Chapter 45
45
I go in the direction of my dreams.
I have to earn the right to tell Sloane I love her. To do that, I need to clear a big hurdle. Even though it’s late, I call a Lyft and head uptown to Doug’s place, stopping in the lobby at the concierge desk, hoping he’s not taxiing at the airport, ready for takeoff. The man rings Doug’s apartment, and I cross my fingers, sending a tense prayer out to the universe that my business partner is still in town.
I wait.
Then I pump a fist when the concierge says into the phone, “There’s a Malone Goodman here to see you, sir.”
I wait an interminable amount of time for the concierge to nod and tell me to head to the elevator.
When I press the button, it takes a decade till the elevator arrives. I step inside, just as the other elevator shows up too. The door closes and I will it to shoot up seven stories, lightning fast, to make up the time.
I haven’t planned a speech or mapped out a detailed presentation. I march down the hallway and arrive at Doug’s door unrehearsed. I take a deep breath, letting it fill me with strength and courage.
I don’t know how Sloane is going to react when I finally tell her how I feel. But I know that you can’t fix a problem if you don’t start at the beginning. There’s a process. A way to do things. You don’t get to the end of the song if you haven’t sung the beginning. You don’t finish the surgery if you haven’t begun it. You have to do your job in the right order.
Maybe this is the order I should’ve followed years ago.
But I’m going to follow it now—my relationship with Doug came first, so I have to tell him before I tell her.
I knock on the door. He opens it, shooting me a quizzical look then smiling. “Hey, Malone. Come on in.”
I step inside and jump off the cliff. “I’m glad you haven’t left yet because I need to tell you I’m madly in love with your daughter. I have been for some time. I’m not asking your permission to pursue a relationship with her, because I’m going to pursue it anyway. I know you once told me not to get any ideas, but I’m crazy in love with her, so that ship has sailed.”
Wow. That felt good. That felt freeing, like I’m ten pounds lighter.
Doug’s lips twitch. Someone else chuckles. A feminine voice calls out from the living room: “I told you so.”
Doug opens the door farther, and Helena strides over and wraps me in a hug. “I’ve been telling him for the longest time that I thought you and Sloane would make a great couple.”
Doug points at her proudly. “She’s always right.”
Helena drops a kiss on his cheek. “I’m always right.”
Doug parks his hands on his hips, staring at me. “What are you going to do about it, Malone? Are you going to go find her and tell her?”
I part my lips but no words come. I’m flabbergasted. I didn’t expect this response. Reflexively, I rub my jaw. I expected he’d slam a fist into my face or tell me not over his dead body .
I try again to speak, managing only a strangled “But . . .”
Doug laughs. “Cat got your tongue?”
I sputter, “Sir, I just . . . I didn’t think.”
He claps me on the shoulder. “You thought I didn’t know. You thought I’d have a problem with it.”
“Well, you did tell me not to get any ideas when you hired me.”
“Exactly. But that was seven years ago. Of course I didn’t want you going after her then. You were just starting with me.”
I wisely keep my mouth shut about when my feelings started, as Doug keeps talking.
“But over the years, I’ve gotten to know you. I’ve seen you change. You seemed like something of a Casanova at first, but then I came to know other sides of you. I saw how you cared not just for the animals, but for the employees, for the business. I saw how you look out for your mom. How you spend time with your sister. You care deeply for the people in your life. You’re a good man, Malone.”
“Thank you sir,” I say, still shocked that he’s giving me his blessing when I never thought I’d have it offered so willingly.
“Truth be told, once Sloane started working in the practice, I kept thinking you two might be a good fit.”
I shake my head in surprise. “You did?”
He nods, pleased with his matchmaker instincts, it seems. “But as for you, you just thought you should stuff your feelings deep down inside and ignore them. Right?”
Nailed it. “I suppose that’s what I thought.”
Helena laughs. “And how’s that working out for you?”
I shake my head. “Not very well.”
“I appreciate you telling me,” Doug says. “I think it’s fantastic. The young vet and the animal rescuer. I can’t think of a more perfect combination. You’ll be good to my daughter. I’m just glad you had the common sense to figure it out quickly.”
I chuckle silently.
“And to tell me,” Doug adds.
If he only knew how long it’s truly taken.
“Me too,” I say. “Thank you, Doug. I can’t thank you enough.”
He clears his throat. “Listen, I owe you an apology. I know I’ve been all over the place—retiring, not retiring, cutting back, taking off for my trip tomorrow. It’s probably been frustrating from time to time.” He tugs Helena in closer. “But that’s because I’ve been trying to decide what to do next—work or spend more time with this lovely woman. It took me a long damn time to find the right one. I have her now, and there’s nothing that matters more to me than her happiness. I finally know that’s what I should be prioritizing.” He stares at me, import in his eyes. “And there’s nothing that should matter more to you. I have a feeling that’s what your dad would tell you too.”
I smile. That rings so true with my instincts about my Dad. I’m confident in that truth when I say, “I’m pretty sure he would.”
Helena sets her hands on my shoulders, spins me around, and pushes me out the door. “Go get your girl.”
I head toward the door, ready to call Sloane and jet to her place, when I hear Helena on the phone. “Oh good. Glad I caught you. Just tell the cabbie to turn around and then wait in the lobby, hon. He’s coming right down.”
I swivel around. “She was here?”
Doug smiles. “Yeah. She came by a few minutes ago. Left right before you arrived. But I’m going to let her tell you what she said.”
“Good thing she didn’t get too far away,” Helena adds.
“It sure is.”
I run down the hallway, stab the elevator button, and fly downstairs, where I find her in the lobby walking toward me. Perfect timing with the cab.
Her lips are curved in a wild grin. Her flats click against the marble with purpose. Her eyes brim with anticipation and hope.
I don’t waste any time.
I march up to her, cup her cheeks, and make a declaration. “Sloane, I am madly in love with you, and I want us to go to Tahiti every single night.”