“Daddy, Can We Keep Her?”—The CEO’s Daughter Said on Blind Date With a Poor Waitress…
A Disconnected Life and a Sudden Intervention
The restaurant was called Bellissimo, one of those elegant establishments where the silverware gleamed under crystal chandeliers. The prices weren’t listed on the menu because if you had to ask, you probably couldn’t afford it.
It was the kind of place where business deals were sealed over wine that cost more per bottle than most people earned in a week. Nathan Cross sat at his usual corner table, trying to focus on the woman across from him.
This was his third blind date in as many months, all arranged by well-meaning friends. They insisted that a successful man like him shouldn’t be raising his daughter alone.
He was 47 years old with dark hair and the kind of refined appearance that came from custom-tailored suits. This was a life lived in boardrooms as the CEO of Cross Industries, a manufacturing empire his grandfather had founded.
Nathan was accustomed to success. He’d built the company into something even bigger than his father had imagined.
His decisions affected thousands of employees. His name appeared regularly in business journals.
But sitting here making polite conversation with a woman whose name he’d already half-forgotten, Nathan felt profoundly disconnected from his own life. The woman, Veronica something, was talking about her art gallery in Soho.
She was attractive, accomplished, and from the right social circles. On paper, she was perfect.
In reality, Nathan couldn’t muster much interest. His mind kept drifting to his daughter, Lily, who was 7 years old and currently sitting at home with the nanny.
She’d been disappointed when he told her about tonight’s dinner. “Another lady, Daddy?” she’d asked with that particular tone of skepticism children mastered so well.
“But what if I don’t like her?” “You don’t have to like her, sweetheart,” Nathan had said, kneeling down to her level.
“This is just dinner, just two adults getting to know each other. But if you like her, she might come to our house, and then I have to like her too.”
The logic was hard to argue with. Nathan’s wife, Jennifer, had died when Lily was only 2 years old from a sudden and shocking brain aneurysm.
One moment she’d been laughing at breakfast, the next she was gone. It had shattered Nathan’s world into pieces he was still trying to reassemble 5 years later.
He’d thrown himself into work and into being the best father he could manage. But he knew Lily was growing up without a mother’s influence.
She was without that particular kind of nurturing he couldn’t quite provide, no matter how hard he tried. “Nathan, are you listening?”
He snapped back to attention. Veronica was looking at him with poorly concealed irritation.
“I apologize,” Nathan said smoothly. “I was just thinking about a meeting tomorrow, on a Saturday.”
Her perfectly shaped eyebrows rose. “Business doesn’t keep regular hours, I’m afraid.”
Veronica sighed delicately. “You know, Nathan, if you’re not actually interested in being here, we could just call it an evening.”
She wasn’t wrong. Nathan was searching for something polite to say when there was a small commotion near the kitchen.
Their server, a young woman with blonde hair pulled back in a neat ponytail, had stumbled slightly while carrying a tray. She caught herself quickly, but not before a wine glass tipped over.
Red wine spilled across the front of her cream-colored blouse. Nathan watched as the restaurant manager, a severe-looking man in an expensive suit, descended on her immediately.
Even from across the room, Nathan could see the fear in the young woman’s face. “That’s the third incident this month, Clare,” the manager hissed loud enough that nearby tables could hear.
“I warned you that one more mistake and you’d be looking for work elsewhere.” “I’m so sorry, Mr. Bennett,” the server said, her voice shaking.
“The tray was heavier than I expected. It won’t happen again.” “You’re absolutely right it won’t because you’re fired.”
“Clean out your locker and leave immediately.” The young woman’s face went white.
“Please, Mr. Bennett, I need this job. My daughter, she has medical expenses, and I can’t afford to lose—” “Should have thought of that before you became a liability to this establishment.”
“Leave now, or I’ll have security escort you out.”
