His mom was at her wit’s end. “Why don’t you speak to your father? I’m sure he’ll have some thoughts about this.”
Blake bet he would.
Helen turned her head toward the living room. “Joe! Blake wants to talk to you.”
“No! Mom—”
Too late.
Helen stood up to make way for Blake’s father.
Fuck.
“So.” Joe Ryan sat and pinned his piercing gaze on Blake. Older and world-wearier, with wrinkles. Otherwise, Joe looked the same as when he was Blake’s age. The same thick blond hair—thank god Blake didn’t have to worry about balding when he was older—the same blue eyes and square jaw, the same gruff, determined expression.
“So.”
Silence.
“How’s China?” Joe looked like he would rather be anywhere but here.
That made two of them.
“Fine.”
Blake’s response earned him a stern glare. “Try again with a real answer.”
Blake bit back a caustic reply. Instead, he gave his father a quick rundown of the semester. He omitted the details he gave his mom and focused on his classes. He didn’t need his father giving him shit about going o
ut when he should be “getting his life together.”
“What about outside of class? What are you doing?”
“Hanging out.”
Another withering stare. “You’re telling me we paid thousands of dollars for you to fly across the world and hang out?” Joe’s face twisted like the words left a bad taste in his mouth.
Blake gripped his laptop so hard he was surprised it didn’t crack. “There’s the matter of my classes, which I just mentioned,” he said, struggling to remain calm. “Cultural exchange, foreign language learning. You know, small stuff.”
“How useful is that going to be? I didn’t swan off to another country when I was in college and I turned out fine.”
Yeah, if you consider being a bitter old man who lives vicariously through his son “fine.”
“What I want to know is what you’re going to do when you come back.” Joe drummed his fingers on the table. “You’re graduating this year. Did you think about that? Or are you so busy running around Shanghai that you haven’t given a single thought to your future since you threw it away?”
“I did not throw my future away.” Blake’s jaw clenched with a mixture of fear and irritation. “I have—I will have—a business degree.”
“That degree is a formality. When was the last time you did anything business-related?”
“I interned at Z Hotels.”
“Yes, you interned at the company your best friend’s family runs.” Joe snorted. “Laura Zinterhofer won’t give you a management role just because you run around with her son.”
Blake’s jaw clenched harder. “I never said that. I earned that internship. Landon didn’t know I applied until after I got it.”
“Fine. Tell me, what is your grand post-college business plan?” Joe leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest.
Blake should’ve waited. He was nowhere near ready to tell anyone but Farrah about his plans. With her encouragement, he’d put together a to-do list of everything he needed to make the sports bar a reality. It was…a lot. The estimated cost alone made his eyes swim.