Chapter 21 #2
father, about what he did to my mother. And I told her about her own father. And I should probably be feeling guilty that
I didn’t tell her the truth about him a long time ago, but I don’t.” She paused. “When that man walked into the room today,
I felt—”
“Vulnerable?”
“Yes. For a moment I was eleven years old again and feeling worthless. I had no idea that seeing him would have such an effect
on me. Fortunately, it was a mercifully short moment, but I’m glad it happened because it confirmed that I made the right
decision not to tell Abby about her father when she was a child.”
“We talked about that at the time, but I wasn’t sure if you’d changed your mind as she grew up.”
“I didn’t. I suppose I thought that maybe I’d tell her one day, but it never felt like the right time.
At what age do you tell a child her father didn’t want her?
That she wasn’t important? I wanted her to be confident and secure.
I wanted her to know she was loved and wanted, because she was.
I didn’t want her to spend her life trying to prove herself. ”
“As you did.”
She nodded. “I grew up fighting a constant battle between what he made me feel about myself and what I wanted to feel about
myself. You know that.” She ate another piece of omelette and then put her fork down. “The crazy thing is that for a moment
when he walked into that room, I thought maybe he wanted to apologise. I thought maybe the way he treated us had been on his
mind and he wanted to clear his conscience. But he wanted money.”
He sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It made it easier. And it proved that people don’t always change. They don’t always see the error of their ways.
Sometimes they stay as bad as you always thought they were. And in a way that makes it easier to deal with.”
“You do seem remarkably relaxed.”
“Because seeing him felt like closure.” She leaned back and smiled, slightly stunned by that realisation. “Listen to me! Until
this moment I didn’t even know I needed closure.”
“So you also told Abby about her own father? You’ve had quite a day.”
“She took it surprisingly well. She seemed more concerned about me than herself. They have no relationship of course, and
I gave her enough of the truth growing up to make sure she didn’t harbour any fairy-tale illusions about her grandfather.
Hearing the truth about her own father would have been much harder, I’m sure. She’ll have questions when she has had time
to think about it.”
“From what I’ve seen she’s a kind, steady and level-headed person. I’m sure she’ll handle it.”
It warmed her to hear him praise her daughter. “You think you know your own child, and then suddenly you look at them and realise they are adults and they have qualities you haven’t noticed before.”
He looked at her with interest. “Like what?”
“I never knew what a good listener she was before today. Probably because I’ve never confided in her before. Today, I was
the one supposed to be supporting her and in the end she was the one supporting me.” She felt pressure in her chest as she
remembered Abby’s hand on hers and the look in her eyes. “And you’re right, she’s kind. I used to worry that was a weakness,
a vulnerability that people could exploit, but in Abby I’ve seen it is possible to be both strong and kind. She has none of
my hard edges.”
“Because she has never had to deal with the things you dealt with. You protected her. And you’re kind, too.”
“I don’t think I am.”
“Try telling that to the man you helped all those years ago.”
“I was lucky to be in a position to help.”
“Not everyone would have done it, even if they could. But you did.”
And it had felt good to be able to ease someone else’s burden, even if only by a small amount.
Alexandra smiled at him. “Abby told me how helpful you’ve been since she arrived. Did you know who she was, despite the name?”
“Yes. She has your eyes.”
“But you didn’t tell anyone.”
Edward sat back in his chair. “I assumed there was a reason you didn’t want her to reveal her identity.”
“There was.” She paused. “The official reason was that I needed her to get close to the staff. To get a true picture of what
was going on in the hotel. People knowing who she was would have altered the dynamic. She was uncomfortable with the idea.”
“I can imagine. She seems a straightforward and honest person.”
“She is, but she’s also astute about the business and she could see there was truth in what I was saying.”
His gaze was steady. “You said that was the official reason. What was the real reason?”
“That’s more complicated.” It didn’t come naturally to her to confide in people, but this was Edward. “If I tell you this,
it mustn’t go any further.”
“I’ve kept our secret for thirty years, Alex. I think I can be trusted with this one.”
She nodded. “I did it for her. She isn’t happy at work. Oh, she works hard and she’s successful and there is no one who understands
the business as well as she does. I have no doubt that she loves the work and she has a gift for curating an exceptional guest
experience, but the team don’t include her.” It stressed her to talk about it, just as it had stressed her to watch it over
the years. “There are times when they actively exclude her, because of who she is.”
“The boss’s daughter.”
“Yes. It’s a hindrance, not a help. They keep her at a distance. She pretends it doesn’t hurt, but I can see it does. And
it hurts me, too. I don’t show it, of course, but it keeps me awake at night. I’ve felt helpless.” She took a deep breath
and flashed him a smile. “And that’s something I wouldn’t admit to anyone but you.”
“Welcome to parenthood.”
“Yes. Watching your child suffer is the ultimate form of torture, even when they’re adults.”
“True. If anything, it’s harder when they’re adults.” He pushed the plate towards her. “Eat a little more.”
“I’m not very—”
“Eat. For me.”
She sighed and took another mouthful of food. “It is good.”
“Finish it.”
“Eddie—” She started to object but then decided it would be easier to do as he wanted. “No one usually cares whether I eat
or not.”
“I care.” He watched while she cleared the plate and then nodded approval. “So back to Abby. You must have been tempted to
fire your entire executive team.”
“Believe me, I considered it.”
He nodded. “But instead, you sent her here.”
“This place is special, we both know that. I thought if she was able to join as part of the team, as herself and not as my
daughter, hopefully make friends and have a couple of months here over the summer, it might be exactly what she needed. And
at the least it would give her a break from office politics. I knew it would be problematic when the truth finally came out,
but I was hoping that by then she would have made sufficient connections to be able to weather it. I probably didn’t think
that part through well enough. I let emotions drive my decision making, which is a first for me.”
“It worked out fine in the end. She and Evie have a bond.”
It pleased her to hear it. “They always did, even as children.”
He nodded. “Evie has gained some confidence working with Abby, and Abby has definitely relaxed since the day she arrived.
And she’s something of a local hero since her dramatic rescue yesterday evening. I assume she told you about that?”
“Rescue? No.” She listened while he filled her in, feeling pride as he described her daughter’s bravery and then laughing
as he filled her in on Abby’s moment of fame playing piano in the pub. “That doesn’t sound like her.”
“If your objective was to send her here so that she could let her hair down and live life a little, I’d say you’ve achieved
that.”
“I’m glad. And I’m looking forward to hearing more about it.”
He finished his wine. “So you engineered this whole thing for her. And she doesn’t know?”
“I hope not. She’d be mortified. She’s independent and self-reliant.”
“No need to ask who she gets that from.”
“Indeed. But there’s no rule that says a mother can’t give her child a helping hand occasionally, even if that child is a
fully functioning adult. Also, I had to give a reason to the executive group. I couldn’t exactly tell them I was sending her
over here for a break from them.” She gave a faint smile. “Don’t tell anyone. I prefer people to think I don’t have a heart.”
He put his glass down slowly, his gaze fixed on hers. “I’ve never thought that.”
She swallowed. “Not even when I moved to Boston?”
“You were as heartbroken as I was.”
It was true. It had been one of the most difficult decisions of her life.
“I loved you,” she said softly. “Very much.”
“I know you did. And I loved you back. I also understood why you needed to go.”
And that was one of the reasons she’d loved him. “Those first few months were hard. You have no idea how many times I wanted
to book a flight back to you.”
He held her gaze. “And you have no idea how many hours I spent hoping that you would.”
She felt a pang. No matter how much she disciplined herself not to, it was impossible to not occasionally ask the what if question.
“It wouldn’t have been fair. Not on either of us. I’d made a decision, and I stuck to it.”
“But you never came back. Never visited.”
“I was busy.” She paused. They’d never lied to each other, and she wasn’t going to start now.
“But that wasn’t it. I had a vision for the future and a purpose.
I didn’t want anything to derail that. After feeling helpless and powerless for most of my life, suddenly I saw a route where I was the one in control.
I was given the opportunity to build the business, and I wanted to do that.
I wanted to build a secure future for my daughter and I wanted—no, I needed—to prove myself. ”
“And you’ve done that.”
“Yes, I suppose I have.” She finished her drink. “We’ve talked enough about me. Tell me about you. I know you love your work,
and I know you love this community. Did you marry?” She had no right to ask, but she needed to know.
“No. I found love twice in a lifetime. That’s more than most. You?”
She shook her head. “There was no one after you. No one important.” How could there be? Five minutes in his company was enough
to remind her why she’d never been interested in anyone else. “Abby has started asking questions about us.”
“So has Evie.”
“What did you tell her?”
“Nothing. You?”
“Nothing.”
He toyed with his empty glass. “So what happens next?”
It was the question she should have been asking herself but she hadn’t wanted to.
“I’m not sure. I have a couple of people to see tomorrow and then I need to think.”
“I wasn’t talking about the business.”
“Oh.” And now they came to the awkward part. He was going to ask her what she was doing here, visiting him, and she didn’t
even know.
“You said you felt a sense of closure from seeing your father. Is that why you knocked on my door? Closure?”
“No. That wasn’t why.” This was ridiculous. At her age, with her level of competence, she shouldn’t be sitting here feeling
like a flustered teenager on a first date.
He studied her for a long moment. “When are you flying back?”
“I don’t know. When my business here is concluded, I suppose.”
“Can I persuade you to take some time for yourself while you’re here?”
“You mean a vacation?”
“I assume you’re allowed time off. You are the boss.”
The way he said it made her smile. “That’s right. I am.” Her smile faded. “But we can’t turn the clock back.”
“I’m not suggesting that we do. I’m a big believer in living life forwards.”
“We’re different people now, Eddie.”
“No, we’re not. We’re the same people but in a different place. Possibly a better place. We no longer have the responsibilities
we once had. And you’ve proved whatever it was you needed to prove. We don’t owe anybody anything. Perhaps it’s time to focus
on ourselves.”
Her heart was thudding. He was every bit as charismatic as she remembered. “I’m still not sure what you’re suggesting.”
“I’m suggesting exactly what you think I’m suggesting.”
The steady thud turned into a swooping flutter. “We’re a little old for romance, don’t you think?”
“I do not think that. And neither do you. Love is a feeling, not a fashion trend. You don’t have to be a certain age to wear
it.”
He’d always had the ability to unsettle her. “It has been a long time, Eddie.”
“Exactly. Enough time wasted, I’d say.” He stood up and held out his hand.
She hesitated and then took it and felt his fingers close over hers, his grip firm. “What about the plate and the glasses?
We should at least tidy up.”
“Tidying up is for responsible adults and tonight that’s not us. We’ll clear them up in the morning.”