Chapter 13 #2
“It’s not as easy as you think,” her dad said. “The hardest part of any business is staffing.”
“He’s right about that,” the doctor said.
“My wife used to own a gluten-free bakery. Did well, but the employees never showed up, didn’t wash their hands after using the bathroom.
Someone even stole fifty pounds of butter.
What in the world did they do with it?” He turned his attention to her dad.
“But we do need to figure out some help for you. Do you live alone?”
Her dad grinned. “I live at the inn, so on a good day, I’ve got close to hundred roommates.”
“I meant a wife, a partner, someone who shares the same bathroom with you.” The doctor remained serious.
“No, I live alone.”
“I ask because we see better outcomes when patients have someone around. A roommate, a family member, even a friend who checks in regularly. Someone to make sure medications are taken, meals are balanced, and there’s help if the symptoms come back.”
“How long?” Willa asked.
“Two, three weeks,” the doctor said. “Until the new plan becomes a way of life.”
Her dad waved a hand dismissively. “I’ve got friends who can keep me in line.”
“No.” It was the biggest risk of her life. It was a decision that could cost her everything. But she knew without a doubt it was the right one. “I’m staying with him. For as long as he needs.”
“Absolutely not.” The cuff tightened around her dad’s arm with a mechanical whirr.
Willa glanced at the monitor, watching the numbers climb. “Thank you for making our point, Dad. I guess this conversation is over.”
“You start work on that deal tomorrow.” His voice turned stern. “This is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.”
“There will always be another case,” she said quietly. “But you’re my dad. You’re the most important person in the world to me.” Even if I failed to show you that for so many years.
“That’s a decision the two of you can make together,” the doctor said.
“But from a medical standpoint, having someone at home would be best. That kind of support makes a real difference.” He tapped the tablet again.
“Okay, I’d like you to take it very easy for the next few weeks.
No heavy lifting. No major stressors. Let your body stabilize while the medication does its job. ”
“When does he see his doctor?” Willa asked.
“That’s all on the discharge papers, but he should make an appointment with his cardiologist in the next two or three days.
” Just before the doctor opened the curtain, he turned to Willa.
“You showing up like this probably did more for him than anything we gave him through that IV. You’d be surprised how few patients have that. ” And then, he was gone.
She stared at the curtain. Three weeks.
She’d need to take a leave of absence.
Mom will lose her shit.
Kendall will think I’m too embarrassed to come to the office.
Nate will think I’m in the fetal position, crying my eyes out over losing him.
None of it made a dent in her conviction.
She loved her dad. She’d missed too many years with him.
I’m staying.
Willa had to wait for the trolley to pass before pulling out of the Wild Wolff Village parking lot.
Three weeks wasn’t long enough to merit shipping clothes from her apartment.
Besides, who could she ask other than the concierge of her building, and she didn’t want Darryl rifling through her lingerie drawer.
And, since she wasn’t going to wear her old high school clothes, she’d had to do some shopping.
Her dad’s truck, which normally smelled of pine and freshly cut wood, now held the scent of the mango and coconut candle she’d just bought.
Dad’s going to love that. And her mom would flip out over all the “cowgirl" clothes she'd bought.
Jeans, western shirts with pearl buttons, and plain T-shirts?
Her mom wouldn't be caught dead in them.
Her prize, though? The Stetson embroidered boots in caramel she'd snagged on final sale. They cost nearly as much as her Jimmy Choos but were far more functional in a small mountain town.
Her mom's favorite line was “Let's splurge!”
Well, there you go. I splurged, all right.
A jagged tear ripped through her happiness when she remembered the call she’d been avoiding. If she lost her job, that sale wouldn’t feel like much of a victory.
Just do it. At the next light, she pulled up her mom’s contact and hit Call.
Her mother answered on the first ring. “Are you in the city?”
Even after three hours of retail therapy, Willa found herself totally unprepared for this conversation. “Well, hello to you, too.” Was she stalling? Why, yes. Yes, she was.
“Willa, I don’t have time for games. You’re supposed to be in the office tomorrow morning.
Harrison’s already pulled the deal documents.
He expects you in the conference room at eight.
We’ll spend the first day reviewing the structure, assigning research, and building the negotiation strategy.
You’ll be taking point on due diligence. ”
Willa’s chest contracted so violently she couldn’t speak. Perspiration broke out over her lip, and the back of her neck prickled.
Should I do this?
She’d chased this deal since college—staying in touch, feeding information, nudging both companies closer year after year. It wasn’t just another file on her desk. It was hers.
Was she really walking away from it?
After everything it took to get here, it’s going to land on someone else’s desk.
Nate’s, most likely.
Yes, it was important. Yes, it was career-defining, but she couldn’t get the image of her dad in that hospital bed out of her mind.
She loved him. He came first. “Mom, I need to talk to you—”
“Oh, for God’s sake, Willa. There’s nothing to talk about. It’s done. They’re together. And what do you want me to do anyhow? Keep Nate away from you? I won’t have that kind of nonsense in my firm.”
“I’m not talking about that. I don’t care about him.”
“Good. Because you need to behave professionally. Whatever personal disappointment you’re feeling, it can’t bleed into the office.”
“Mom, stop.” She wanted to get right to the point, but there was a part of her—maybe the little girl who’d desperately wanted a relationship with her mother—that needed answers.
To preserve some kind of respect for the woman she’d tried so hard to emulate.
“I just want to know one thing. Why did you do it?” Ugh.
She sounded so weak. Willa stared at the road stretching ahead of her, the bright mountain sky overhead.
The weight of her mom’s answer bore down on her—there was so much at stake.
“Do what?” Her mom sounded impatient.
“Encourage them to date when you knew I was with him.”
Her mom exhaled impatiently, as if this conversation were tiresome. “You were never ‘with him.’ You had your chance, but you never wanted more than a casual hookup. He’s moving in a different direction.”
She hated that they’d talked about her. “So, you gave Kendall to him? You don’t see how gross that is?”
“You seem to think Nate’s some prize to be won,” her mom said. “He isn’t, and Kendall didn't play better or smarter. She's just the right teammate. You were not. And don't make out like you had feelings for him. You didn’t even notice he was dating someone else. He's not the right man for you.”
“That wasn't your decision to make,” Willa said.
“No, it wasn't. It was Nate's, and he made it. Now, move on.”
The last ember of hope guttered out. Willa felt it like a door inside her chest clicking shut. Somehow, it made it easier to deliver the news. “All right, well, look, I called to tell you I won’t be coming back to work for a few weeks.”
“I don't have time for this conversation. I think you know we don’t do ‘remote’ at Barrett & Associates.” Her mom spat the word like a bit of gravel. “You’ll be here at 8 a.m. as discussed.”
“I won’t. I’m taking a leave of absence.”
She was heading down 191, entering the town limits.
It was crowded, as it always was in July.
Her mom’s silence lingered in the air like steam, making it hard to breathe.
When her mom didn’t say anything, Willa rushed to fill the empty space.
“I spent the morning in the ER with Dad. He had a hypertensive crisis, and the doctor says he needs someone with him for a few weeks.”
A small, incredulous sound came through the line. “You’re going to blow up your career because your father forgot to take his antacids?”
It was exactly what Willa needed to reclaim her power and conviction. “His blood pressure was 212 over 118. He could’ve died. I’m not going to leave him until he stabilizes.” She’d gone cold, hard. Just like her mother. “I’ll be taking family leave under the firm’s policy.”
“Sure, you can take it. How long would you like? A month? Two? How about a year, Willa? Since you’ve kicked yourself off the partner track, does it really matter? Take as long as you like.”
The line went dead.
No goodbye. No attempt to change her mind.
Just the hollow silence of a conversation abruptly ended.
And the sickening sense that everything she’d spent her whole life clinging to had just slipped away, like a rope pulled free from her hands.
Willa lowered the phone to her lap. The road curved down toward town, the mountains rising on either side.
She blinked hard, her throat tightening.
There was only one person she wanted to talk to, one source of comfort.
She found the text thread and hit Call.
Decker saw her name on the screen of his phone and nearly fumbled in his rush to answer. “Hey.” His brothers looked at him funny, so he headed into the dining room.
“Who is it?” he heard Boone ask.
“Maybe the lab,” Ava said.
Okay, yeah, he’d been a little too eager to take her call, but he’d thought he wouldn't hear from her again. He’d packed his stuff and moved all three of them out of the inn. Because whatever decision came from the test results determined his next move.