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Paddy grins. “Your dad jumped behind the bar. Like I said, none of the bartenders knew how to make a mojito. Quicksilver to the rescue.”
“He made her a mojito.”
“Oh, no, honey, your dad was just as clueless. But he wanted to impress the girl, so he checked the menu and looked up the ingredients even though he had no idea how to mix them. He went over to her table with a tall glass that had more rum in it than anything else. A pathetic wedge of lemon. Brown sugar on the bottom. Mint syrup, ’cause, like I said, we didn’t have any fresh mint … man, it was a green mess. Your mother made the cutest face when she saw it, but then she looked up at him, and there it was. That instant love. Those wide eyes. That secret thought you get when you see someone you know is special. Love at first sight, Nadia, it was love at first sight. Cassandra drank the whole thing and asked Mike to make her another one. She got hammered so quick, but she just couldn’t bring herself to tell him how awful that drink was.”
We’re both laughing. It makes all the sense in the world. I think that’s why I like being here so much. It brings me closer to a side of my father that I never got to experience. A side my mother saw and loved deeply. I keep trying to understand this man, to understand why he ran from us when things got rough when back in the earliest days, he whipped out the crappiest mojito so that he could be around her. It doesn’t make sense.
“Nadia, you need to understand something,” Paddy says, his voice lower, as if reading my mind. “Cassandra was everything to him. His whole world.”
“I wish that version of Dad had stuck around her entire life,” I say quietly.
“You’re talking about the time she got sick.” Paddy exhales sharply, then lowers his gaze. “Honestly, I understand. I mean, I understand how you feel. But I can understand how he felt, too.”
“You came by to see her,” I remind him. “Every week, you were at the house, Paddy. You were there more often than Dad was.”
His eyes glisten with tears. “I always respected her, and I respected Mike. I kept my distance and did my best to protect them, to stay neutral, even when they were fighting. Then I got the news of her cancer, and I couldn’t stay away anymore.”
I’m speechless. I had always suspected Paddy’s feelings ran deep for my mom. It’s obvious from the way he talks about her that he loved my mother. There was plenty about her to love, though. I can’t blame the guy. I’m sure Mom left a trail of broken hearts behind when she decided to marry my father.
“The point is, although I loved her,” he says, “I don’t think I loved her nearly as much as Michael loved her. Believe it or not, that man would’ve scorched the whole earth for Cassandra. He couldn’t protect her from the disease, though. He was helpless, and it killed him on the inside. He simply couldn’t bear to watch her die ever so slowly. He couldn’t.”
“I get that. But he left me there with her. I had to deal with all of it. I was sixteen, Paddy. I needed my father.”
He nods slowly. “It’s something the two of you need to talk about. And soon. Your old man keeps nagging me about letting you go in September.”
“Ugh, I knew he’d push that,” I roll my eyes with frustration.
“Nadia, tell me something,” Paddy says, his hand covering mine on the bar counter. He gives it a firm, fatherly squeeze. “Do you like it here?”
“I love it here.”
“Good, then; as far as I’m concerned, as long as you want this job, it’s yours.”
I give him a doubtful look. “And Dad?”
“Hey, are you an adult?”
“I’m twenty-two.”
“Then your dad can suck it,” Paddy shoots back. “The MC may have kept good relations with your old man, but we are not beholden to him in any way. We offered you this job at your request, Nadia. Not his. We let you in initially because he’s your dad, but that’s it. Quicksilver has no power here, and I need you to remember that.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, grabbing another glass to polish.
He looks around as if not wanting anybody to hear us. My colleagues are scattered somewhere behind me, going through the fridges and counting bottles and cans. There are several club members and a couple of prospects hanging out in booths, but they’re also out of earshot. All I can do is lean closer to give Paddy the impression that it’s safe to talk. I am curious what he has to say.
“When your dad announced that he was pulling out of the club to build a new life with you and Cassandra—my God, you were just a baby then—we went into our secret bank account, also known as the vault. You know where we keep that, right?”
I nod slowly. “Yeah, upstairs, in Orion’s office.”
“We had a lot of cash back then. We didn’t want the IRS getting too much of our earnings. Besides, they were the kind of earnings we couldn’t exactly list on any official forms if you catch my drift. We went into that fund and gave Quicksilver about a hundred grand as a parting gift. He used that money wisely, and I’ll give the man credit. He paid off his mortgage and invested the rest.”
“So, that’s how Dad got his start in the financial sector.”
“Well, he’s a smart man, Nadia. He knew where and how to invest. He played the stock market like a fiddle. I’m sure he would’ve eventually gotten to his current position without our gift, but it sure fast-tracked him to great success.”
“I had no idea.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know,” Paddy says. “I’d appreciate it if everything we talk about stays between us.”
