Amy debated whether or not to start unpacking her things. Even though Christian had given her a tour of his condo in the past, she'd taken the liberty of exploring the length of it herself and hadn't found another bedroom besides his own, which meant she'd probably have to sleep on the couch and keep her things either in his closet or in her suitcase. Coming to Christian had been her first choice, but had he turned her away, she'd probably end up going to Courtney's house, even if she really didn't want to. Her "friend" would probably be too busy with Matt to even care about someone else's issues. She'd probably make up some excuse as to why Amy couldn't be there.

Just as Amy was about to contemplate the possible excuses Courtney would make, a knock sounded on Christian's door. Averting her attention away from the flat screen television across from her, her brows furrowed inquisitively, wondering who it could be. This wasn't exactly her residence so she was hesitant about whether or not she should answer it. Christian had only been gone ten minutes so she didn't think he'd be back that soon, but maybe he had forgotten something and come back to retrieve it. Despite her hesitation, she pushed up from where she'd been stretched out on the couch and headed towards the door.

On her tip-toes, she peered into the peep-hole. She was half-surprised and half-disappointed to see Matt McNamara standing on the opposite side. A soft sigh escaped her as she went on to open the door. From the look on his face, he looked to be somewhat surprised to see her too, but that was a given, considering he probably didn't know Christian was even her father.

"Matt. Hi."

"Uh, hey Amy. What uh--I'm looking for Christian." Matt cocked his head to see further inside the condo. "Is he here?"

She blinked, somewhat baffled. He sounded as if he had started to say something else, but decided against it. He was most likely wondering what she of all people was doing there at Christian's place, but she was hoping he wouldn't think to ask. "Um, no. He's not. He went out to get some Chinese. What are you doing here?" She cringed at how nosy she probably sounded, and quickly corrected herself. "Sorry. I didn't mean for that to sound nosy."

Matt shook his head. "Nah, it's cool. I just came by to talk to him about something."

She nodded her head in understanding. Although she was somewhat curious about what exactly Matt wanted to talk to her father about, she knew that if she inquired, that would be prying even more.

An awkward silence passed between them.

Maybe it was just her imagination, but Matt looked as if he were holding back in saying something, but she couldn't figure out what. His fidgety movements spoke volumes. Her brows furrowed inquisitively, "what?"

Matt avoided eye contact with her for a brief moment, averting his gaze to the floor. He shifted on his feet, bringing the index finger of his right hand up to his lip before finally looking up at her. "Courtney told me."

Her heart skipped a beat in her chest at those words. "She told you what?" As if she didn't already know. She had a looming feeling of dread as to what this was leading up to.

"She told me that Christian is your dad."

Amy's jaw hung open in astonishment. "She what?" That was the most appauling thing she'd ever heard. The nerve of Courtney, her best friend, to go and do something such as betray her trust. She exhaled sharply, her eyes narrowing incriminatingly. "Why would she do that? She told me she wouldn't tell anyone. Why the hell would she tell you?" She didn't realize how audible her voice was at the moment, but to be honest, she didn't really care. Her pride was wounded.

"Look, it just happened! I thought she was cheating on me. She started talking to my dad about him. How the hell was I suppose to know what was going on? That's why I asked her about it."

Her brows furrowed inquisitively. "You thought she was cheating on you with Christian?" The thought of her own friend dating her father sickened her. It just wasn't feasible, but knowing how weak Courtney was for any guy who came strutting her way, she wouldn't put it past her. "Oh no, if she ever..." Her voice trailed off.

"She's not. I wouldn't have even bothered coming here tonight if she was." He sighed wearily. "Look, I really don't want to be put in the middle of this, but Christian is practically my uncle, and I think I have a right to know about something like this, don't you?"

A deep sigh escaped her, crossing her arms over her chest. Gently, she nodded her head. "I guess. I just never realized how close you were. I only met your dad once, but I just thought he was Christian's business partner."

"He and my dad are best friends. They've been best friends ever since I was born. I guess he failed to mention that." He stole a glance down the broad hallway, "look, I can tell this is probably a bad time. Just tell Christian I stopped by, all right?"

She was a little bewildered as to why Matt wanted to get going so soon, but she had to admit, she really didn't know what more there was to say to him. "Okay, well I guess I'll see you later then?" Her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. Now realizing how close Matt was with her father, she had to admit things were definitely more awkward now than when she'd first met him, and she didn't know exactly how she would be able to handle that.

Matt shoved his hands inside the pockets of his jeans, nodding his head in regard. "Yeah. I'll see ya later." Before she could utter another word, he turned on his heels and headed off down the broad hallway.

Amy watched him depart before shutting the door. She shook her in disbelief as she marched back into the living room. Now, more than ever, she wondered why she even bothered with Courtney anymore, but one thing was for sure, she wasn't going to let this go without confronting her about it. Plopping back down on the couch, she stole a glance at her watch, realizing that it would probably be about another fifteen or twenty minutes until Christian got back with their dinner. She was tempted to call Kimber to get her mind off things, but she didn't really want to be talking to Kimber and have Christian walk in the door. It was difficult enough keeping the coke event away from him, especially now that he'd told her how much he didn't like it, but Kimber had also managed to help her at the time. She couldn't deny herself of that.

Intent on going right back to the reality show she was watching, she got comfortabe just as her celluar started ringing. An irritable sigh escaped her, praying to God that it wasn't her mother calling to bitch at her anymore. She didn't think she'd be able to deal with anymore for the night, and if she had to, she'd lose her mind completely. With a grunt, she sat up and reached into the front pocket of her backpack, fishing out the device. Noticing the caller ID on the phone, her first instinct was not to answer at all, but it was time she take matters into her own hands. Once and for all. Flipping it open, she hesitated before answering it.

"Why didn't you just tell the whole fucking world who Christian was?"

It took the other person a moment to utter a reply. "W-what? What the heck are you talking about?"

"Oh don't play dumb with me Courtney! I know that you told Matt who Christian is."

There was a long pause on the other line before Courtney spoke. "Girl, I am soo sorry, but it just happened. I had to tell him. There was no way out of it at the time. How did you find out anyway? When did he tell you?"

"He just came over right now."

"Came over? But he doesn't even know where you live. I never told him that."

She cringed, being too angry with her friend to notice her little slip-up. Then again, it had been a night filled with slip-ups. Things that she had never anticipated would come out into the open, and unfortunetly, the drama just kept on coming. She tried to think of some sort of way to cover this one up but it was pretty useless. She rolled her eyes, leaning back on the couch with a sigh. "Forget it."

"No. How in the heck could he have come over and told you? He doesn't even know your address! Girl, what the hell is going on?"

"Nothing! I just thought that we could keep this between you and me, and then you go and tell him about it."

"Well I had to! I couldn't let him think I was cheating on him, especially with a guy I haven't even met. Look girl, I really had no other choice, but I swear, I wouldn't have told him if he hadn't accused me of cheating. I'm so sorry. I swear, I couldn't be more sorry. Look, I really don't want this to screw up our friendship because you know that you mean a lot to me, and you know I would never intentionally stab you in the back like that. Can you forgive me?"

For a long moment, Amy debated whether or not to forgive her. She didn't know if she could, but now that she thought about, Matt probably would have found out anyway. If not from Courtney than probably from his dad or Christian himself. So maybe she couldn't be mad at her for this. "I guess, but are we even friends anymore? You never spend any time with me anymore. You spend all your time with Matt now."

"Well, no offense or anything girl, but you've been spending all your time with Christian, so this isn't just one sided, you know?"

Her jaw dropped, but she held back the scoff that wanted to escape her. She didn't know why people said things like "no offense," even when they were just about to offend you anyway. However, even she was guilty of that sometimes too. Before she could speak another word, Courtney went on.

"I promise we'll finally have time to spend together soon, just us girls. Just don't go hating Matt because of me, okay? He really wants to be friends with you."

"Why would I hate Matt?"

"I thought you might be pissed at him because I was spending all my time with him, you know, instead of you."

"Well maybe a little, but if he's practically going to be my cousin, I guess I should be friends with him, right? I'm sure Christian will want me to. He sure isn't going to be happy with me if I hate Matt, considering how close they are."

"Good, because I'd hate for my best friend and my boyfriend to hate each other. So you forgive me, right? I mean, we're still friends, aren't we?"

A weary sigh escaped her. "Yeah, we're still friends. I just didn't want to have yet another friend stab me in the back. It's happened too many times in the past, and if it happens one more time, I think I'll scream."

"I would never do that to you girl, never. You're my partner-in-crime. We're soul sisters till the end."

A light laugh escaped her. "Yeah, I guess we are." At least I hope so.

"So how was Vegas with Christian?"

Her brows furrowed inquisitively. "How did you know I went to Vegas with Christian?"

"He told me. I called you when you were on your way there, but you must have been sleeping or something because Christian answered your phone."

"He answered my phone?"

"Yeah. Look, I know he's your dad and all, but do you think its weird that I'm already attracted to him by the sound of his voice?"

Amy opened her mouth to reply when she heard a key turning into a lock, a click, a then a door opening, followed shortly by the sound of Christian's voice.

"Sweetheart, I'm home."

She cringed at how audible his voice was, knowing that Courtney had probably heard him. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Christian heading in her direction, carrying a white plastic bag in his right hand.

"Oh my God, was that him? Are you at his house?" Courtney inquired.

Amy held a finger up, in a motion that told Christian to wait a minute. He nodded his head in regard before walking past the couch into the dining area. She watched him as he set the bag on the glass dining table a few feet away from her. "Uh, yeah, I am. Look, we really shouldn't get into this right now." She turned her head away and lowered her voice to a whisper, "especially with him nearby, so I gotta go. Bye." Before her friend could say anymore, she ended the call, closed up her celluar and returned it to her backpack. She looked over at Christian who was setting out the cartons of Chinese food on the table. "Sorry."

He stole a glance over at her. "Dare I ask who you were talking to?" He paused in what he was doing, staring at her intently as his gaze seemed to turn cold. "It wasn't that asshole again, was it?"

She shook her head, his gaze making her a bit anxious. "No. It wasn't, thank God. It was Courtney." Grabbing the remote, she shut off the television before rising to her feet and walking over to the dining table.

Christian sighed softly and nodded his head, a smug smile spreading across his face. "Courtney, of course. How is this 'friend' of yours that, need I remind you, I have yet to meet?"

Her eyes narrowed slightly, tilting her head to one side. She placed her hands on her hips. "Well, you guys have already met, at least in the talking sense. She told me you talked to her that day we flew to Vegas."

His smug smile transformed into a sheepish smirk, just before he turned on his heels and headed into the kitchen. "Did she? Well, we haven't formally met so that's as good as I could get. If you ask me, she was quite a pleasure to speak to on the phone, certainly not afraid to be so coy. I like her already." He opened the refrigerator and grabbed a beer before looking over at her, "what would you like to drink sweetheart?"

Her brows furrowed inquisitively. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Christian's own brows furrowed, but out of bafflement. "What do you think it means? I just wanted to know what you plan on drinking with your dinner."

She brought one of her hands up to the side of her head, a migraine already taking form. Exhaling sharply, she shook her head. "No, not that. I meant, what did you mean by what you said about Courtney? You do know that she's my friend, right?"

He shut the refrigerator door and stared at her with the same baffled look, a hint of irritation in his voice. "Of course, but why are you asking? All I'm saying is that I like your friend, I don't know what the hell you thought I meant."

Amy shook her head, deciding that she shouldn't go any further, as tempted as she was to ask what sense of the word he "liked" her friend. She was probably just being paranoid, and the last thing she wanted was for them to get into an argument. If he kicked her out of his condo for that reason, she'd never forgive herself and then she'd be screwed with no place to stay. "Nevermind, forget it. I'm just making a big deal out of nothing." She pulled out one of the chairs and sat down at the table, looking back over at him. "I'll have a soda. Whatever you have." Her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug.

Christian hesitated before sighing and opening the fridge once again, grabbing a Cherry Coke from the top shelf and walking back to the table. He set both his beer and her soda down before turning back around. Entering the kitchen once again, he opened one of his cupboards and took out two clean plates, and few utensils from a drawer. He returned to the table, setting the items down, and pulling out his own chair to sit down. "Is there something you're not telling me, sweetheart? Whatever it is, I think I have a right to know."

She shook her head once again before popping the tab on her can of soda. "I swear, it's nothing. I was just being paranoid. Really, forget about it."

He exhaled sharply, but looked as if he was going to drop the subject entirely which was a relief. "If you say so." He twisted the cap off his beer before taking a swig. Grabbing one of the plates, he set it before him before taking a carton of the food and serving himself some rice, moving on to the other entrees shortly after.

Amy went on and did the same, serving herself a few pieces of orange chicken, fried rice, chow mein, and shrimp. Neither one of them spoke another word until they began eating, but even then, it was her who spoke up first. Setting her fork down, she sat back in her seat, looking over at him. "Look, I know that you said it was okay that I stay here and everything, and I really appreciate it for as long as you'll let me, but I wish I had a place of my own. My mom is so overprotective and she thinks that I can't face the real world. Especially when I'm almost an adult. I'd love to prove her wrong, but you know..." Her shoulders rose and fell with a shrug, picking up her fork once again and shoving it into a piece of orange chicken, her gaze averted to her meal. "I don't have a job or anything so I could never pay for rent anywhere."

Christian finished chewing what was in his mouth and swallowed before speaking. "Well, I might be able to help you out with that sweetheart." A soft smile crossed his face.

Her brows arched in surprise. Did he mean what she thought he meant? Oh God, she hoped so. "What do you mean? Are you saying..." Her brows stitched together inquisitively, "what are you saying?"

"I'm saying, if it's a job you're looking for, Sean and I could always use some extra help around the office. Maybe I could get you a job working at Troy/McNamara." He shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Trust me, the salary would be ten times better than the money you'd get in a minimum wage job."

Blinking back her astoundment, a look of uneasiness appeared on her face. "Uh...work with my father?"

"Why not? I wouldn't be treating you any different than the rest of my co-workers, and you wouldn't have to worry about kissing anyone's ass, especially not mine. I hardly doubt Sean would have a problem with you, seeing as how you've already met him and you are my daughter."

She chewed on her bottom lip apprehensively. "As tempted as it is, I really don't think I'd be so comfortable with that...at least not right now, but I'll think about it." Her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "Maybe in the future."

Christian paused before gradually nodding his head. Grabbing his beer, he raised it up in regard. "Well, the offer is on the table. If you change your mind, just let me know." She nodded her head, going back to her meal. He took another swig of his beer before continuing. "You know, if it's an apartment you want, I might be able to pull a few strings and buy you one myself. The least I could do is help you pay your rent, until you've gotten yourself a steady job."

Her jaw hung open in astonishment. "Are you kidding me? You'd actually buy me my own apartment?" She shook her head. "I couldn't ask you to do that." While she might have said those words, she was secretly hoping he would. After all, he made thousands of dollars every year. Why wouldn't he have enough money to buy her her own place?

He set his beer down on the table, leaning a little closer to her and taking her hand in his with a squeeze. "When are you going to learn sweetheart? You're my daughter. You shouldn't be afraid to ask me for anything. I am your father, the least I can do is support you." He sighed softly, turning his attention back to his meal. "After all, you can't very well stay in hell house forever now can you? Your mother has to learn to let you go sooner or later. We both know that you'll be an adult soon. Come to think of it, you never did tell me your birthday and if it was on your birth certificate, it must have slipped my mind. When is it again?"

"September. September nineteeth, nineteen eighty five."

"Then it shouldn't be long until you turn twenty. You're nineteen. That makes you a consenting adult. If you ask me, you deserve a little freedom, and if your mother can't see that, she shouldn't even be calling herself your mother. I'm just glad you finally got the hell out of there. I probably would have done the same." He picked up his fork and shoved a piece of madrin chicken into his mouth.

"Like father like daughter," a soft smile crossed her face as she took up her can of soda and took a sip.

Christian smirked. "Exactly."

"You're right though. I don't see why I should have to stay there anymore anyway. I mean, I'm old enough to make my own decisions, I even told her. At least you treat me like an adult. She treats me like I'm twelve." She shook her head in disbelief, setting her soda back down and shoving her fork into another piece of orange chicken. "So you're really going to buy me my own place?"

He sighed softly. "How many times do I have to tell you? Yes! If it'll help get your mother off your back for a while, I'll do whatever I can to help. Not to mention, it'll be a lot easier for me to see you." A smug smile crossed his face before he took another swig of his beer.

She was tempted to reach out and give him a hug, but she knew that right now might not be the most appropriate time for it. Instead, she swallowed what was in her mouth and smiled brightly. Never in her life had she met a man or even had a father who spoiled her as much as Christian was obviously doing, and spoiling her with good reason as well. "Thank you. Really, you don't know how much this would mean to me."

"My pleasure."

For the remainder of their meal, neither one of them spoke much to the other. There really wasn't anything to talk about anyway. Amy tried to think of some topics to throw out, but she didn't know if they would interest him. She was hoping that her lack of conversation hadn't given Christian the indication that she was ignoring him. However, from the look of it, he didn't seem to mind that she wasn't talking. Whether he was doing it intentionally because of the earlier events of the night and giving her some space, or for the same reasons of not having anything relevant to talk about, she didn't make too big a deal out of it.

However, one thing she wasn't expecting him to make a big deal out of was sleeping arrangements. She hadn't even given it much thought herself until eleven o' clock rolled around. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and got dressed for bed. When she stepped out of his bathroom, she saw him stretched out on his bed watching TV, one arm tucked beneath his head and the remote in his hand. He didn't look ready for bed though. Although he was rid of his suit jacket and shoes, he still had on the same clothes he had had on earlier. To be honest, he looked rather bored, and he also he looked to be lost in his own thoughts. There was no mistaking that he wasn't paying much attention to the television across from him. Deciding to just leave him be, she began walking back towards the living room.

"Going to bed already sweetheart?"

She stopped in her tracks and turned on her heels to look over at him. Her shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "No, just getting ready is all. If it's okay, I'm just going to watch TV for maybe like two more hours and then go to bed. I don't usually go to bed until two or three in the morning anyway."

Christian's brows arched, a smirk crossing his face before he shook his head. "Ah, yet another trait that makes you my daughter. We're both insomniacs."

She laughed lightly, nodding her head. "Yeah, I guess we are." She had to admit that she hadn't picked up on that bit of information beforehand, but she knew enough about his lifestyle and didn't think she wanted to know anymore. Pivoting on her heels, she was prepared to be on her way but she turned back when he spoke once again.

He pushed himself up to a seated position. "You're not planning on sleeping on the couch tonight, are you sweetheart?"

Her brows furrowed in bafflement. Where else would she sleep? Surely he didn't mean what she thought he meant. "Well..." She dropped her gaze to her sock covered feet, "you only have one bedroom so there's really no other place for me sleep."

There was an awkward silence between them, and for a moment, she was dreading that he might suggest she go back home or stay at a hotel for the night. Then.

"You can sleep in my bed, tonight I'll take the couch."

She raised her eyes back up to his, shaking her head. "No. No, I couldn't do that." She cringed, realizing what he'd said to her earlier that night about asking for things. "What I mean is, I can't kick you out of your own bed. It wouldn't be right."

He shook his head. "I insist. Honestly, I don't mind. Tonight you can sleep in here, and tomorrow, we'll go apartment hunting. We can decide what happens from there."

She respected the fact that he didn't suggest both of them sleep in the same bed, even though the bed was three times her size. That would have been far too weird for her, and waking up right beside her father would be twice as creepy. She shook her head. "No, really. It's ok, I can sleep on the couch. Not that I don't appreciate the offer, but I'll be fine on the couch. I swear, it's ok."

Christian sighed wearily but nodded his head. "If that's the way you want it sweetheart."

She nodded her head. "I do."