Chapter 5 : The Parent Trap

*William*

I sat at my desk, trying to concentrate on our upcoming board meeting proposal, though my thoughts kept returning to Lily. She was even more impressive than I imagined, and our chemistry was undeniable. I placed my hand behind my head and leaned back in my seat, contemplating where I would take her for dinner. It had to be somewhere with impeccable service, outstanding food, yet somewhere off the radar. I wasn’t ready to be spotted by my ex-wife’s crowd.

I also wanted Lily to be comfortable and not feel out of sorts at some grandiose place. And then it hit me; Francesca’s—upscale dining without being pretentiousness. It had the perfect ambiance, quiet tables, dim lighting, light music, and savory French cuisine.

It had to be perfect for our first date. I smiled. I couldn’t help smiling since we’d met. I couldn’t believe I was actually dating again. I hadn’t seen anyone since that awful double date last spring. My best friend, Jim Stroud, recently divorced as well, asked me to accompany him on a foursome. Before appetizers, the woman, Jana, had her foot in my crouch. She didn’t even try to hide the fact that she knew more about my stock portfolio, assets, and net worth than I did. I excused myself before dessert.

“William, you have a call.”

“I’m sorry, Astrid. I forgot to mention that you should hold all my calls. Did you get Lily’s information for me?”

“I did, sir. I sent it to you.”

“Great, thank you, and can you please schedule a car for me tonight and set up dinner reservations for two at Francesca’s? Seven p.m.”

“Yes, sir. About that, call, sir. It’s your daughter, Eva, on the line.”

I sighed, wondering if I could get out of it. I loved my daughter immensely, but instead of growing less demanding and troublesome since high school, she had grown more difficult and more erratic.

I knew the divorce with Victoria had only escalated the situation, but there was no way we could have stayed married—one of us would have been six feet under by now. Eva had always been high-maintenance, like her mother, but at times I worried about her. Her mood swings and outbursts were, at times, on the scale of being unhinged. I knew she was spoiled, but I was desperate to help her, and I just didn’t know how.

“Patch her through, Astrid. Thank you.”

She nodded and left the room.

A moment later, I answered the phone. “Hi, darling. How’s my girl?”

“Fine. Daddy, did you buy that painting of Eva’s for me?”

“I did, yes. I’ll have it sent over to your place. You’re staying with your mother these days?”

“Yes, Daddy. I told you. You need to come by and visit. It’s quite stunning and has a view of the park.”

“It sounds amazing. How is your mother?” I only asked to be polite. Eva had grandiose ideas of us getting back together, so if Victoria was dating someone… it let me off the hook. It was a win for us both.

“She’s sad. Distraught. Misses you.”

“Really.” I knew my ex-wife probably hadn’t had a real emotion in decades. “I highly doubt she misses me, Eva. The divorce was her idea, remember?”

The word that came to mind for them both, and I hated to think it, was ‘damaged.’ Both Victoria and Eva were their own worst enemy, and I didn’t know how to fix them. Victoria wasn’t my problem, anymore, though God knew I had tried for years.

I still felt I had to help Eva. She was young enough to turn her life around. She had a chance at happiness, though I wasn’t sure how to go about helping her. Lily seemed like a tremendous influence on her. Maybe she might have some ideas on how to help Eva out of her self-absorbed shell.

But I knew that dating Lily was playing with fire, as far as Eva was concerned.

“I remember. But Mom asks about you all the time and talks about you too. Why, just at dinner the other night with Elaine Christiansen and her daughter, she brought you up constantly—the new acquisition, your new yacht, your new office space in Los Angeles.”

Yes, I thought, all things she hoped to cash in on herself.

Elaine–now that was a woman I hoped never to have contact with for the rest of my days. And it spoke volumes that she was Victoria’s best friend.

I wasn’t sure why Eva seemed hell-bent on a mission to reunite us. Surely, she remembered the arguments between us. Didn’t young twenty-somethings have better things to do than play ‘Parent Trap?’

“What are your plans for the summer?”

“I’m heading to Belize next month, remember? You really need to write these things now. I know I told you.”

“I’m sorry, Eva. I wasn’t sure if maybe you changed your mind and decided to go somewhere else,” as she often did.

Eva began to tell me all about her upcoming trip, and while I was listening, I saw several important emails come through. I had to cut her off, even though I didn’t want to be rude. It was good that she was interested in telling me what she was up to.

“Listen, Eva, as important as this conversation is to me, I have some work to do. Can we talk later?”

“But Daddy, you’re always working,” she lamented.

“Someone has to pay for your Belize trips and Jimmy Chow shoes,” I said with a chuckle.

“Choo, Daddy.” She laughed. “How’s the new social media app thingy going?”

I started to tell her that she needed to let me off the phone, but just then a light bulb went off in my head. If I thought Eva was remotely interested in any aspect of the company, I would have asked her to help years ago, but she showed no interest. She had wanted to get into acting for a while, but that fizzled. I thought she enjoyed the idea of the limelight more than the actual work; going on auditions, memorizing lines. Commitments like that were too much for her.

I thought of Lily now, who seemed ages more mature than Eva. How could two young women be friends and be so different?

“Actually, I could use your help with it. Do you have any interest? We’re hoping to create something new and innovative.” I sat back in my chair, waiting for her response. I found it amusing; for once, she seemed speechless, though it didn’t last.

“Daddy, it’ll be tough to beat some of the video apps. People are so addicted to them. My girlfriend Sasha stayed in bed the other day, watching videos for nine hours.

I sat up straight in my chair, alarmed. “Eva, I hope you don’t ever do that!”

“Nooooo. I give myself time limits. When I reach my limit, it shuts off, and I can’t get back on.”

That was the healthiest thing I had ever heard her say. “Good. Glad to hear that. Well, what do you say? We’re looking to break into the platforms with something really unique that people will love. Start thinking about it–a name at least.”

Again, silence.

“All right, if you insist. I’ll come up with a name. Oh, by the way, I need more money in my account.”

“For what?” I had already given her a healthy allowance for doing absolutely nothing. I worried she might be funneling money to Victoria for God knows what.

“My Belize trip, Daddy.”

“All right, but I hope you’re not footing the bill for your friends.”

“As if.” She laughed. “All my friends are just as rich as I am.”

“What about Lily?” I couldn’t help myself. “She seems like a nice girl. Why don’t you hang out with her more?”

“Lily is different. I don’t think she could hang with our crowd. Too much drinking, Lily doesn’t even drink alcohol. For lunch today, she had a club soda, like some forty-year-old recovering alcoholic. She’s too straight-laced, naive.”

“Straight-laced is good. I don’t like to hear you’re drinking excessively—”

“Please, I set boundaries. I’ve told you before.”

“Okay. Eva. I really need to work on my proposal. I have a board meeting coming up and—”

“All right, all right, already. I’ll let you go if I must. I’ll be thinking about your innovative new social media app.” She giggled again, and I could practically hear her rolling her eyes.

“I’m serious. We could use some young blood here.” I smiled, hoping she’d matured since the last time I’d had her at the office. “I love you, Eva.”

“I love you, too.”

After hanging up with Eva, I called Marsha in marketing. “Marsha? How are you? Do you have a minute?”

“Of course, sir.”

“Do you remember my daughter, Eva?”

“Uh, yes, of course. Beautiful girl, colorful personality.”

I chuckled at ‘colorful.’ “I’d like to get her involved in developing the new app. Can you help me come up with a way to do this? She is very bright and already has some great ideas.”

There was a subtle pause, and I knew Marsha was less than delighted with this request, but as CEO, she couldn’t refuse me.

“Of course, sir. We’ll get a team right on it.”

“Great thanks.”

After the call, my mind shifted back to Lily. Nothing could spoil this day, not even a dreaded call from my ex-wife–well, maybe.

Everything shifted the moment I’d laid eyes on Lily Matthews. To think, I almost didn’t go to the exhibition. I didn’t want to attend when Eva asked me, though I couldn’t think of an excuse. Since the divorce, I’d committed myself to spending more time with her. At the time, I could only imagine the painful evening ahead with one of Eva’s trust fund friends trying to break through the New York art scene. My work dinner had run late, and I tried canceling, but then I heard the disappointment in Eva’s voice.

We came late, and at first, I thought Lily was lovely, kind, demure, and soft-spoken, but when I went in to hug her, something about her started me. She was tall, brunette, a stunner, for sure, and I’d seen beautiful women. It seemed like I was surrounded by them because of my wealth and prestige.

But I felt something for Lily, a kindling. I couldn’t explain it then, and I had sat up all night wondering what it was about Lily Matthews. I asked if we’d met before, for the connection was powerful. Surely, we’d met when the girls were younger, but Eva had said an affirming no.

Then I saw her artwork. Her collections moved me, and I had to possess every piece.

“Sir? You have a delivery.”

Lily’s paintings–I wanted them delivered to the house, but they had come here. “Send the delivery team back, please.”

The delivery people wheeled them back on a cart. I pointed to a spot against the bookcase. “You can unload them there for now.”

Once they left, I shut the door and ripped the brown paper, which only revealed boxes. I didn’t rest until I had opened every single painting. I moved them around in a single file line and felt like I had a piece of Lily with me.

I marveled at her detail, her passion, and her extraordinary talent. The Blue Grotto ones left me so fucking horny. To think, she painted these. She had these desires. I wanted to take her to Malta and try every position with her. But it was more than that. I wanted to take care of her, shelter her, and love her. I fought the urge to say I needed to possess Lily Matthews, but I did.

I couldn’t deny it.