**********
Jon shows up at the fanciest restaurant he’d ever seen in his life exactly when Rich had asked him to. He spots him in a booth toward the back, wearing a navy blue suit this time, and he notices the same attractive young blonde from the night before sitting beside him, decked out in a gown fit for a prom queen.
He suddenly felt under-dressed in the faded jeans and V-neck tee shirt he’d decided to show up in, but he was here, and they’d both seen him already... so he had no choice but to walk over to them and deal with feeling out of place.
Rich and Jon shake hands as they make their first face-to-face introduction. “And this is Lucy,” Rich says, gesturing to the blonde next to him. Jon shakes her hand as well.
As soon as Jon takes a seat across from Rich and Lucy, Lucy excuses herself to use the restroom. “You gotta be doin’ somethin’ right, Rich,” Jon says when Lucy walks out of hearing range. “Smokin’ hot and half your age... well done, sir, bra-vo. Watch your back, though” – Jon leans across the table and lowers his voice – “she might be more attracted to your wallet than she is to you. Not sayin’ she’s a gold digger, just sayin’ there’s always that possibility.”
“Lucy? My wife?” Rich bursts into laughter. “No, no... Lucy is my daughter.” He looks across the restaurant as he finds the words to describe what she means to him. “She’s my only child, my pride and joy... she’s the most important person in the world to me. When I leave this world and pass on to whatever comes next, she’ll take over all that I’ve created. Everything... will be hers,” he smiles proudly.
Jon’s face glows red with embarrassment. “Well don’t I feel like an ass... sorry about that, Rich. I didn’t plan on putting my foot in my mouth today. It doesn’t taste good.”
“No apology necessary, Jon,” Rich assures him.
“I appreciate that, thank you. So are you still married to Lucy’s mother?”
“I’m afraid not,” Rich says, looking down at the table. “My first wife, Veronica, Lucy’s mother, passed away when Lucy was three years old. And I didn’t waste any time remarrying... I mean I had businesses to worry about running. I never once made the mistake of thinking I had what it takes to be a single father...”