My Father's Best Friend novel Chapter 29

For the past week, Lance had been holding his phone in his left hand, awaiting a call that never came or even a text that was never made nor sent. He shouldn't be worrying too much, right? She's with her parents and she's having a short break before she starts to work tomorrow. He's just her father's best friend, he shouldn't be thinking of her like a lover or a woman, even though she is.

"What is happening to me!" Lance groaned and rested his head on his desk.

"You're falling in love," came the voice of his Aunt Holly as she enters his office.

He stood up in shock, "Aunt, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Can't I visit my favorite nephew?"

"I'm your only nephew," he deadpanned.

"I work with my options," Holly shrugged and sat down on the seat opposite Lance.

"Oh, sit down, young man," she ordered, and Lance followed.

Lance looked at her aunt who clearly avoids eye contact by looking around the room as if enchanted by the bleakness of it.

"How long have you been standing by the door?" he blurted out.

Holly looked at him with feigned innocence, "What did you mean?"

Lance rolled his eyes, "Oh, aunt, just tell me,"

Holly remained silent for a while holding Lance's gaze but as usual, having a very serious and devoted tycoon as a nephew, she lost.

"Okay. Been there long enough to notice you look at your phone many times," confessed his aunt.

Lance remained silent.

"So... who is the girl?" asked Holly.

Lance's eyes widened, "There is no girl, aunt," he said as he rotated his chair to look out the window and avoid eye contact with his aunt.

"Oooh, you silly boy," Holly stood up and made her way to Lance to look him straight in the face, "You can't tell me there is no girl when it's very much apparent there is one," she maintained eye contact.

Though Lance may be successful with maintaining eye contact with clients when he is sure to himself that he is lying through his teeth, he can't do that with his aunt. Holly had been as constant to his life as he was to Andrea, and he can't just not tell her the truth.

"Okay," Lance gave up.

"I did not ask for an 'okay', I asked for a name," Holly interrogated, clearly disliking how he seem to not answer her directly.

"Aunt, you can't force information out of me, plus this is my life, I'd decide when I tell you things and when I will not,"

Holly narrowed her eyes on Lance, "Is it Andrea?"

Lance's jaw dropped, "Oh my God! Aunt Holly!"

"It's Andrea, isn't it?" she stood up straight and smiled wide.

"No, of course, not. What the hell, aunt!" Lance stood up and made his way to the door, but Holly held him on both his arms.

"Lance, it's Andrea, isn't it?" Holly asked, more soothingly.

Lance's eyes met the ceiling I defeat, "Yes, Aunt Holly. It's her," Lance said, removing both of Holly's hands from his sleeves, "Happy?" he asked and then left the office unsure where to go.

---