27. Daphne
Chapter Twenty-Seven
DAPHNE
We’ll miss you .
My brain couldn’t let go of the “we” in that statement. Flynn hadn’t been speaking of himself as an individual. It was all of them as a group who would miss me in a collective way.
Meanwhile, I missed him so acutely my heart ached from it. Oh, I missed Cat and Nora and all the guys too, yet it was only Flynn to whom my thoughts circled back to again and again.
I stood outside my family’s offices in Atlanta as traffic crowded the streets. The air was warm and still humid, even in autumn. I’d always loved this city. I still did, but it was so different now. I’d spent my lifetime before Brandon died absorbing the world through the lens handed to me by my parents. Now, I knew how crisp the air could smell and the sheer glory of the wilderness outside the city. And so much more.
Even though I didn’t know if Flynn loved me, it was his strength and belief in me that buoyed me when I walked into the building and prepared to face my past. I was distantly surprised at how much I wasn’t falling apart.
When I entered the building lobby, I got a startled smile from the man behind the reception desk. “Hey, George,” I called with a wave.
“Hello, Miss Bell. I didn’t know when we would see you again.” His Southern accent was like soothing honey.
I paused, wondering how long I’d known George. “How long have I known you?”
The lines on his face deepened around his eyes when he smiled. “Well, Daphne, I’ve been working here since you were ten years old.”
His brown eyes twinkled as I reached across the desk to squeeze his hand. “Eighteen years. Wow. I missed you, although I can’t say I missed the rest.”
George’s eyes sobered. He’d come to Brandon’s funeral and also visited him in the hospital. Before Brandon was sick, George kept him company occasionally when I was racing between my restaurant and my office here.
“It’s good to see you. I absolutely understand why you might not love coming back here,” George said with a dip of his chin. At that moment, someone else approached the desk. With George’s quick smile and the understanding in his eyes lifting me, I walked into the elevator.
During my marriage, I’d taken this elevator skyward every morning with my ex. I’d had many abrupt revelations in the months before Brandon died and the time since—death brings shocking clarity in ways nothing else can. One revelation became even more blindingly clear now.
I’d been so young when I married, fresh out of college. I didn’t know better, yet I thought I knew everything. Not in an arrogant way, just in a foolish, na?ve way.
At the time, I considered myself lucky to fall in love with the son of my family’s closest business partners. It had almost seemed fated. Now, I knew it wasn’t love. Just infatuation of a person and an idea built on the shakiest of foundations that collapsed the minute something difficult happened. It was like spun glass that shattered under the slightest pressure.
I tried to imagine Flynn in this situation with me. Although I knew he would be out of place, his tall, formidable presence would walk these hallways with more authentic confidence than my ex ever had.
As I stepped out of the elevator and saw the glass doorway into my family’s business offices, I experienced a breathtaking shaft of longing for Flynn. I genuinely wasn’t going to that place where I started to wonder what I really meant to him. Because it didn’t matter. What we had and the nights we’d spent together were more real than anything I’d experienced before. The same was true for the friendships I’d formed in the few months I’d been in Alaska. I had survived the worst. Whether or not Flynn fell in love with me, I would be okay. But right now, I missed him dearly, and I suddenly felt weary.
I remembered how grumpy he could be and the flip side of that. I remembered the feel of his palm at the curve of my spine when my mother showed up, and the feel of him cupping my cheek when he called me princess. I lifted my chin and forced my legs forward.
Just now, I expected to feel a little sick and intimidated. The way I’d felt for months every time I tried to come to these offices while I’d been facing down my son’s cancer.
Striding through the doors, I looked ahead to see Carol, the receptionist. Her eyes widened when she saw me. She recovered quickly, schooling her expression to a bland and polite one. “Good morning, Daphne.”
Carol had been friends with my friend and had covered up the affair. Although Nat had been fired, I surmised no one knew about Carol’s knowledge. I smiled tightly. Okay was the best I could describe how I was doing. “Good morning,” I replied.
Brushing past her, I strolled down the hallway. I hadn’t asked, but I was prepared for my office to no longer be available for me. I didn’t intend to use it, but I was mildly curious. When I stopped beside the door, I saw my name was still on it, and it was locked. Sliding my key in, I stepped into the office, then closed the door behind me.
Someone must have cleaned because it was perfectly tidy. Nothing was on the surface of my desk, and the office was untouched. I hadn’t come to this office since I learned of Pete’s affair. That had been before Brandon even died.
I was learning I was stronger than I expected. I thought this would be painful, but it wasn’t. I had already let this go. Turning, I left my office unlocked and strode down the hallway with purpose. Reaching my father’s office, I knocked. When I heard him call, “Come in,” I stepped inside and immediately closed the door behind me.
“Hello, Dad.”
He hadn’t even looked up yet. I did have one thing on my side: surprise. His eyes whipped up. “Daphne! I didn’t know you were here.”
“I know. I’m sure George or Carol tried to buzz you.”
My father glanced at his phone and cast a wry smile.
He rose from his chair and rounded his desk. I stood in front of it, my fingertips resting on the edge of the desk. When he stopped in front of me, I was surprised to see regret and sadness pass through his eyes. “I just want you to know I’m sorry,” he said slowly, his voice gruff.
This shocked me. I didn’t realize my mouth dropped open for a moment. As soon as I did, I snapped it shut. “For what?”
“For not putting you first.” My father pulled me into a hug, his arms folding around me.
After a moment where I was frozen, I returned the hug before stepping back. “I’m not coming back to work here. I came to tell you that in person.”
My father strode to stare out the windows, which looked out over downtown Atlanta. After a moment, he returned to his desk and rested his hips against it. “I understand. I actually looked into whether we could unwind the partnership with Pete’s family. It’s a remote possibility, but nothing that can happen quickly from a legal perspective. I was going to ask what you would like me to do.”
Of all the things I had anticipated and steeled myself to face, this wasn’t one of them. Giving myself a mental shake, I shrugged. “Even if you go through the trouble to do that, I’m not going to work here. It brings me no joy. Do what’s best for the business.”
My father’s eyes searched my face, his gaze shrewd and assessing. After a moment, he nodded. “Understood. Well then, I’m only going to make one change.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m only going to keep the partnership intact if Pete is no longer working here. Because it’s been a hard year and it’s been messy, I’ve left it alone. But that’ll be the one change I’ll make.”
My surprise must’ve shown on my face again. My father regarded me quietly before striding to look out the windows again. The set of his shoulders was stiff, and he exuded a sense of weariness.
“There are many things I haven’t gotten right in this lifetime, Daphne. But asking you to consider staying on after what happened with Pete will remain one of my biggest regrets.”
I waited quietly. I couldn’t say I was happy about this. It was more that, for the first time in my life, I felt as if my father was trying to understand.
Turning back to look at me, he continued, “I’m sorry. Your mother is still struggling because she wants you to come home. I told her that perhaps she needs to make the choice of whether to have a relationship with you at all.”
I swallowed through the emotion lodging in my throat and nodded slowly. “It’s not my personality to never talk to you or her, but this year has brought some things into focus. You didn’t have to, but thank you for making the decision about Pete. Honestly, I’m not going to be working here, so if it’s better for the business to keep him, that’s fine.”
My father shook his head slightly. “It’s not really a business decision. Well, I suppose it is. Our family controls fifty-one percent of this company, and his family controls forty-nine percent. It’s taken me a while to come to this, but I can’t work effectively with someone who would do what he did to you. So, there you go. Does your mother know you’re here?”
“I was just going to see her next. I didn’t call ahead.”
My father chuckled softly. “Well, I know that, dear. My phone would’ve been blowing up from her if you had.”
I stepped to him, and he hugged me firmly before drawing back and squeezing my shoulders. As his hands fell away, he asked, “What is your plan?”
“I don’t know.”
I left my father’s office and walked up the stairs to the top floor where my mother’s office was. Over the years, my mother had held different positions in the company. Within the last decade, she almost exclusively handled the charitable projects for the business, a small but very busy operation.
My father’s question echoed in my thoughts. What is your plan?
I honestly didn’t know. I had some ideas, but no more than that. I would wing it, and it would be okay. I was starting to understand I would live with a jagged scar in my heart from losing my son for the rest of my life. But scar tissue is stronger than the original tissue after it heals.
I remembered Flynn’s eyes, that glacial blue with the charcoal rim. I heard him say “princess” in my thoughts again and again. I felt my lips curling in a smile at recalling how much he’d initially annoyed me and just what a grumpy guy he could be.
Another shaft of longing pierced me. I missed him. I knew I would get over him. I would go back to Alaska, and I would cook there. Then I would probably leave when it felt right because I didn’t know if Flynn could ever let down his guard enough to love anyone, and I never wanted him to change.
When I knocked on my mother’s door, it whipped open. She stood there, practically vibrating with energy. “Your father just called to let me know you were here. Why didn’t you call and let us know you were coming home?” She all but yanked me into her office. “Thank goodness you had enough sense to—” She stopped talking when I looked at her sharply.
“Mom, let’s not talk about how much sense you think I have about anything. I came back to officially let you know I’m not returning to work here.”
“You’ll re-open your restaurant then.” She said this firmly, as if it were a task already executed. As if re-opening my small café was quick and easy.
I shook my head again. “I don’t think so. I’m going to figure out what I want to do. While I do that, I have a job in Alaska, and I don’t intend to leave them hanging.”
My mother sighed, pursing her lips. “Have you fallen for that man?”
I wasn’t about to go into my feelings for Flynn with my mother. “Mom, it doesn’t matter. I’m not working here, and I don’t plan to live in Atlanta. I’ll come to visit, and we’ll be fine. As for what I’m doing and who I’m in love with, it doesn’t really matter.”
My mother’s lips pressed into a thin line, and I was shocked to see the sheen of tears in her eyes. “I don’t like having you so far away,” she finally said.
“Mom, I don’t know where I’ll end up, but it won’t be here. That’s just not what I want. Maybe that will change, but for now, I know that. Can you just try to understand?”
My mother’s eyes, so similar to my own, lifted. She regarded me quietly. “I’m trying. Did your father tell you he’s making it a condition of the partnership that Pete leaves his position?”
I nodded. “That still doesn’t change my mind, and I told him that.”
My mother let out a soft breath and gave a sharp nod. “How long will you be here?”
“A few days.”
My mother, who’d never been the warmest person even when times were good, stepped to me and lifted her hands to squeeze my shoulders. “I love you, Daphne. I don’t understand, but I will try.”
She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my cheek, the height of affection for my mother. “Where are you staying?” she asked when she stepped back.
“Well, I hoped with you and Dad.”
“Of course. We’ll have dinner together tonight.”