The Billionaire's Getaway Tryst

~Chapter 20~

I've only been to Washington D.C. a few times and I could really count them on my fingers. One of them was during my high school senior year trip and the other times when my dad had invited me over to visit him at his workplace or other occasions like Thanksgiving. Let's just say that being introduced to too many political terms played with my head.

Politics is not one of my strong subjects or forte and almost everything I know about it could be credited to my dad and his vast knowledge for the field.

Thanksgiving had finally arrived and here I was standing on my dad's front porch. I've always loved his humble abode of two storeys. Even the neighborhood gave me the pleasant and homey vibes.

Ringing the doorbell, I waited. No matter how comfortable everything was around me, this time I just wasn't feeling invested in any festivities. Not after what I'd seen and came to know from Shivaay two days ago. If it were in my hands, I'd have skipped it but I couldn't lose the opportunity to meet my dad. He's just too important to me.

The door opened to reveal my dad grinning from ear to ear. His salt and pepper hair was matted down on one side. He looked cutely comical in his PJs and a pen tucked above his ear. Typical him. I rolled my eyes with a small smile.

"Val, my baby!" He pulled me in for a hug and I slumped in his arms, taking in all the comfort he was giving me.

I patted his back softly and mumbled in his chest, "Dad."

We stood like that for a few minutes, neither of us wanting to break the hug, especially me. It reminded me of the days when we used to still live together. Before throwing off my dainty problems in front of him, I'd first go in for a hug to relax my tense muscles. Even today, as a grown up, I could rely on him with no embarrassment. Pulling away, he slung an arm around my shoulders.

"How's life without me?" I smirked and placed my hand on his wrist which was on my shoulder.

"Oh." He pretended to think, leading me toward the kitchen. "Just fun." He winked.

"Urgh, of course," I told him, gagging. "Now that you have Angela."

He started rumbling with laughter and I smiled widely. "You're right, my dear."

I sat down on a stool while my dad rummaged through the kitchen cabinets.

"You up for brunch?" He asked me, still looking through the ingredients.

"I am always up for food. No questions asked," I said, swiping my hands across and beaming.

"Sure you are." He lifted up my skinny arms limply. I glared at him with a loud huff. With that said, he started making pancakes that I hadn't eaten in ages. My dad loves to call himself a gourmet chef because of how otherworldly his cooking skills are. I've acquired quite a few tricks from him but they're all basics.

"So you were busy before I came?" I asked him, pointing at the laptop on the counter.

He gave me a quick glance and nodded excitedly. "Yes. One of my old friends, Joey, has opened a small planet toy shop."

"Wow," I whispered, mesmerized. "That's so cool!"

He nodded again. "I know, right? So, he asked for my help, the advertising help." He wriggled his free hand to prove the point. "And, I agreed. We've been working on it for weeks now. Since it's nothing huge, he's just hired me and my expertise."

I laughed softly. He sounded so passionate that I almost felt a pang of longing for my own job. I wasn't sensitive regarding my dad talking about his job. In fact, quite on the contrary. I've learned a lot of things from him, including his inspiration for the unique talks. So when he said that, I knew that I could easily freelance for small businesses as well. A feeling of exaltation bubbled up in my chest.