Page 24 of The Deadbeat DILF
He cracked a gentle smile. “I get it,” he said. “Alright, I’ll stay here. I’ll have to rush through breakfast, though. I want to go clean up before they get here, and maybe shave this off.” He rubbed the stubble on his jaw. The same stubble I felt rubbing against my face in my dream. The thought made my stomach flip.
“What? Why?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Gotta make a good impression, right? Can’t have your parents see their lawyer daughter living with a scruffy man like me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I said. “And don’t shave it off. It looks good.”
Robert paused. “You think so?”
The words hung in the air, and I couldn’t handle it anymore. I’d already had a sex dream, and then a family emergency.
“Yep!” I said in a cheery, nonchalant voice, grabbing my coffee and fleeing from the kitchen.
We spent that morning tidying up the apartment, although it didn’t take too long since both of us were already neat people. Robert wiped the kitchen counters and unloaded the dishwasher, while I prepared the third bedroom, making sure there was fresh linen and towels. I also took out some blankets so my sofa could be used as a bed.
Way too soon, there was a loud, demanding knock on the door. I hurried to the foyer, where Robert was already waiting for me. He hadn’t shaved, but he had changed out of his sweatpants. He now wore dark jeans and a nice wool jumper.
Was he trying to look respectable in front of my parents? Because there really was no need.
“If they say anything offensive or tone-deaf, I’m sorry,” I said quickly, then cringed. It felt like I was a teenager again, introducing a boyfriend to my embarrassing parents, which was silly. We weren’t even dating, and besides, Robert was old enough to be my dad. Well, he would’ve had to have me at nineteen, but still —
There was another loud knock, and I jumped, then quickly unlocked the front door.
My family stood in the hallway, their suitcases bulging with clothes and whatever else they managed to stuff inside of them. Mom was tapping her foot impatiently, and Dad wore a shirt with a stain on it. Gemma was snapping gum, wearing a bright purple blouse, skinny jeans, and heels covered in fake diamonds. Brandon wore a bunch of chains and was on his phone, looking bored.
The four of them met my eyes, then immediately looked at Robert who stood beside me.
Mom’s eyes bugged out. “Who is this?”
Before I could reply, Robert stepped forward and held his hand out. “Robert James. I’m renting a room from Brooke temporarily. It’s lovely to meet you.”
Mom shook his hand cautiously, looking him up and down like he was some sort of criminal.
Dad didn’t even pretend to smile. “Why are you living with my daughter?” he demanded. “Don’t you have a home of your own?”
“It’s a whole legal situation,” I interrupted. “Robert’s a client of mine, but I won’t bore you with the details. Come in, come in. Hello, Brandon, Gemma.”
My family stepped inside. Brandon and Gemma were polite enough, shaking Robert’s hand, but they also looked at him suspiciously. I couldn’t exactly blame them. If I found out Brandon was living with a 48-year-old woman, I’d be weirded out too.
“I’m sorry about what happened to your house,” Robert said, turning to my parents. “I work in construction, so I’m pretty handy. I could take a look at the plumbing, if you’d like.”
My mother waved her hand dismissively, and I winced. Why was she so rude? “That’s not necessary. We’ve already hired someone.”
“We’ve asked them to send you the invoice, Brooke,” Dad said, wandering around my apartment and tracking dirt on my nice wooden floors.
“Sure,” I said. “No worries.” I felt Robert’s gaze on me, but I ignored it.
“Do you have anything to eat?” Brandon asked. “We’re starving.”
He and Gemma ditched their suitcases and wandered over to the kitchen.
“Ooh,” Gemma said, looking at my coffee maker. “This looks fancy. Brandon, we should buy one of these.”
Brandon opened the fridge. “What’s this?” he said.
“That’ll be pot roast,” Robert explained. “I made it last night. Go ahead and have it. There should be enough for everyone to have some.”
“Sounds good to me,” Brandon replied. He didn’t even say thank you!
