Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Charlie
W e’d found a dozen beautiful pinecones, when I finally worked up my courage.
“Kathy?” I cleared my throat. “Can I ask you something?”
The older woman raised her expressive eyebrows. They made me think of Bess, but the friendly look in her eyes was more like Gran. Always ready to listen.
“I’m in love with your daughter.” I held my breath.
“I figured.” She glanced at the cabin, tiny in the distance, a dreamy look in her eyes. “You know she’s been through a lot, right?”
“I know. And I think that’s why she doesn’t quite trust me, yet. We work together, so it’s complicated. But there’s something she doesn’t know.”
“What?” Her eyes flashed with alarm.
“My father has decided to restructure the entire agency. To reduce the production team to a bare minimum. Make it AI-assisted and automated.”
Kathy’s eyes flooded with panic, and she clutched her scarf. “Bess will lose her job?”
“At present, yes. But I think she’s got the chops to work in the creative team. She has the ideas. A fresh perspective. I just need the others to see her talent. So, we’ve been working on a new campaign together. I think the client will love it. But I need her to feel safe enough to present it with me. I’m afraid that if she finds out about the job cuts, she’ll freak out and we lose that opportunity.”
“Wait, she doesn’t know?”
“No.” I swallowed a lump that felt like a giant pinecone. “I should have told her, but there’s been a lot going on and she was doing so well with that campaign I didn’t want to lose momentum.”
“I see.” Kathy bent down to pick up a beautifully symmetrical pinecone and handed it to Celia. “What do you think of this?”
She turned in her hands, looking at it like a goldsmith studying a piece of jewelry. “Pretty good.” She lifted her chin to look at me. “Charlie, is this a good one?”
“Yes,” I told her, distracted. “I’ll pay you five bucks each if you go find some more.”
Her eyes widened, and she nodded solemnly. “I’ll find all of them,” she announced, rushing off.
Watching her grandchild skip away, Kathy frowned, deep in thought. “Bess doesn’t want to take any risks. Not after what happened. She’s been a bit closed off. I mean, it’s good that she’s careful. We don’t need another Jack in our lives, thank you very much. That man was all big talk and mighty plans. No realism.” She shook her head. “I was so anxious, watching them. I had to go on medication.”
“He was an entrepreneur?” I asked, feeling the sting. Jack sounded too much like me.
“A dreamer.”
“Most are,” I said carefully. “You have to believe in what you’re?—”
“I was trying to be kind and not speak ill of the dead.” She rearranged her scarf, hiding her mouth behind a gloved hand. “Jack didn’t live in the real world. He was up and down. All or nothing. Flying high one minute, then down in the dumps. It’s okay to fail. It’s okay to feel depressed. But if you’re not honest. If you don’t communicate…” She shot me a sharp look and my gut tightened.
I couldn’t spin this any other way. I’d been keeping the truth from Bess.
“Well, at least you’re not lying on your brother’s couch, drugged up,” she concluded. “Maybe it’s better that Bess doesn’t know. It would have ruined this vacation, for sure. It’s a good thing she lost that phone, I suppose.”
I felt another bout of guilt, but held my tongue.
“She’ll find out eventually,” Kathy continued, casting a grave look at me. “Then what?”
“I was hoping that by then, she’ll see that we belong together, and it doesn’t matter either way. If she gets fired, I’ll resign and start a new business. I’ll take my clients with me.”
I hadn’t thought that far before I spoke the words, but as I heard them, I knew it was true. That’s what I’d do. I’d walk out and take Bess with me. Fuck the clients. I’d only need her.
“That’s ruthless. Are you a ruthless man, Charlie?”
“I can be,” I admitted. “For a good cause.”
She huffed, looking at me like she hadn’t quite decided what I was good for. “You seem more resilient, though, or am I completely off?” She tilted her head, and I noticed her eye color matched Bess’s. The crow’s feet bracketing them deepened as she smiled. A beautiful woman, like Bess.
“Bess is resilient. I am… fortunate. I haven’t needed all my resources. But I’m not afraid to ask for help.”
At that moment, I saw the acceptance on her face. She’d made up her mind. “Bess is lucky to have you. She hasn’t had a lot of luck lately, or resources. But are you sure you’re in this for good? She has a child.” She nodded at Celia.
“I love them both.”
I’d just have to prove to Bess that I meant it.
“Fair enough.” She looked at the cabin again. “Let me see if I can help you a little.”