Chapter 40 Miles
FORTY
Miles
I sit in the office with Kingston and Willa.
Willa is stone-faced as she stares me down. No more Mrs. Nice Guy.
Now that Lucy’s gone, I feel like there’s nothing protecting me from Willa’s wrath.
“Are you mad at me?” I dare to ask.
Willa shakes her head. “You were there to help my sister. You saw that she needed help. You did what I should have.”
“I really like your sister.” Understatement of the year. “I’d do anything for her.”
She sighs heavily. “And now I’m going to do something I should have done a long time ago.”
Murder someone?
She reaches for something on the desk. Her phone. She makes a call, putting it on speakerphone.
“Do you want us to leave?” I ask, glancing at Kingston.
“No. I think I need people here for this phone call.”
Kingston looks as confused as I do, but then the ringing stops, and a voice picks up.
“Willa?” a man with a shaky voice asks hesitantly.
“Yes.” Willa’s voice cracks on the single word.
She reaches up to adjust the glasses that have slid down her nose. Her eyes look a little red and misty.
“Oh, sweetie.” And then the man on the other end starts sobbing. Big, convulsing sobs.
Kingston and I stare at each other. Then Kingston seems to recall who it could be and nods once, scooting his chair closer to Willa and grasping her hand. She clutches it for dear life.
“Dad,” she says haltingly.
The man on the other end of the line gasps. “Oh, honey, it’s so good to hear your voice.”
“Why haven’t you called?” Willa asks, her voice brittle.
The man clears his throat several times, like he’s trying to get the words to come out right. “I’ve wanted to because I’ve missed you so much. It’s just that I didn’t know if you wanted to talk to me.”
“I needed you.”
“But I didn’t want to pressure you.”
“You’re my dad!” she shouts. “Where have you been?”
I didn’t know I was signing up for a front seat to a reality drama series, but I’m not sure if I should pull out a bowl of popcorn or pass her some tissues for an inevitable breakdown.
“You want me there?” He actually sounds shocked.
So, either he’s a great actor or he genuinely didn’t know she wanted anything to do with him.
“Of course I do. I’ve needed you. I haven’t called because I thought you couldn’t stand to be around me when you knew the truth.”
There’s a loud scraping and then a shuffling noise in the background. “I’m buying a plane ticket right now.”
“You don’t even know where I live,” she mutters.
I glance at the door, wishing Lucy hadn’t left. It would be better if she were here for her sister.
“You live in Green Valley, Oregon. You’re working for Kappa Holdings, and you started a cat café as a charity.”
Willa freezes. “You’ve been following me?”
“You’re my daughter. Of course I’ve been keeping up with your life. I love you.”
Willa squeezes her eyes shut, but I can see the tears roll down her cheeks behind her glasses. “Did you know that Lucy paid for my college?”
“What?” His voice rises.
“Yes,” Willa whispers. “She’s been filling your place all these years. You and Mom abandoned us. And she’s the one who held us together. Do you know how awful I was to her?”
Kingston motions for me to follow him out of the office.
“Her dad?” I ask.
“That’s Willa and Lucy’s dad. Well, Lucy’s anyway. They found out when they were still in high school and Lucy’s dad moved out. Willa makes it sound like there hasn’t been much contact since. He sends her birthday and Christmas cards with cash but hasn’t made an effort to visit her.”
He starts walking out of the office area, toward the elevator, and I follow. “Let’s go grab some sandwiches while she finishes the call. She’ll need something to eat after that conversation.”
Kingston looks like he needs a strong drink.
I suck in a deep breath. It hurts hearing this again. Seeing how much their parents have hurt both Lucy and Willa.
No wonder Lucy felt like she had to take care of her sister. I would have felt the same way about Ainsley.
I follow him onto the elevator and listen to the hum of the motor as it brings us to the ground floor.
“Should I say something to Lucy about the phone call?” I ask as the elevator chimes and the doors slide open.
Kingston shakes his head. “I wouldn’t. From what Willa’s told me, their dad went no-contact for years. It might get Lucy’s hopes up. And it sounds like she’s been through enough already.”
“She’s stronger than you two realize,” I mutter as I follow him out the main doors and start walking toward the sandwich shop only a couple of doors down.
Kingston nods his agreement. “I think you’re right. She’s just better at hiding it than the rest of us. Thanks for walking with me. I probably would have hovered outside the door without you.”
“Yeah, well, I need to talk about something big with you.”
“As if we haven’t already had enough big shocks today,” Kingston mumbles as he opens the door to the restaurant.
The shop smells good when we enter. Kingston places an order for a couple of sandwiches, and then I place my order.
“Why’d we even bother coming in to work today?” Kingston asks dryly as we move out of the way of the ordering line.
“It’s the only place we could find you two so we could talk. Lucy didn’t want to hide it anymore.”
“I wish I could say I was shocked that you guys are married…” Kingston pauses.
“But?”
He grins. “But I’m not. You’ve always been sure of what you want.”
“You realize it’s all fake, right?”
Kingston throws his head back and laughs. “Yeah, Lucy and Willa might think that…but I know you. And I think I know when my best friend is head over heels in love with someone.”
I grimace. “If it’s so obvious, why hasn’t she noticed or said anything?”
“Have you ever considered that she might feel the same way? You are married, after all.”
“You just like saying the M-word.”
“Yeah, because I never thought you’d find someone that you felt comfortable with.”
I bristle at that. “You’re my best friend. I’m comfortable with you.”
Kingston shakes his head. “But you feel safer with Lucy. I’ve watched you two.
You don’t have to perform for her or mask your feelings.
I know you’re good at making everyone feel comfortable in a group.
You’re the one who’s good at making people feel at ease—even if they’re not your favorite person—but I know you have to always be on.
I like seeing you comfortable with someone. ”
There’s no point in denying it. “I love her, and I want her to stay married to me, but I don’t want to scare her away by telling her that.”
“Well, sounds like you’re in a real pickle.” He walks away, laughing.
Like he’s enjoying me having a problem.
“You’re about to have your own pickle,” I call after him.
The lady standing next to me in the sandwich shop looks at me with concern on her face.
Okay, so maybe I shouldn’t be yelling about pickles.
Kingston looks back at me, the sandwich bag in his hand. “And what is that?”
I catch up with him after I grab my bag of lunch and follow him out of the shop. “There’s no easy way to say this.”
“Want me to hold your hand?”
“Absolutely not,” I mutter.
“Then just say it.”
“I’m going to be done at Kappa Holdings.”
Kingston doesn’t falter. He doesn’t trip and sprawl on the sidewalk face-first, like I expected him to. He just nods. “I knew this day would come.”
“The day I’d quit on you?”
He shakes his head. “The day you realized what you really loved doing. You’re going back into business with your parents, aren’t you?”
I nod. “How did you know?”
“The way you talked about it when we first roomed together in college. The way you talk about it now. You’re way more excited about the latest brand of kayaks your parents are getting than the million-dollar real estate deal you closed.
” He chuckles. “I guess if I were a good friend, I would have pointed it out to you sooner. But I like working with you, and I’m selfish. So, I kept my mouth shut.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t cut it as a corporate guy.”
“I’m not gonna lie; you’ve made this business a lot of fun, and it’s not going to be the same without you. We can change things so that you’re a silent partner and figure out the profit share later.”
I clear my throat. I really would love not to have to sit in on another board meeting ever again in my life. “What if I sold to Thea and you made her your partner?”
He finally stops and looks at me. “Has anyone told you that you’re a genius?”
“I can’t even take credit. It was Lucy’s idea.”
Kingston swings open the door to our office building. “Yeah, you should probably propose for real sometime soon. She’s definitely the better half.”