“She hooked up with Ty. Felt like a third wheel, so I scrammed.” Stacie pinched a corner of cheese and pulled out her phone.
“By hooked up, you mean?”
“Dad, do we need to have the talk?” She placed a reassuring hand on top of his.
“Do we?” He slipped his hand out.
“I’m fifteen. I’ve been around a few bases.”
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and shook his head. “I don’t want to hear it. As long as your mother explained things and you’re protected.”
“Dad.” She grabbed his hand back. “No. I’ve never given a guy home run.”
“Thank you, sweetie.”
“How did they like your makeup?” she asked, changing the subject for his sake. “And where’s your shirt?”
“Um.” Oscar took a bite and thought about how he could explain giving it away. It was too soon to tell her anything about Liz. He didn’t even know where it was going. “There were so many people dressed up at the Buckeye that I hardly got any attention.”
“Did you snap a pic of the guys? Angela sent me a selfie of her.”
“Didn’t think of it. The bar was too busy.” Oscar walked to the full pantry. “You want chips?”
“I’m cool.” Stacie typed on her phone. Within seconds her phone blew up with dings of incoming text images. By the time Oscar returned to her side she was smirking at one of Mitch and Andy together, taken early on in the evening. “Hope there’s one of the trio. Let me guess, they were Star Trek, Sherlock and the Doctor.”
“Dale was a ghost hunter. I know that for sure.”
“No worries, here’s the pic.” Stacie turned her phone around to her dad. “Who’s the sexy bumblebee?”
Oscar took the phone. He spread his thumb and index finger on the screen, zooming in on Liz’s face and torso. “She’s—she’s—” He was mesmerized by her even in digital form. The twinkle of a smile in her eyes. The curl looped awkwardly around her antennae. “I—”
“So do you know her or what?” Stacie took the phone back and swiped the screen to the next photo. “There you are dad. What is going on?”
The picture on the screen was snapped of him while he was showed his abs off to Liz. “I didn’t know Angela took that. We were farting around.”
“Comparing beer bellies?” Stacie showed the next shot of Mitch with his shirt up.
“Angela needs to quit sending you pics like these. She knows how young you are.” He took the phone and texted Angela to stop. Before the text sent, the last photo came in. One of Liz ready to take her turn. Oscar was in this shot. His expression gave away all the lust he had for Liz. It was no use trying to hide it from Stacie.
“Who is she?” Stacie teased, seeing the change in her dad. “Did you get to first base?”
“I’m not talking about this.” He left the phone on the island and walked away from her toward the screaming horror movie. Sinking down into the leather sectional sofa he switched the channel on the television, hoping she’d drop her inquisition over Liz.
“Does she have your shirt?” Stacie hopped over the back of the sofa and stared at her dad. “Spit it out or I’ll just text Angela.”
He rubbed the stubble on his beard. Was he seriously going to gush over Liz with his teenage daughter? He couldn’t help himself. She was his baby. She had full control over him and he had to talk to someone. Plus he knew his daughter well. She was stubborn like her mother and was not letting this topic go without a fight.
“Her name is Liz. She’s a friend of Bill’s.”
“Is that all. Why are you so worked up?”
“I can’t explain it. She fell into my arms. Well Mitch pushed her and I had to spend the rest of the evening by her side.”
“So you’re in love.” Stacie poked at his side. “Did you kiss her?”
Oscar blushed. “You can’t ask me that.”
“I know you and mom are not getting back together. I’m looking out for your happiness. Invite her over and cook her dinner. That’ll win her over.”
“I can’t—she—her—” He stumbled over his words. Telling his daughter about Liz was one thing, admitting she was still married, was not something he was explaining. He was also still on the fence about hiding his wealth from Liz. In the end he looked into his daughter’s eyes and knew she would be wholly effected by his decision, so he spilled his heart out about his impression of Liz’s stance on wealthy men.
“We have to get busy.” She hopped up off the sofa.
“Doing what?” Oscar followed her out of the room.
She walked down the hall and turned into Oscar’s home office. Unplugging his laptop from the monitor, Stacie sat on the love seat across from the desk and woke up the machine.
“What are you doing sweetie?”
“We have to erase your web presence.” Stacie expertly typed on the keyboard. Windows opened and closed fast. “Do you have a company logo that’s avatar sized? Never mind I’ll sign into Canva and make one.”
“Slow down.” Oscar covered his hands over hers on the keyboard.
“Listen. The first thing she’s going to do tomorrow morning is to look you up. If you don’t want her to find out you’re a billionaire, you can’t be one online. Put in your password.”
Oscar typed in the requested password for the social media site on the screen. “How do you know all this? Are you sure?”
“Dad, it’s what we females do. I’m here to take care of you.”
An hour later Oscar Wallace the billionaire was wiped from the web. The Westwall Corporation logo was everywhere Oscar once was online. He was one step further down the path of hiding his billions from Liz. He only questioned if he really wanted to hide this part of his life from her.
Chapter Nine
Morning came too soon for Liz. Oscar lingered in her thoughts and dreams. On impulse to keep her fantasy real, she’d slept in his shirt. Enveloped in his scent, she relived every ounce of him. The glint in his eyes, the echo of his voice, the subtle touch of his lips on her cheek, the passion in his kiss. Her fantasy was real and so far, everything she’d hoped would happen when they met, did.
She wanted to stay with her dreams, but her alarm sounded.
Time to start the day
. In the shower, she scolded herself for not going to the Buckeye Bar with Bill before. He’d mentioned Oscar months ago, said he was perfect for her, but she stayed away, content with fantasizing about him, and scared of what meeting the real life version might bring. Now, driving to the coffee shop before work, she finally had real memories to daydream about along the route.
“How was your Halloween?” Trent, the barista with the barely there goatee asked, shaking a cup he’d pre-written her name on.
“Had a good time. Went out with a friend.” She surveyed the bagels, pastries and muffins in the case. “I’ll take a pumpkin muffin. And you? Did you go out?”
“Went to the Lizard Lounge for the contest,” Trent answered. “No Bagel today?”
“Living life on the edge.”
He bagged up the muffin and handed it over with her usual drink, a Hazelnut Macchiato.
“Thank you. Did you win?”
“No, a group of red shirts got up and faked their deaths. Won over the crowd.”
Liz left nodding her head, pleased with herself that thanks to the trio at the Buckeye she knew what he was talking about.
At the office, Liz pulled down the jack-o-lantern taped to her door and chucked it in the trash. She left the door open halfway anticipating her assistant Marla would be two steps behind her. She took those few moments to settle in and pull up her email.
“What’d you do to Chris?” Marla asked, coming in with her tablet.
“Nothing, out of the ordinary,” Liz answered, forgetting she’d even spoken to him the night before. “Did he call here?”
“Three times already. Asked if I you were solid on your Judge Warner position.”
“Holy crap he’s useless.” Their entire phone conversation returned to her. She pushed her half eaten muffin across the desk. The mention of Chris made her lose her appetite. “He wants to postpone again. Shit! I forgot he even called.”
“It’s almost over.” Marla picked a bite off the muffin. “Isn’t the final hearing on Monday?”
“Supposed to be. Just, transfer Chris’s calls to the litigation department. Maybe he’ll get the hint.”
After a blissful morning with Oscar in her thoughts, Chris had to ruin it. Like he always did. Suddenly Liz had a splitting headache. “Do you have any pain relief medicine?” Her assistant shook her head no. Liz searched her desk drawer with no luck. “How about the Wilson Fitness presentation? Is it all set to go?”
“In your inbox.”
“Double check the powerpoint. Last time they misspelled fitness of all things.” Marla acknowledged, nodding from the doorway on her way out. “Check it again and find me something for this headache.”
She gave her a thumbs up and left, closing the door ninety percent of the way.
“Damn him!” Liz tried to control her thoughts and continue on with her morning routine, but she couldn’t get past the rant going on in her head about her ex. “Weeks of no contact and the one night I go out. The one night. You call, reminding me I’m still under your control. There has to be a warning in this. Maybe going to the Buckeye was a mistake.”
Her shoulders slumped at the very thought. “But Oscar doesn’t feel like a mistake. He’s kind and sexy and don’t I deserve that? I want to see him again. I will see him again. You will not stop me Chris! What ever happens with Oscar, I won’t let you control it.”
“You still alive?” Marla returned with two capsules and a bottle of water. “I didn’t ask, but I assume you just passed out candy at your parents last night?”
“Actually, no.” She popped back the medicine and a swig of water. “I went out for a drink with Bill. A little local place called the Buckeye Bar. Ever heard of it?”
“Do they have wine specials?” Marla asked, typing on her tablet.
“No they’re a beer sort of place.”
“I see.” She flashed around the screen in Liz’s direction. She had the Buckeye Bar website up. The banner at the top was a photo of the inside of the bar, featuring Angela pouring a drink to Mitch.
“Hey. He’s the silver fox. I met him last night.” She googled the website on her desktop for a closer examination. She scanned the pages for Oscar, but didn’t see him in any of the photos. She did however find the trio and one of Bill on the site. Then her business brain took over. “They could increase revenue and exposure with the simplest of changes. Just adding in that awful drink, the Eyeopener would pull people in.”
“Do they need a marketing team?”
“No, I’m just thinking aloud. You know me. Can’t turn it off.” Liz closed the internet window on the screen. “We’d better head out for the presentation.”
The rest of the day dragged along. At lunch Liz couldn’t help looking up Star Trek red shirts. Jim was right, the characters dressed in red usually died. All she remembered about Dale’s costume was he chased ghosts. Check. Nothing to search there. But the other guy, Lee, he was a Larper. Liz pulled the word up on google.
It’s definition was: Larper: Live Action Role Players. Nerds that actually get out once in a while. Someone who enjoys acting out in fantasy adventures.
“Well that doesn’t clear anything up.” Liz walked back to her office and stopped at Marla’s desk before going in. “Have you heard of a Larper?”
“Is that a bird?”
“No, forget it. Do I have any conference calls this afternoon?”
“Three.”
Just what she wanted a full day to keep he mind off of the men in her life. “Has Chris called again?”
“You don’t want to know,” Marla said, holding up four fingers.
“Damn.” Liz left and closed herself up in her office.
Finally in the last hour of the day, Liz got around to what she’d wanted to do, but was scared to do all day. She opened a search window and typed in: Oscar W Wallace.
To her surprise there were many living in the city. She checked off a realtor, government employee, and a detective, all by their profile photos alone. On LinkedIn she found three possible candidates for her Oscar Wallace. The first had a company logo for an avatar. Westwall Corporation.
Restaurants, investments, worth billions. Not him
. The second was a rancher, his photo was blurry and inconclusive, but the guy had the right color hair. The third, a retail manager, had no photo. Likes racquetball, dancing, and healthy living. She read the profile to herself.
Bartending could be retail manager in online lingo.
She pondered, switching through them and in the end decided none of them truly fit the part time bartender, she’d met last night. He just didn’t have a web presence, not one she could find.
All the better. Now I’m forced to get to know him in person, the way I preferred.
Liz had thought about returning to the Buckeye all day. She wanted to see Oscar again. She even had his shirt in the car with her. The big question was should she drive home first to change or go straight to the Buckeye for happy hour.
Home first. That way, I’ll have time for one drink and a little flirting, without the awkward you’re still working, so I should leave feeling at the end of the night.
While Liz picked out the best outfit to accentuate the right parts, she was oblivious to the cars filling up the driveway and blocking her exit outside.
She was in her closet when the doorbell rang followed immediately by young girls screeching “Aunt Lizzie!” She met her three nieces at the end of the bed, after they turned the corner from the front room.
“We’re selling cookie dough!”
“Buy some!”
“Buy from me first!”
“Hey, squirts. Who let you in?” Liz asked, taking one of the order forms being waved wildly in her face.
“No one. We just came in.” The girls crawled up on the bed and tossed the rest of the order forms and catalogs down on the mattress.
Liz’s sister rounded the corner, holding her young nephew by the hand and the newest baby of the family in her arms. “Sorry. They’ve been so excited and couldn’t wait to come down here.”
“No worries.” Liz plopped down among the gaggle of girls. “What do we have here?”
“I’m going to be a gold star seller,” the oldest one said.
“Really? Why do you say so?”
“Look at all the orders I have.”
“Let her buy from your cousin,” Liz’s sister said, attempting to take the sheet away.