Strictly Pretend (The Salinger Brothers #6)

Chapter 28

CHAPTER

TWENTY-EIGHT

brOOKS

My father’s phone call lights my screen up right as I’m walking through the sliding doors into the hospital. For a moment I consider rejecting it, but old habits run deep even if my anger with him hasn’t disappeared.

I know he was only doing what he always does. Running a business, even if he’s supposed to be retired. The truth is, if I hadn’t fallen for Emma I would have organized for the letter to be served myself.

And I don’t like that thought. Not at all. It’s not who I want to be. I want to be better. For her.

“Hello?” I say, backing out of the doors because if I’m talking on the phone I’m going to do it outside. There are upset people in the waiting rooms.

“Brooks.” Dad clears his throat. “I’ve been talking with Julia and your moms. And your brothers’ wives.”

I let out a breath. “Okay. Can this wait? I’ve just arrived at the hospital.”

“Yes it can wait. But I wanted to apologize.”

Okay, this is a new one. Rupert Salinger never apologizes for anything or to anybody. “What?” I say, in case I misheard.

“I’m not sorry for sending the letter. That’s business. It’s what anybody in my position would have done. But… ah… the things I said about…”

“Emma.”

“Yes, Emma,” he says. “I was wrong.”

“You implied she was a gold digger.”

“I just wanted to make sure you weren’t being used.”

“Do you trust my judgment that little?” I ask him. “Of course I’m not being used. If anything she probably thinks I used her. That I sweet talked her while behind her back I was arranging for this eviction letter to be sent and blindside them both.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust your judgement, son. I’ve been burned myself. Your brothers have been burned. We’re a family of substantial means, we have to be careful.”

That’s when I realize how far I’ve come. “I don’t want to be careful,” I tell him. “Careful has made me miserable as sin. I’m in love with Emma. And if she’ll forgive me for what’s happened, then I intend to be with her for the rest of my life. And if you can’t treat her with respect then you won’t see either of us.”

He lets out a sigh. “Of course I’ll treat her with respect. I’d like to meet her. Firstly, to apologize face to face.”

Two apologies from this man? I think the world might stop turning. “Dad, I need to go,” I tell him, because I’ve spent long enough on this mess. I get that he’s feeling guilty but that’s his problem for now. My only concern is Emma.

“Okay. But keep us updated.”

“I will.”

“And Brooks?” He sounds almost hesitant.

“Yes?”

“It goes without saying that if her family needs any money to pay for the hospital bills, we’ll pay it.”

My heart softens just a little. I learned a long time ago that money was my father’s love language. “Thank you, but I have that covered too.”

“I love you, son.”

I blink. “Ah, I love you too,” I tell him, too shocked to say anything else. My father doesn’t apologize and he doesn’t say he loves you. And yet here he is, doing both. “Speak soon,” I say, hanging up the call as I rush into the hospital, looking around for her.

“Well, well. Look what the stupidly expensive cat dragged in,” a voice says. I turn to see the woman from the dress shop standing there in what looks like Minnie Mouse’s shoes. What the hell is her name? I wrack my brain because now is not the time to look even more like an asshole.

“Rita,” I say, silently thanking my memory. “Where’s Emma?”

“With her granddad.”

I let out a breath. “How is he?” I ask, my chest feeling tight. Because whatever happens, I’ll always feel responsible for this.

She tips her head to the side, her eyes narrow. “Are you family?”

“You know I’m not.”

“Then I can’t tell you.” She shrugs.

I lift a brow and she rolls her eyes at me. “He’s stable. He’s been admitted to the cardiac unit for more tests. Emma is with him.”

He’s stable. My chest loosens a little. “Can you tell her I’m here?” I ask. “Send her a message or something.” I’ve been around Holden for way too long to know they won’t let me back without Emma’s approval.

“Tell her yourself. Or send somebody to do it for you. You’re good at that, aren’t you?”

“The letters were a mistake. If you were given one too, I’m sorry. Shred it. I’ll sort it all out when I’m back in the office.”

“What a pity you didn’t realize that before you made an old man collapse. And made my friend cry.”

“Emma cried?”

“Not because of you, you asshole. Because she’s worried about her granddad.” Rita lets out a long breath. “I can’t believe you did that to them.”

“I didn’t…” I trail off. “There was a misunderstanding. The notice is being rescinded. You still have a lease, everything is as it was.”

“I don’t care about my lease. I care about my friend,” she tells me, her eyes narrow. “Do you know how happy she was this morning? She told me that she was falling in love with you.”

My breath catches. “She said that?”

“I’ve never seen her like that before. She was smiling so much she looked like a damn chipmunk. And then…” Rita shakes her head. “You really messed it up, you know?”

“I know,” I say softly, because I’ve been thinking about this ever since I got onto that helicopter. My father should never have sent that letter. But I’m culpable too. I could have shut this down as soon as Luke told me about the amended contract he’d found.

Or – and here’s a good idea – I should have told Emma about it and told her I had it under control. At least then she wouldn’t have been blindsided. I was an idiot for not mentioning it.

And I’m going to throw myself under whatever I can find in an effort to get her to forgive me.

“Can you call her, please?” I ask, trying to keep my voice as sweet as I can. “I’d like to be there to support her.”

“And to grovel,” Rita says, putting her hand into her purse to grab her phone.

“Yes, and to grovel.”

She beams at me. “Okay then.” She slides her finger across the screen of her phone then types something into it, before lifting the phone to her ear.

“Emma, honey?” she says, her narrow eyes still on me. “There’s a special delivery for you from assholes-r-us. You want me to send it back?”

EMMA

I put the phone down and look at Granddad. He’s sitting up in bed with monitors fixed to his gray-haired chest. His skin is pink, he’s lucid, and he’s lifting a brow at me.

“Was that Rita?” he asks.

“Yes.” I nod. “Brooks Salinger is here.”

Granddad frowns. “Your Brooks? Here at the hospital? I thought he was with his family.”

“He was.” I look down at all the missed calls and messages from him. “But apparently he got a helicopter to get him here to see if you’re okay.”

Granddad smiles. “I think we both know he’s not here for me. So why are you still here? Why don’t you go see him?”

“I don’t want to leave you,” I tell him.

“You’re going to have to eventually. You gotta eat, you gotta poop, you gotta sleep.” He winks at me. “And so do I. I might be old, but I still have some dignity.”

“You have all the dignity, Granddad.”

“And so do you, sweetheart. So are you going to listen to what he has to say or am I going to have to knock your heads together?” His expression softens. “I promise I’ll still be here when you get back. I don’t plan on leaving this mortal coil just yet.”

“Are you sure?” I ask.

“I’m sure. Just go.”

I still hesitate, and he looks me straight in the eye. “Do you know what I’d do for one more minute with your grandma?” he asks me. “For one more second. For the chance to hear her voice, to see her laugh. To smell the way she always used to smell?”

My throat thickens. “I do,” I tell him. Because I’d do anything for that too.

“You love this man, don’t you?”

I nod because it’s the truth. “I think I do.”

“Then go see him. Listen to him.” He lifts a brow. “Talk to him. Like really talk, Emma. Don’t just bottle things up or think you have to deal with it all yourself. That’s what you always do and it’s wrong.”

I know he’s talking about the contract and the lease. “I’m sorry I didn’t give you any warning,” I tell him. “I should have. I just thought I had it all under control.”

“By agreeing to a fake engagement?” he says, shaking his head.

“It wasn’t supposed to be an engagement,” I protest. “It was a fake date. And we were going to look at a new unit in return.” I give him an apologetic look. “But I should have told you.”

“Yes, you should. And now you should go talk to him. Love isn’t just about all those starry eyed mushy things, as great as they are. Love is climbing into the trenches and working your damn ass off with the other person. It’s disagreeing and arguing and then making up because at the end of the day they’re the only person you want to be with.” He reaches for my hand, squeezing it softly. “This man just flew in a helicopter to see you. I get the feeling he’d make a very good trench partner.”

A tear rolls down my face. Not just because I’m thinking of Grandma, and of my parents, and everything I’ve lost.

But because I know I have a choice. I have to open myself up and it’s going to hurt like a bitch. It’s so much easier to feel safe when you’ve built a wall around your heart.

“I love you,” I whisper to him.

“I love you, Emma girl.” He lifts my hand to his lips. “Now go talk to him.”

“I’m going.”

“Good.” His eyelids flutter shut. “Now go. And don’t wake me up until it’s all sorted out.”