Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
ZOEY
M att woke me up this morning at ten.
Ten .
As in, I had already skipped two work meetings, and my dad had been harassing me for three hours before I was conscious.
Twenty-three missed calls.
He must think I’ve been kidnapped or that I’m lost in the woods. I’m half scared to turn the TV on and discover there’s already an ongoing investigation into my disappearance.
But by some miracle, the familiar knot in my stomach doesn’t tighten at the sight of the (twenty-three) missed calls. I’m not picking my nails, and my leg isn’t bouncing. I’m not hung up on fears about what could have gone wrong or how long I have to fix it. I’m not rushing to call him back either.
I’m just… doing one thing at a time.
First: drink the coffee Matt poured for me. He cleaned up, rejecting my offers to help as he gathered all the candles and blankets. And my lacy bra stuck in one of the rose pots.
This man literally opened his store late to let me sleep.
Yes, I’m keeping him.
Then, he fed me the pastries he picked up from Mia’s, convinced I would forget to eat for the rest of the day and insisting he wouldn’t let me leave with an empty stomach.
I left Daphne’s Wildflowers around eleven and headed straight to the mayor’s office to sign the sale agreement. Heart pounding, I scrawled my name on the dotted line as if I was accepting the rights to the beginning of the rest of my life.
Once that was done, I drove back to the cabin, showered, and attended a one-p.m. meeting with Corey.
Dad hasn’t tried to call me since this morning. And I have only one thing left to do before I call him back.
I scroll through the University of British Columbia website and navigate to the admissions page.
Okay, so I’m really doing this.
Deep breath. The sky won’t fall on my head and the floor won’t open up under my feet.
I click on the link for the pediatric nursing specialty and fill out the required fields. The program is set to start this winter, which gives me a few months to get my things in order. Talk it through with my dad and find a replacement.
I inhale and hold the air in my lungs, then force it out sharply. I don’t even know how to approach this conversation. Probably with a ten-foot pole. Full-on knight gear, definitely. Maybe I could be as brave as a man who’s trying to get out of a situationship and text him I quit .
With a heavy sigh, I rub my eyes. As complicated as my relationship with my dad is, as flawed as he is, he’s still my father, and I love him. The last thing I want is to shut him out of my life.
I fumble in my bag, and once I’ve found my phone, I snap a photo of my screen.
Zoey
Look what I’m doing
Not two minutes later, his response comes through.
Matt
I was just thinking about you. Someone walked into the store wearing ridiculous shoes. It’s October, for fuck’s sake.
I’m so proud of you, beautiful. Are you feeling okay? Do you want to call me?
I’m your support system now. His words echo in my mind, wrapping me in his safety, as though he’s standing next to me.
Zoey
I’m okay. A bit scared, but mostly excited.
Matt
It’s okay to be scared, but I’m excited for you too. I can’t wait to see you tonight and celebrate.
I frown.
Zoey
Celebrate?
Matt
Your application. That’s a big step. You deserve to highlight it properly. With frozen pizza and hot sex for dessert. And by dessert, I mean you. On my face. So basically, a celebration for me.
Laughing, I type my message.
Zoey
Don’t you have your sister tonight?
Matt
I’m dropping her off at my parents’ for a few hours. I want to help you move your stuff to the hotel too. Are you sure you’re okay with this?
Ah, yes. I need to pack my suitcases today.
Charlee and Oliver will be back from their trip tomorrow.
Initially, I planned to stay at Matt’s, but now that Daph is spending another week at his place, it makes more sense for me to sleep at the Butterfly Inn.
He doesn’t want her to be uncomfortable, and I agree that taking it step by step is the most sensible option.
It’ll be easier for Daphne to get used to me living with her brother once she’s not living with him too.
And once I figure out what my next few months are gonna look like.
Zoey
I’m absolutely okay with it. You guys should have your space. Looking forward to finally bonding with Ruth.
Thirty minutes later, the application is filled out and the fees are paid, and I have one thing left to do.
“Here we go.” Heart in my throat, I hit the submit button. “Holy shit.”
I rise from my chair and pace the room, shaking out my hands. “ Holy shit, I did it. ”
It’s only when I walk past the mirror in the hallway that I realize I’m grinning from ear to ear.
At three p.m., I finally pick up the phone. I tap on my father’s contact, and on the second ring, he answers.
“What took you so long?”
Oh, he’s very much grumpy. Great.
“Sorry, the day slipped away from me. I’ve got good news, though.”
He grunts a flat “What?”
“I signed the land agreement this morning. We secured the lot for the hotel.”
“That’s great news, princess,” he says, his tone only mildly more friendly. “So everything is in order? They can’t back out of it again, right?”
Wow, that failed deal really traumatized him, didn’t it?
“No, it’s signed now. I sent it to our lawyers a couple of hours ago so we can get the ball rolling with our accountants and tax people.”
“Perfect. The shareholders’ meeting is next month.
I’ll shoot them an email today to let them know you closed the deal.
Great job, princess. I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but this should sway the votes in your favor.
Jeff is gonna be thrilled. He’s been pestering me about his golf course for two years. ”
I swallow, my throat like sandpaper. Maybe it’s not the right time to tell him I don’t want to—wait. Golf course ?
“What golf course?”
“Attached to the hotel. The land is next to a small patch of woods, right? If we take those trees down, we can even out the ground and put in a golf course.”
“There’s no golf course in my proposal, Dad.”
My voice comes out short. Tired. Confused.
He hums. “I know there isn’t. We won’t be moving forward with your project. I’ll be sending you the new proposal tonight.”
My legs wobble, and I almost go down. But I manage to remain upright until I throw myself into the nearest chair. “This is not what we agreed on. I convinced these people and won the town’s vote based on the project I presented. They’ll never accept something else.”
He chuckles, the sound skittering over me like tiny spiders.
“They don’t have to. The land has been secured.
The deal is done. All is good, princess.
Sometimes, plans change. That’s business, you know that.
Why do you care anyway? You got what you wanted.
The job will be yours. I’m proud of my daughter today. ”
A sharp, cold chill sinks into my chest.
The words I’ve been craving to hear for so long ring in my ears with a strident echo, their meaning completely hollow.
They don’t have the impact I thought they’d have. There’s no warmth to them. No sense of accomplishment washing over me. They feel wrong.
I should have known he’d choose this moment to say them for the first time. That he’d twist the kind of praise that’s held such power over me for years and weaponize it against me.
I feel dirty. Like I’ve been complicit all along.
My stomach churns, nausea rising in my throat, bitterness coating my tongue.
“Dad, I gotta go. I’ll call you back.”
Without waiting for a response, I hang up, my breath coming out ragged.
He wouldn’t really do this to me, would he? He wouldn’t use me so blatantly. And for what? A couple more millions in his and his buddies’ already overinflated bank accounts?
Hand shaking, I snag my computer and open my emails.
I need to come up with something. Shut down whatever this ridiculous plan is and find a way to stick to the original one, the one the people of Pine Falls agreed on.
Fuck, the people .
I close my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose.
If I can’t stand up to my father, if I can’t convince the shareholders to back off…
Then I might as well say goodbye to Pine Falls. And everybody in it.
Dad sent over his disgusting proposal at five, and my head has been buried in it since, trying to make sense of how I could’ve been so blind.
Trying to come to terms with the truth: that he’s been planning this for weeks, if not months. There’s no way he would have whipped up something so outlined, so detailed, in a few days, let alone hours.
No, this was premeditated.
And there’s a nagging voice in my mind that’s planting the idea that maybe, the night I came over, the TV was on the Discovery Channel on purpose.
My own father has manipulated me. Moved me like a pawn when I thought I was his right-hand woman.
This is the last fucking straw.
I’m so lost in my thoughts, so consumed by this profound betrayal, that I don’t even realize what time it is.
I don’t hear Matt when he comes in. Don’t notice his presence until he’s standing behind me, his giant hands pressed on my upper arms.
“Hi, beautiful.”
I startle and slam the laptop shut. “Hi,” I heave. “You scared me.”
Matt watches me, one brow raised. “Are you okay?” He rounds the chair and hooks a finger under my chin, forcing my gaze to meet his. “Zoé, tell me. What’s going on?”
His eyes search mine, a scowl spreading across his face. I hate that I can’t hide anything from him, that he takes one look at me and knows right away that I’m on the verge of crumbling.
“It’s been a long day, that’s all.”
I free myself from his hold, the weight of his gaze too much to bear. But he doesn’t let me get away with it.
Crouching in front of me, he gives me a tender look. “Talk to me. What’s got you so worked up?” He nods toward my laptop. “What’s on there?”