Page 70 of The Tryst List
“How did you handle it?” Peter’s voice is tinged with curiosity.
My pops shakes his head. “It wasn’t easy. I was torn between protecting my family’s privacy and not giving in to his demands. In the end, I decided not to pay him. It resulted in a brief, ugly spat, which caught the media’s attention, but it eventually died down. I took care of him later.”
“Jason.” Mom grips his hand. “Legally, you took care of him legally.”
My pops smiles tightly. “Of course…”
“Must have been a tough call to make.” Peter taps his chin, so deep in thought I’m not sure he's caught on to my pops's power.
“It was.” Dad folds his napkin and tosses it on the table. “But it taught me an important lesson about integrity and standing up for what’s right. No matter how difficult it may seem. It’s not the challenges that define us, but how we choose to face them.”
Peter looks at me, his mouth a grim line. In this moment, I know he’s aware my father’s done a background check. His expression tells me we’ll talk about it later.
As we stand up to leave, my pops grips Peter’s shoulder. “I shared my story because I want you to know you’re not alone in dealing with family complications. And, more importantly, these issues don’t define your future or your worth. Good luck in figuring it out.”
“Thank you, Jason. Your advice means a lot.” Peter’s eyes shine. “I’ve always felt like a complete asshole for distancing myself from them.” He grits his teeth. “It’s so fucking…uh…sorry.” He realizes how fired up he sounds. Swallows and regains his composure. “What I meant to say is it’s helpful to hear I’m not the only one who’s gone through it.”
We depart the restaurant. While we wait for the valet to bring my parents’ car around, Peter takes my hand. When they leave, we head back toward his place.
Walking beside him, I feel a deep sense of closeness.
Peter and I have made so much progress in such a short time.
He and I are solid.
As long as he tells me what the fuck is going on with his family.
Chapter twenty-nine
Peter
Two Weeks Later
Saturday is always a great day to catch up on work.
For years, I’ve come into the office and sorted through emails, tackled administrative tasks and focused on client development. For the past few months though, most of my Saturdays have revolved around Project SoHo.
Of course, since Jordan…well, my weekends have been tackling Jordan’s Tryst List and adding additional trysts.
There’s really no contest as to what I prefer.
Today, however, Jordan has a booking with an actor who’s commissioned an intricate back piece. He’s leaving on a five-month shoot on Monday, so today was his only opening. He also doubled Jordan’s fee, so she could hardly say no. With approximately ten hours to kill, I decided to come into the office. Mainly, to keep my mind off things.
Two weeks after the Project SoHo committee were supposed to make their decision, it’s been radio silence. After putting so much energy into the submission, the wait is agonizing.
In the meantime, I’m vigorously scouting for new projects closer to home in an attempt to keep the company’s momentum going and money coming in. My efforts have paid off and VA/VT is on deck to helm a new mixed-use commercial building project in downtown Seattle.
Lost in Revit, the software program we use to create designs, I’m shocked to find Rose standing in the doorway.
It’s unusual to see her on a weekend unless we're working on Project SoHo, but Rose has always been dedicated, so I don’t think much about it.
“Hey, Rose. Didn’t expect to see you today.” I wave from my desk. “C’mon in.”
She steps inside, her expression serious. “I’d like to talk about Project SoHo.”
“Okay…” I lean back in my chair, sensing I’m not going to enjoy this conversation.
She hesitates for a moment. “As I mentioned in London, I want to be the project manager for SoHo. I know I can handle it.”