CHAPTER 21
T hree hours had passed since Matt had dropped off Treva and Jonny at the Kramers’ house. After a quick thanks and hug, his son had waved good-bye and focused solely on his girl. Matt didn’t blame him one bit. Treva was adorable and sweet. She also looked at Jonny as if he was the answer to her prayers—and maybe he was. Matt was glad his youngest child had found someone like her to be in his life.
After making sure they got safely inside, he’d pulled out of the driveway feeling at a loss of what to do. Because he hadn’t intended to visit his parents for another day or two, he elected not to stop by. Not only did he not feel right about dropping by unannounced, he also was still reeling from the frank conversation he and Jonny had exchanged.
If he was being completely honest with himself, none of what his youngest had said was a surprise. He had been taken aback, however, with how honest Jonny had been. Historically, Jonny was usually his most easygoing child. Martin had questioned, Beth had been vocal about her opinions, and Kelsey would let her opinions be known in a handful of silent but very obvious ways. Jonny, on the other hand, had always been the child who had gone with the flow. He and Helen used to say that he was their little gift after giving birth to three rather demanding kids.
Now he was going to have to come to terms with the fact that Jonny hadn’t been all that laid-back.
And then there had been Jonny’s terse “Yes, sir.” On the surface, there wasn’t anything wrong about that. He’d taught his kids to say “sir” and “ma’am” to elders. Granted, all four of them were grown-up adults now, so it wasn’t the same.
But that phrase coming out of his son’s mouth had felt like Jonny had put up the barrier that had been slowly sliding down as they’d become closer.
“You are upset because he took control of that barrier,” he told himself in his empty SUV. “Jonny isn’t messing around anymore. He is no longer going to be okay with talking about the weather and you pretending to be involved. And he’s really not going to put up with you having opinions about Treva. Not at all.”
So that was where they were.
“Where are you going to go, then?” he asked himself. And yes, he was speaking in both the literal and figurative senses.
Back home? To his parents? Pop in on Kelsey and hope she didn’t have the sudden need to lecture him about his parenting faults?
His phone ringing on his Bluetooth speaker came as a relief. “Hey, Harrison.”
“Hey,” one of his junior executives answered. “I’m sorry to bother you, but do you have a few minutes to discuss something, Matt?”
“Of course. What’s up?”
“We’ve got some issues going on with the Wilson account.”
“I’ve got all the time you need,” he said. “But I’m in the middle of Amish country. If I lose you, hang in there and I’ll call you back.”
“No problem. Um, why are you there?” Matt could hear Harrison tapping the keys on his computer. “Did I miss a scheduled vacation on my calendar?”
“No. No, not at all. I decided to work remotely for a while.” He hesitated, then figured he might as well be honest about his roots. “I’m from here.”
“What do you mean? You grew up on a farm?”
“Yeah. And I mean I grew up Amish.”
“No way.”
Harrison’s voice was so incredulous, Matt couldn’t help but grin. “Yeah.”
“Wow. I’m floored. You seem so smart.”
And that criticism hit him in the center of his chest. On the heels of his irritation, he reminded himself that Harrison grew up outside of Detroit. He’d probably never seen a horse and buggy outside of the movie Witness . To him, the Amish were completely foreign. “Thanks,” he said in a dry tone.
“Sorry. Did I, uh, offend you?”
“By putting down my heritage? What do you think?”
“Wow, you’re right. I’m sorry. I wouldn’t put up with that for a minute. I don’t know why I was so insensitive.”
“Don’t worry about it. The mistake wasn’t all yours. It’s mine, too. I’ve spent the majority of my life reinventing myself.” Taking in a breath, he added, “And . . . none of this is why you called. What’s going on?”
“First off, the Wilsons don’t like how Erin is communicating with them. They say that Erin isn’t getting back to them in a timely way. That she takes forever calling them back.”
“What does Erin say about that?”
“She’s defensive. She takes notes about her phone calls, but I looked back at the e-mails she exchanged with the Wilsons, and they might have a point. Erin does get back . . . but usually not for twenty-four hours.”
“So, it’s a matter of defining ‘timely’.”
“I think so.” Harrison cleared his throat. “They also said that she could’ve been a lot more forthcoming about some of the investments they were interested in.”
“I don’t understand what they meant by that.”
“Well, it seems like Mr. Wilson reads a lot of broker magazines and journals and then wants to get on every new, um, horse, if you will. Erin shuts him down.”
“But let me guess. Some of the ideas he’s mentioned have ended up doing pretty well?”
“Yes.” He took a breath. “You know how that goes, Matt. Everyone loves to talk about the stock that got away.”
“You’re right. All of us have a story like that. But what I don’t understand is how you got involved. Did Erin or Mr. Wilson reach out to you?”
“Mr. Wilson.” Sounding more aggrieved, he added, “And then Erin. Lots of hurt feelings going on around.”
“I can imagine.” Thankful to be alone in his car instead of in a boardroom, Matt rolled his eyes. So many people acted as if different rules applied to business relationships when thousands of dollars were in play. But actually, nothing was any different than when his father was at the auction and buying livestock. “What do you need me to do?”
“Let me know what else I need to look into so I can fix this,” he replied without missing a beat.
Matt’s respect for Harrison grew even more. He wasn’t attempting to toss the problem in Matt’s lap. He wanted guidance so he could handle the situation well—and learn from it. “What is your gut telling you about Erin, Harrison?”
“That she might be doing just fine but it’s not good enough.”
Matt nodded. “I agree. See if you can find some feedback about how her other clients are feeling about her communication skills. And you don’t need to make the calls yourself. Have Janice call. Just to say she’s checking in to make sure no one is having any issues.”
Harrison was tapping notes on his computer again. After a second or two, he asked, “What should I do if Janice gets good responses?”
“Then tell Erin that. But then give her some suggestions on what to do with the Wilsons.”
“And . . . if the reports aren’t all that good?”
“Then offer her some coaching.”
Matt could hear Harrison typing more notes. “Matt, I’m five years younger than Erin and have been with the company half the time.”
“I know.”
“So . . . what if Erin doesn’t want to take any of my advice? What if she just says no?”
“Give her a day or two and circle back. If she still won’t consider changing . . . then start the process to let her go.”
Harrison groaned. “So what you’re saying is I’m on my own here.”
“Nope. What I’m saying is that I’ll speak with Erin if you need me to, but it will mean more—and be more effective—coming from you.”
“I guess I can see it that way,” he said in a grudging tone.
“Harrison, I’m here for you, but I think you’re ready to have more responsibility.” He wondered if Harrison was realizing that Matt was offering him the same thing that he would be offering Erin.
“Understood.”
“Harrison, I’ll be heading back into the office on Tuesday. Call Janice and get on my calendar in the morning. We’ll discuss this further then. I’m not going to leave you on your own.”
“What about the Wilsons?”
“Give them a call. Tell them that you’re involved and offer to bring them in for an in-person meeting.”
“Okay. All right. I’ll get to work.”
“If it’s any consolation, I have a feeling Erin is going to be willing to make things better. She’s good. Her pride might be bruised, but I have a feeling she’ll get over it.”
“I hope so.” Sounding far more relieved, Harrison said, “Hey, Matt, thanks for taking my call.”
“Anytime.”
After they hung up, he realized that the conversation they’d shared was more honest and open than a lot of the ones he’d had during the last couple of years with his kids.
One day, with the Lord’s help, he hoped he’d be able to have that kind of relationship with them. He needed to keep doing what Harrison was going to tell Erin to do. Keep trying.
Speaking of trying, he texted Kennedy.
Any chance you’d like to come down to Walden? There’s a great B&B nearby. I’ll be happy to get you a room. We could do some hikes, and I’ll show you around.
Will I get to meet your family?
Absolutely.
Staring at the word, Matt realized that he’d just written it without thinking. But did he mean it? Yes. Even though she was probably too young for him and there might even be a dozen other reasons why they would never work out—likely all of them his fault—Matt wanted to introduce her to this part of his past.
No, to his life.
And that was it, wasn’t it? If nothing else, the experiences over the last month had reinforced his belief that he no longer had time to wait and hope for better relationships with his kids. If he didn’t act soon, then there was going to be nothing left.
Nothing but himself as an empty shell of a man. Wishing for people in his life to fill his soul.
His phone rang. When a familiar and very welcome name appeared on the screen, he couldn’t resist grinning. “Hi, Kennedy.”
“Hi. Are you busy?”
“I’m not too busy to talk. Is everything okay?”
“Hmm? Oh, sure.” She chuckled self-consciously. “Sorry, but I wanted to hear your voice when I asked you something.”
Leaning against the back of his seat, he said, “Ask me anything you want.”
“Okay . . . what do you think about me coming tomorrow afternoon and leaving the next day?”
“I’d think that it’s a great idea.”
“Are you sure?”
“More than sure.” Honestly, it was all he could do to sound calm and collected. His insides were practically doing a celebratory dance.
She exhaled, like she’d been afraid that he would’ve said no to her. “Okay! Well, text me the name of the place and I’ll—”
“I’ll get you a reservation.”
“I don’t want you to pay. I might not—”
“Honey, we both know I can afford it, right?” He didn’t want to brag about his wealth, but he wasn’t going to let her pay for a single thing when she was with him.
“Right.”
She sounded both resigned and amused. At least, he hoped that was the case. Boy, he wished he could see her. Maybe then he’d be able to know for sure how she felt. “Then don’t make a big deal about it.”
“So, um . . . you’ll text me all the info?”
“I will. And I’ll call you tomorrow when I know what we’re doing for supper.”
“Supper, huh?”
He knew Kennedy was smiling ear to ear, and who could blame her? There was nothing wrong with saying “supper” unless it was out of his mouth.
Because he probably hadn’t called dinner “supper” in years. “Old habits die hard,” he said, teasing her. “I’m so glad you’re coming. It’s going to be great.”
“Wait—Don’t go yet.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Do I need to wear anything special?”
“Well, it’s warm but a little cooler in the evenings—”
“I meant, around your family.” Sounding a little panicked, she added, “Do I need to wear a long dress? I don’t want to offend anyone.”
“No long dress is expected. Just wear whatever you feel comfortable in.” Teasing her, he added, “Anything is fine, except maybe not your shortest shorts or a tank top.”
“I would never!”
He chuckled. “Then you’re gonna be just fine.”
“Okay. Oh! Thank you. Did I say thank you?”
“You just did. And you’re welcome. See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow, Matt.” Her voice sweetened. “I can’t wait.”
“Me, neither.” Boy, he meant that, too. Kennedy had become important to him.
Grinning, he got on the phone and started looking for the number of the best inn in the area.
He had a reservation to make.