Page 16 of Wrong Number, Right Grumpy Silver Fox

I want to ask him how he could afford it, but his finances are none of my business. We order our food and I dip the bread in balsamic and olive oil. The focaccia is amazing, and I feel like this is a dream come true.

All of a sudden, a young woman around my age or a little older comes to the table and suddenly hugs Mitchell.

"Dad! What are you doing here? I haven't seen you in weeks. And who is this? Is this why you've practically abandoned the firm?"

Mitchell looks spooked and my mind is whirling. Dad? She looks older than me. He gets up and gives her a proper hug.

"Sarah, this is my daughter, Meghan. She's the CEO of my architectural firm, Barlow and Associates."

I shake Meghan's hand, but feel like my world has shriveled up. It's like I don't know Mitchell at all. I completely blame myself because I didn't ask enough questions. I didn't want the answers because he became my savior and I was just relieved to have someone rescue me from my horrid life.

"Sarah, you must be someone very special to keep my father away from his firm. He's been a workaholic for as long as I've known him, but now he's off at two in the afternoon for parts unknown, and now I know where he's going."

I'm fighting tears right now, so I just nod as if agreeing with everything she's saying. I sit back down and hide my hands under the table. They are shaking uncontrollably and I don't want either of them to see. Meghan says her goodbyes and walks away from the table, saying she's glad to have met me.

Mitchell sits down and looks at me as if I'm going to run away, which I'm considering doing.

"I told you I was an architect."

"But you led me to believe you were a construction worker doing odd jobs."

"I know."

"I got your number from the phone book."

"I think you must have dialed wrong. You were hurting, and I needed to help you."

"I want to go home, Mitchell."

"Please, I beg you. Try to understand. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. The further we got into the lie the harder it was for me to clarify things. I was hooked on you."

"I still think you need to take me back home."

Mitchell makes the waiter put our meals to go, and we walk toward the car in a deadly silence. Honestly, I feel a little broken with all this. The ride home is long, and we don't say a word. When he parks in my driveway, he turns to me, and I'm fighting the tears that want to burst out of my eyes.

"Will you let me keep working on the house with you?"

"I don't know, Mitchell. Everything is a little bit confusing right now. Were you even going to tell me about your company?"

"Yes, of course I was. I'm very proud of everything I've built. I've done billion dollar builds and now that my daughter finished her studies and did her apprenticeship, she took over so I could take things easy."

"So you didn't abandon your firm?"

"Meghan was exaggerating, Sarah. She leads the company and does front facing work with the clients. I prefer it that way so that I can do some passion projects. Your grandmother's house is one of those."

"Do you pity me? Am I a charity case?"

"Of course not, little one."

"I don't know what's real anymore, Mitchell. I need some time."

I get out of the car before he has a chance to and run towards my door. I leave the food for him because I don't think I can stomach it with everything that's happened. I close the door behind me and lean against it, taking deep breaths while tears run down my eyes.

This is going to be a long weekend, where I try to figure out what was real and what was fake. He did save my grandmother's ring, and he helped me with the repairs and remodeling of the kitchen. He didn't have to do that. The words 'billion dollar builds' keep ringing in my ears.

As I take off my clothes, I'm reminded of how happy and excited I was for this evening. If things have gone to plan the celebration would have moved to the bedroom after we got back. I even tidied my room to make sure it was decent for a visitor.

But Mitchell is not just a visitor, he's the man I've been falling in love with. The man that I don't know if I can trust anymore. I put on an old t-shirt and lie down on my bed. The tears start flowing again, and I wonder how an amazing night turned into this.