44. Do I Know You?
DO I KNOW YOU?
AIDEN
After Tara leaves, I walk back into my Dad’s office and shut the door again.
He’s still sitting at his desk, and I can tell he’s struggling to understand what just happened. I take a seat across from him and wait for him to speak first.
Eventually, he gathers his wits about him and fixes me with a hard look. “You had no right to tell her anything.”
I shake my head. “With everything she just said, that’s the first place your mind went?
You didn’t tell any of us in that meeting that the information was confidential, and she would have found out when Felicity started lording over everyone.
She’s already walking around like she’s untouchable, and you just handed her exactly what she wanted.
I get that you’re a little terrified of her, but everything Tara said was true.
I have been trying to tell you for months that Tara was a valuable asset to this company and needed to be treated better, but you disregarded my words every single time.
You are a great broker, but as a boss, I’m sorry, you kind of suck.
” His face turns red, and he opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off.
“You know I’m right, Dad. Now you’re going to see just how badly you screwed up because Tara kept so many people in this place afloat, including me.
I guess this is how you’ll learn, though. ”
Despite my shock at how quickly everything just happened, I’m incredibly proud of her for putting herself first and telling Dad exactly what he needed to hear. This is going to make family dinners decidedly uncomfortable, though.
“Well, now we’ll have to find you another assistant,” he grumbles.
I laugh. “Good luck with finding one as qualified as Tara. Any other completely inexperienced people you want to just slot in there?” I ask, crossing my arms and sitting back in my seat.
“Careful, Aiden. You’re my son but even you have limits on what you can get away with.”
“Maybe so, but someone needs to be able to tell you the truth, and that’s me. I’ve got work I need to get done, and now I’ll be having to explain to the clients that the person they trusted has gone. I’ll talk to you later when you decide who will be taking Tara’s job.”
I head back to my office, sitting down at my desk to try and process how quickly things have changed.
But instead of getting into the mountain of work I now have to tackle, I open up the application form I’ve been opening and closing for the last week, deciding that if Tara can take the leap with her career, I can do the same thing.
Within twenty minutes, it’s completed and when I hit send, I know we’re both moving on to bigger and better things.
As long as we’re doing it together, it’s exciting and I can’t wait to tell her.
While I’m contemplating what to do next, Dad walks in and takes a seat across from me.
“I think we need to clear the air.” I stare at him, stunned.
He continues when it becomes clear that I’m not going to respond.
“After your mother took you to London, all I could think about was that one day, I’d convince you to come and work with me, and we could build a relationship that way.
But I don’t think that’s really possible, is it? ”
I turn his words over in my head, trying to understand what he’s getting at, but it’s just not computing. “What are you saying?”
Oh God, is he about to fire me?
He sighs again. “I’m saying I’ve failed you as a father.
I don’t really know how to build a relationship with you after all our years apart.
That’s why I’ve been pushing with work, I guess.
I thought that if we could share the running of this office together, maybe we could find some common ground.
But it’s not going to work that way, is it? ”
I slowly shake my head. “No. I get why you hoped it would go that way, but insurance just isn’t for me. I do want to try to build a relationship with you, but work won’t be our common ground, unfortunately.”
He nods. “Well, when you know what you want to do, just let me know, I guess. In the meantime, maybe we can try and have lunch together more often? Try and find that common ground somewhere else?”
I smile, still reeling from the about face, but relieved that he’s at least willing to consider supporting me. “That would be good.”
“Good. How about today?”
“Oh.” I pause, not having expected to have to start this new venture straight away. “Um, sure.”
“Let’s go then. I’m buying.”
He gets to his feet, and I trail after him, wondering at the speed at which that all happened.
When I finish work, Tara messages me to let me know she’s up at the hospital again.
Concern floods through me and I jump in a cab, heading straight over.
I meet her outside her father’s room, and it’s obvious from her red eyes that things have taken a turn for the worse. I pull her into a hug, and she sobs into my chest.
“I’m sorry. I know we need to talk about everything that happened today, but then Jo called me to let me know that his organs have started to fail and I should get up here.
” Her words are muffled against my shirt and I rub a soothing hand up and down her back, feeling a pang in my chest as the memories of the final days with Mum come flooding back.
It’s hard watching a parent slip away, and she’s going to need all the support she can get right now. I’m just relieved that I can be here for her.
She steps back and gives me a shaky smile.
“What do you need right now?” I ask, placing my hands on her shoulders.
She lets out a breath while she thinks. “Could you get Jo a coffee from the cafeteria? She’s close to burn out right now. Maybe take the girls with you?”
I nod. “I can do that.”
Tara goes back into the room, reappearing moments later with Piper and Jordan in tow. The girls both look like they are struggling, and I figure a distraction is in order.
“You guys want ice creams?” I ask.
Piper immediately nods her head excitedly, but Jordan is a little more wary. She shrugs, but follows along while Piper takes my hand and we walk back towards the lift.
Piper chats animatedly about her day, and Jordan nods along quietly, while I lead the way to the cafeteria. They pick their ice creams and we take a seat at the table while I wait for Jo’s coffee to be made.
After ten minutes, they call out my name, and I retrieve the coffee before guiding the girls back towards the lift.
As I hit the button, a woman joins us, dragging a small suitcase behind her.
There’s something familiar about her, and Jordan peers at her for a moment, before glancing at me with wide eyes.
Looking closer, I realise where I recognise her from, taking in her long red hair and features that are so similar to Tara’s and the girls.
I freeze, wondering if I should say something or keep quiet for the girls sake.
We all silently get in the lift, and once we arrive back on the ward, Piper and Jordan race ahead of me while I hang back. Once they’re out of earshot, I turn to the woman who is looking from her phone to the room numbers.
“Annelisa?” I say, hesitating in case I’m wrong.
She gives me a startled look. “Um. Yes? Sorry, do I know you?”
I shake my head. “I’m Aiden.”
Her shoulders relax and she smiles. “Ah. Hi. So those girls…” She looks ahead of us to where Piper and Jordan disappear into their father’s room.
“They’re your sisters, yes.”
She tenses a little before nodding. “Is Tara in there?”
“Yeah. Do you want me to get her so you can speak to her first? You might need some time to prepare yourself.”
She gives me a stricken look before nodding.
Telling her to give me a minute, I head into the room and hand Jo her coffee.
She accepts it gratefully, and I move to Tara’s side.
She’s sitting in a chair near her father’s head, and Jordan watches me closely when Tara looks up as I squeeze her shoulder.
“Can you come out into the hall for a sec? There’s someone out there.”
She gives me a confused look, but gets to her feet.
I nod at Jordan, and the young girl sits forward, watching us walk out.
As soon as Tara catches sight of Annelisa, she starts crying and throws her arms around her sister.
They cling to one another, and I go back into the room to give them a moment.
Relief that Annelisa made it before their father slips away floods through me, knowing that it had been weighing on Tara greatly.
“Is she coming in?” Jordan demands, and Jo gives me a questioning look.
I glance at Paul. He’s asleep, and I wonder how much longer he has left.
Will Annelisa get the chance to talk to him?
“Annelisa’s here,” I tell Jo, before looking back at Jordan. “I don’t know. But she flew all the way from London, so I’d say she will. It’s just going to take her a moment.”
Jordan stares sullenly at the door, and I wonder how it’s all going to go once they are all in a room together.