A week later…
Emily’s eyes blurred as she stared at the spreadsheet, numbers swimming before her. She blinked hard, rubbing her temples. The clock on her laptop mocked her – 11:37 PM. Yet another late night at the office.
“Fuck me, I’m going cross-eyed,” she muttered.
Sophia’s head popped up from behind her dual monitors. “Same. I swear these design mockups are multiplying.”
A soft knock at the door made them both look up. Lucas stood there, arms laden with takeout bags.
“Dinner for the workaholics,” he said with a wry smile.
Emily’s heart did a little flip. Seeing him still gave her butterflies.
“You’re a lifesaver,” she said, clearing space on her cluttered desk.
Lucas set out containers of steaming pad thai and dumplings. “How’s the prep going?”
Sophia groaned dramatically. “Don’t ask. I’m drowning in colour palettes and font choices.”
“That bad, huh?” Lucas chuckled, handing out chopsticks.
Emily inhaled the spicy aroma. “We’ll get there. Somehow.” She dug into the noodles, realizing how ravenous she was.
Between bites, she found herself watching Lucas. The way his forearms flexed as he opened containers. How his eyes crinkled when he laughed at Sophia’s griping.
‘Focus, Carter,’ she chided herself. ‘This gallery opening won’t plan itself.’
But as the night wore on, fuelled by Thai food and Lucas’ thoughtful caffeine runs, Emily found herself grateful for these moments.
The next night…
Emily’s fingers cramped as she folded another flyer, the sharp edges of the paper cutting into her skin. The office buzzed with frantic energy, stacks of marketing materials scattered across every surface.
“I swear if I have to stuff one more envelope, I’m going to scream,” Sophia groaned, massaging her temples.
Emily laughed, despite her exhaustion. “Come on, Soph. We’re in the home stretch now.”
The door swung open, and Lucas strode in, arms laden with takeout bags. The scent of garlic and soy sauce filled the air.
“Cavalry’s here,” he announced with a grin.
Emily’s heart leapt at the sight of him. She practically launched herself into his arms, inhaling his familiar scent.
“My hero,” she murmured against his chest.
Lucas chuckled, his hands settling on her waist. “Rough day?”
“You have no idea,” Emily sighed. “But this helps.”
They settled in to eat, Emily savouring each bite of lo mein. The tension slowly seeped from her shoulders as Lucas regaled them with stories from his day.
A sharp knock on the door made Emily freeze, chopsticks halfway to her mouth.
“Hello? Anyone home?” a familiar voice called out.
Shit. Emily’s stomach dropped. Her dad.
She scrambled to her feet, shooting Lucas an apologetic look. This was not how she’d planned their first meeting to go.
“Dad! What are you doing here?” Emily asked, plastering on a smile as she opened the door.
Her father stepped inside, eyes widening as he took in the chaos of the office. His gaze landed on Lucas, who had risen to his feet.
“Just thought I’d pop by, see how things were going,” her dad replied, eyebrows raised. “Didn’t realise you had company.”
Emily’s mind raced. How the hell was she going to explain this?
“Dad, this is Lucas. Lucas, my father,” she managed, gesturing between them.
The two men sized each other up, an awkward silence stretching between them. Emily held her breath, praying for the ground to open up and swallow her whole.
Emily’s heart pounded as her father’s weathered hand clasped Lucas’s strong grip. The tension in the air was thick enough to slice with a knife.
“Nice to meet you, sir,” Lucas said, his voice steady and respectful.
Emily’s dad grunted, eyeing Lucas up and down. “So you’re the one who’s been distracting my daughter, eh?”
“Dad!” Emily hissed, mortified. She shot a glare at Sophia, who was poorly concealing her amusement behind a takeout container.
Lucas didn’t miss a beat. “I prefer to think of it as providing much-needed sustenance and moral support, Mr. Carter.”
Emily’s father raised an eyebrow. “Hmm. And what exactly are your intentions with my little girl?”
“Oh my god,” Emily groaned, wishing the floor would open up and swallow her whole. She briefly considered the merits of hurling herself out the nearest window.
Lucas met her father’s gaze unflinchingly. “To make her happy. In whatever way she’ll allow me to.”
Emily’s breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t expected such raw honesty from Lucas in this awkward situation. Her eyes darted between the two men, waiting for her father’s reaction.
After what felt like an eternity, her dad’s stern expression cracked into a reluctant smile. “Well, I suppose that’s a decent enough answer. For now.”
Emily exhaled, relief washing over her. She caught Sophia’s eye, and her friend gave her a surreptitious thumbs-up.
“Now,” her father continued, clapping his hands together, “who’s going to offer me some of that Chinese food? I’m starving.”
As the tension in the room dissipated, Emily allowed herself a small smile. Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn’t be a complete disaster after all.
Emily’s dad settled into a chair, his eyes darting between the scattered takeout containers and the pile of marketing materials. The smell of soy sauce and ginger hung in the air, mingling with the scent of fresh ink from the flyers.
“So, how much more do you two have left to do?” he asked, reaching for an egg roll.
Emily swallowed a mouthful of lo mein. “We’re almost done with the gift bags. Maybe another two hours tops.”
Her dad nodded, then turned his piercing gaze to Lucas. “Back to you, young man. How old are you exactly?”
The question hit Emily like a punch to the gut. She inhaled sharply, a chunk of chow mein lodging in her throat. As she coughed and sputtered, her mind raced. Shit, shit, shit. This was not happening.
Sophia snorted, poorly disguising her laughter as she thumped Emily on the back.
Lucas, ever the picture of composure, set down his chopsticks and met her father’s eyes. “I’m forty four.”
Emily’s coughing fit intensified.
Her dad’s eyebrows shot up. “Forty four? Well, that’s… interesting.”
The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. Emily finally caught her breath, her face burning with embarrassment. She wanted to say something, anything, to diffuse the situation, but her brain had short-circuited.
Sophia, bless her, jumped in. “Mr. Carter, have you tried the dumplings? They’re to die for.”
But Emily’s dad wasn’t about to be distracted. “And what exactly are your intentions with my daughter?”
“Dad!” Emily finally found her voice, mortification giving way to indignation. “I’m a grown woman. You can’t just-”
“It’s alright, Emily,” Lucas interjected, his tone calm but firm. “Your father has every right to ask.” He turned back to Emily’s dad. “I care deeply for your daughter. My intentions are to support her, respect her, and make her happy for as long as she’ll have me.”
Emily’s heart skipped a beat. She hadn’t expected such a direct, heartfelt response. Her eyes met Lucas’s, and the look he gave her made her forget about everything else in the room.
Her dad cleared his throat, breaking the moment. “Well, that’s… good to hear. Just remember, she may be a grown woman, but she’ll always be my little girl.”
Emily groaned inwardly. This was going to be a long night.
Her dad turned back to Emily, his eyebrow raised. “Quite an age difference, Em.”
Emily’s cheeks flushed, but she squared her shoulders. This was her life, dammit. “It’s less than twenty years,” she shot back, her voice steady despite the nervous flutter in her stomach. “Which, I might add, is less than between you and mum.”
The room went silent. Emily’s heart pounded in her ears as she waited for her dad’s reaction. She could feel Lucas tense beside her, probably wondering if he should intervene.
To her surprise, her dad burst out laughing. “Fine, fair enough,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “You always did have a sharp tongue, just like your mother.”
Emily let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. She felt Lucas’s hand find hers under the table, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“Well,” Sophia piped up, clearly trying to lighten the mood, “now that we’ve gotten the awkward meeting-the-dad bit out of the way, who wants more spring rolls?”
As the conversation shifted to safer topics, Emily caught Lucas’s eye. He winked at her, a small smile playing on his lips. She grinned back, feeling a warmth spread through her chest. Maybe this night wouldn’t be so bad after all.