After his meteoric rise to superstardom, Jim O'Brien is no longer a small-town boy who plays in bars and dreams of success. His handsome face is plastered on the covers of celebrity gossip magazines, and his voice alone is enough to make girls swoon...
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I’d been staring at the blank page on my laptop screen for the last half an hour.
“Pumpkin, can I?” Dad knocked on my bedroom door and peeked his head in.
Sitting up on the bed, I put my laptop aside. “Sure. Come on in.”
I gasped at the sight of my dad in a tux. It sat exceptionally well on his tall, strong frame. Dad’s dark hair didn’t hold a hint of gray, and he took his time styling it. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought he applied some products to his face as well.
“Should I worry about a line of women appearing outside our house in the driveway tomorrow?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.
Dad’s lips quirked into a smile. “Don’t be silly. In case you cannot tell, I’m out of my element, but the occasion is worth the discomfort. I’ll have to rub shoulders with important folks.”
“As long as they donate generous amounts.” I shrugged. “It might be fun. You’ll eat well, at least. And no, you don’t look uncomfortable to me. You’re a handsome, forty-year-old man who looks good enough to be on the pages of a magazine in that tux.”
Dad walked up to me and leaned down to brush his lips across my cheek. “Thank you, baby. I would’ve taken you with me if I could, but…”
“No worries.” I gave him a small smile, nodding toward my laptop and the book next to it. “I will find something to busy myself with.”
Dad rubbed his chin. “And your boyfriend?”
“Has a work thing tonight. Everyone seems to have work things these days.” I made an effort not to sound like a pouty child. Judging by my dad’s chuckle, I failed.
“Pumpkin in l-o-o-v-e-e,” Dad sang, dragging the vowels.
I picked up a frilly pink throw pillow and launched it at him.
Dad shielded himself with his arms in front of his face. “Pumpkin! My hair!”
“Lots of effort for your date, huh?” I smirked.
Sighing, Dad strolled to my built-in closet and studied his reflection in the full-length mirror on its door. “Katherine is a beautiful woman. I have to look accordingly.”
“Katherine,” I repeated the name Dad mentioned. “How come you’ve never told me about her?”
Dad tipped his chin up and adjusted his black bow-tie. “Cause I was busy, you know? Saving lives and such, the usual.”
Groaning, I rolled my eyes and flopped back on the bed. “Are you two like...dating?”
Patting the lapels of his tux, Dad made a step back and swiveled his head to give me a small smile. “It’s only for tonight, okay? Don’t worry.”
“Worry? I’d be happy for you, but maybe I should at least know who that woman is or what she does, don’t you think so?”
