Page 63 of Austin

Our drinks arrive, and Missy’s eyes don’t leave mine as the waiter pours our champagne. The clinking of forks on dishes of patrons, waiters serving, bus boys clearing, and chefs busying themselves in the kitchen provide an eventful backdrop around our otherwise motionless table.

The waiter steps away from the table, and Missy raises her glass. “To new friends.”

Edward follows suit with his eyes roaming back down to my legs. “To new friends.”

Austin grabs his glass of juice and soda and gives a silent salute while I grab the stem of my flute and repeat awkwardly, “To new friends.”

“Now that we’re here, are you going to alert me of the purpose of tonight’s dinner?” Austin leans back and places his free hand on the table. His other is still holding on to mine.

Edward responds, “I was hoping it would be with you and your brother. There’s business to discuss, and while I’m sure your dinner companion has many assets, being privy to Sexton family dealings is not something she should be exposed to.”

I blink at the backhanded compliment and try not to feel insulted.

“Anything you have to discuss with me, you can discuss in front of Jalynn,” Austin states.

Edward smirks. “There isn’t much I plan to discuss with you without your brother present.”

“That’s right. The heir and the spare. Why speak to the pawn when the king holds all the cards?”

Edward lets out a deep laugh and smiles. “Don’t take it so personal, Austin. Business hasn’t ever been your strong suit.”

Austin isn’t smiling back. “It may not be, but I’m better than you. You spent you career sitting behind a desk with a fancy nameplate while your real wife did all the legwork.”

I can sense Edward reconsidering having his table in the center of a bustling restaurant. His face still bears that smile, but his eyes are beady. “I built this company just as much, if not more, than your mother did.”

“Bullshit, Dad. I was a kid, but I wasn’t an idiot.”

“You sure about that?” Missy says as she takes a sip of champagne and looks around the room, probably wondering if anyone has noticed her presence.

Austin’s hand is still holding mine, but the grip has loosened. He widens his legs and tilts his chin in defiance as he speaks toward Edward, “Let me tell you something about my dear old dad. He was the chief operating officer when he forgot to pay the printing press, so they gave away our reservation, and my mother wound up missing her best friend’s wedding while she scrambled to edit a magazine because we could only get a printing date three days before we were supposed to go to print.”

“The trials and tribulations of running a magazine. That was before we had our own printing unit. One I secured for us, by the way,” Edward states matter-of-factly.

“With mom’s inheritance from Grandma and Grandpa. You bought that and those hair plugs on your head.”

Edward’s smile drops. “You’re getting funny, young man.”

“We almost went bankrupt when he decided the magazine business wasn’t fun enough, so he decided to buy a branch of tanning salons in the Bay Area,” Austin speaks directly at his father with a raging glare, like he’s playing a game of chicken.

“They were misvalued,” he defends.

“It almost cost us our magazine. Lucky for you, Mom was just getting into digital.”

“And the business exploded because I had her buy the Standard,” Edward says.

“The business almost died because you were too busy fucking everything that walked through our office. How many women did you have to pay to keep quiet about your affairs?”

“Watch it, Austin,” Edward threatens.

Austin doesn’t seem to care. “Did Mom know you were fucking Missy when she died?”

Edward’s cheeks rise to his eyes. It’s not a smile. It’s a face of indignation. He sees Austin racing toward him, and instead of veering to the side, he’s going to drive straight at him. He leans forward and shows no mercy.

“You want to give your little friend here a crash course in Sexton family knowledge? Why don’t we talk about the fact that you were at a party instead of helping your mom like you were supposed to that day? That’s why she was speeding to her appointment. If you’d just done your part of the fact checking, she’d still be here. But, no, Austin does what Austin wants.”

Austin’s hand falls from mine. It’s still on my thigh as I look over at him and see his clenching jaw protruding from the side of his face.

Edward continues, “While Bryce was doing his part around here, this one was in college, screwing every coed from here to Cabo San Lucas. Didn’t see him for four years. When he graduated, he came home for my and Missy’s engagement party, and the next day, he joined the fucking military. You want to talk about the heir and the spare? The king and the pawn? Bryce has taken his responsibility since the day your mother died. You have run away from responsibility at every cost. Serves you right for getting hurt the way you did. You’re no hero.”