem to mind having a father figure here. “What’s up, Eddie?”
“Just coming by to ask if you’re bringing anyone to the company’s family picnic.” He stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked on his heels. “I wanted to stop by after lunch with a few retirees who mentioned that it’d be coming up.” He grinned at me. “You’ll bring Ann, right?”
“Yeah, how about Ann?” Owen asked.
Since that night at the club, he received a lengthy explanation from me about how little I was interested in the blonde. His teasing me like this now was cruel.
“No.” I shook my head and folded my hands on my desk. “I’m not bringing anyone. I don’t have time to bring a date. Mia and I volunteered to handle the bar booth.”
I’ll have a chance to talk to her there.
“Besides,” I added, “Jason and Laura will be there as usual. I want to make sure they have fun too.”
My dad shrugged. “I’ll be there too. I can keep an eye on Jason. And then we can ask around and have Jen swap some volunteers. You could do the bar booth with Ann!” His hopeful smile was so bright but so wrong.
Did he not get a clue? Couldn’t he sense my lack of enthusiasm where Ann was concerned?
I rolled my eyes. “Ann doesnotseem like the kind of person who would want to stand in the heat and pour drinks without pay.”
He frowned. “I’m sure she can volunteer?—”
“Why would she?” I wasn’t backing down. I loved him, but I wasn’t about to be a complete pushover to make him happy. He asked me to show her around and I tried to do that. Being polite was one thing, but I’d told that woman I wasn’t available.
“She’s not a Dunn employee. Not affiliated to the company. And she’s not family.” I grunted a faint laugh. “Why does Ann need to be there at all?”
Annoyance kicked in. I saw it clear as day in his scowl and how quickly he propped his fists to his sides. “Dammit, Henry. You push every woman away!”
“I’m notlookingfor a woman, Dad.”
“Why?” He set his hands on the edge of my desk. “I know you want more of a family. Jason does too. And me. Why are you so damn hesitant and reluctant to make that more of a possibility?”
Owen cleared his throat. “You know what, if Ann really wants to go to this picnic, I can show her around for a bit.”
Dad exhaled long and hard, aggrieved, once again.
But I couldn’t tell him the truth. The real truth.
I didn’t want any woman he shoved at me because they weren’t Mia.
She was the only one I’d want, and I had no way to get her.
“Thanks, Owen,” Dad muttered, still shooting me a disappointed look. “I already told her about it and all.”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll be there, and I didn’t sign up for a booth to volunteer at.”
Dad left a moment later, needing to take a call from his broker, and as he walked out, Owen looked at me oddly. Like he suspected something was up. The second the door closed, he faced me. “All right. What’s going on? I saw you kissing Mia at Danger. You’re acting cagey?—”
“I’m not acting cagey.”
“—and you can’t stand the idea of being near Ann.”
“Can you?” I huffed. “I appreciate your taking a hit for the team and all, but really, you don’t need to sacrifice yourself to go to that picnic with her.”
“If I didn’t step in like that, your dad would’ve kept pushing. Now I think I know the reason you push all those women away. I think I’ve got a good guess why none of the dates he brings to meet you last.”
I kept my lips shut as he stared me down.
“What’s going on, Henry?” He leaned closer, setting his elbow on my desk. “Is it Mia? IknowI saw you kiss her. I think Ann saw, too.”