“Only in Ocean Hollywood.” He kisses her on the forehead. “Don’t worry. If one breaks through, I’ll save you from its humongous, ravenous maw.” Then he mouths over her head, Baby shark, while holding his hands about a foot apart.
I grin at their obvious affection and bond. I wonder if they knew this was where they were headed when they first met in high school, and if this could be me and Court somewhere down the road. The thought is startling; I never daydreamed about anything like that with any of my exes. It was always just me and my career. Making a name for myself…making Dad proud.
Just then, Dad comes out from his office. There’s no mistaking his heavy step.
Tension sneaks up my spine, all the way up to the base of my skull. I keep smiling so as not to wreck the evening. I hope he understands why—and goes along with it—rather than trying to ruin the family time by bringing up our unpleasant conversation in front of everyone. If he wants to talk about it, we can do that privately.
He looks around. “Fantastic, everyone’s here.” He looks exceptionally jovial, even when his eyes skim over me. It’s as though Monday never happened. Then he stops. “Where’s Court?”
Really? No “I’m so glad you decide to come”? No “How’s everything?” “He had something to do today.”
Faint disappointment crosses Dad’s face, and it’s all I can do not to shake my head. It’s petty and small of me, but now I’m glad I didn’t bring Court. If Dad isn’t happy to see me without a man…then that’s his problem, not mine, and I’m not going to cater to his medieval needs.
“Oh, that’s a shame. I made extra because I thought he was coming,” Mom says. “I hope he can join us for your promotion celebration, though. I’m planning to bake your favorite double chocolate chip cookies and cake, unless you want something different?”
My vision blurs for a second. “My what?”
Shifting his weight ever so subtly, Dad looks away. And then I realize he hasn’t told Mom. Curie and Joe are looking at me like this is awesome.
Fury and resentment surge inside me. Dad lives with Mom. He should’ve said something by now. I breathe in, taking a moment to calm myself. “Well, I guess it’s up to me to make the announcement,” I say, slowly and evenly. “There’s not going to be any promotion. I quit.”
Mom, Curie and Joe stare at me for a moment. They’re wearing identical expressions—slightly open mouths, wide eyes, their necks slightly forward. Joe shakes his head. “This isn’t some kind of April Fools’ joke, is it?”
Curie looks utterly bewildered. “But why? You love that place.”
My gaze slides toward Dad, who is standing apart from the scene like he isn’t the cause of the whole mess. Bitterness like I’ve never known coats my tongue. “I did. Still do.” The relationship I had with SFG was long, almost as long as my life. Realizing that I’m not gonna be part of it anymore is like cutting off a piece of myself.
“Did you get a better offer somewhere?” Joe asks.
Dad scowls at his shoes. He almost looks uncomfortable. But does he feel terrible about ruining my dream?
Normally, I’d say something to smooth things over. But not today. I shake my head at Joe.
“What happened?” Mom demands, looking at me, then Dad.
“Yes, Dad. What happened?” I say, feeling slightly petty and irritated that he hasn’t said anything to anyone, not even Mom.
He clears his throat. But he doesn’t speak, as though his silence is going to satisfy Mom.
Since he isn’t going to talk about it, I step up. I can’t decide if I should be happy or mad that he seems ashamed of what he did on Monday. “Dad blocked my promotion this year—again. Basically, if I stay at SFG, I’m never going to get promoted. I recently learned that some of the managers thought I should’ve been promoted after my first year.” I swallow, the hurt rippling again. Dad should’ve been the one on my side. Member number one on Team Pascal.
Mom turns to Dad. “Darling?”
He doesn’t meet her gaze. “She needs more experience.” He rubs the back of his neck.
Bull-fucking-shit. Outrage bubbles. That’s no reason to keep me unpromoted and unrecognized for years. He knows that, and everyone else under this roof does too. “No,” I say coldly, my voice shaking with bitter disappointment and anger. “You thought I should just give up. You think I should just get a man who can take care of me.”
He draws himself tall and straight. His eyebrows pinch together, two deep lines appearing between them. “What father wants his daughter to work like a dog? Financial services is very stressful.”
“I love that job,” I say harshly. “I love investing people’s money, helping them plan for the future and save for retirement.”
“Steve.” Mom’s hands flutter around, as though she isn’t quite sure what she should do with them. “You know why we named the girls the way we did.”
“We?” He pats his chest with an open hand. “I wanted nice, normal names. Not some scientist or mathematician. My top choices were Molly and Emma.”
“But you agreed mine were better when I told you why.”
He sets his mouth in a mulish li