The summer break keepsake

Birthday surprise (8)

Kelly's POV

We had all collectively agreed we fancied an Italian dinner, and lucky for them, I knew a great little place not far from here named Valentinas Little Venice.

It was a restaurant with many water features inside with an authentic flowing river along the middle which made you feel like you were in fact in Venice.

I was sat beside Stella as her mom and dad sat opposite we had already ordered our food and was waiting for it to arrive, me and Stella were drinking cola as her mom and dad shared a bottle of Italian wine, I drove so they could drink.

"So Kelly, where are you from?" Stella's dad asks me as he finishes filling their glasses up.

"Chicago actually, I'm from Knoxville high so south side of Chicago" I tell him as he nods "you play football?" He asks me as I nod "sure do, I play quarterback" I tell him as he puts his wine down and smiles "no kidding...so you're like team captain? The one every lad wants to be" He asks me as I nod "yep, that's me...I think" I say as her dad laughs.

"I was a fullback back in my day, but quarterback is where I really wanted to be" he says as I nod "you should come watch one of my games, maybe next time we play East Layton, Stella will be there anyway with her cheer team" I say as her dad nods "yeah I'd love to...yeah, just let me know when you'd are next playing, I'll come down and watch" he says lifting his wine up and drinking it.

"Well, I think my dad likes you" I hear Stella whisper to me as she leans closer to me, I turn and smile at her as I place my hand on her leg "of course he does, I wasn't worried" I whisper back to her as she kisses the top of my arm.

"Yeah? Sure, I believe you, thousands wouldn't" she says chuckling, Just as the food arrives, and the waiter hands each of us our food.

...

We had finished at the restaurant and as promised it was my treat so I paid, and we was now heading back to the car, I unlock it and climb in the drivers seat looking across expecting to see Stella sit in the passenger seat only to see her dad climb in instead as I look behind and see Stella sat with her mom as she smiles at me and shrugs. "He wanted the extra leg room" she says as I look back at her dad, feeling a little more nervous, like I'm doing my driving test again.

I start the car, reversing out the parking space before I start to head to the camp.

"So, you must be doing alright for yourself, a car already and didn't even break out into a sweat when you got that bill" I hear her dad say as I look at him quickly before looking back at the road "dad?" I hear Stella protest from behind me as I shake my head "it's okay, he's just curious...we'll, my parents opened up a savings bond for me when I was born, it accumulated to quite a fair amount over the years, so I have quite a bit saved up" I tell him as I see him nodding in my peripheral vision.

"Ever thought about investing..." he asks as I hear Stella groan and chuckle "dad he's not going to become one of your customers" I hear Stella say as her dad turns to her "he might want to...might you boy" he asks as I shrug "never really thought about it" I tell him as I see Stella reach her hand onto the back of my seat "forgive my dad, remember me telling you about his work, well he's the chief marketing officer for Cascade investments, a company that helps people turn their $10 into $100s and $100 into $1000s, but don't fall for it, It's not always that easy...and dad" she says slapping her dads arm "my boyfriend isn't an easy pitch for you to make more money" she says as I laugh

"Well couldn't blame me for trying, besides who knows, company could one day be passed down to you two if I have my way" her dad says as I come to a stop at a red light and look at him confused "don't look at me like that, in a few years the company will be mine, and I'm not gonna live forever, someone has to take over after I die, may as well be my own flesh and blood" he says looking back at Stella "you'll be set for life my angel" he tells her as I look back at her as she mouths ignore him to me.