I’ll finally be able to put Chance and these feelings behind me.
Hopefully.
Chapter Nineteen
Chance
The afternoon sun glares down on my neck and back as I make my way into Dad’s home. The cool air-conditioning welcomes me and I sigh with relief.
“Dad?” He promised to be home at one p.m. today. Where is he now?
I poke my head into the kitchen and find Lucy by the fridge. Her mouth is stuffed with whatever she’s eating. She grins and waves me in the general direction of Dad’s study.
I give her a thumbs up and head that way.
His deep voice comes through the slightly open door. I knock before pushing it open.
He acknowledges my presence with a nod but continues speaking into the phone.
I take the moment to glance around the study. It’s covered end to end with shelves that are brimming with books. Even his desk has no room, all covered in books about every subject known to man. A university would have a field day sorting through hisbooks and enriching their libraries. Dad would never go for that though.
His books are his most prized possessions, next to his pictures of Mom. One sits on his desk now. It’s a picture of them when they were both in their twenties. A few days before they got married. She has her arms wrapped around him, and a broad smile squinting her eyes. She was beautiful.
His hair is a deep brown here, unlike the gray streaks he sports now. His eyes are bright and I can almost hear the laughter they share.
I tear my gaze away to meet his eyes, watching me curiously. I didn’t even notice when he stopped speaking.
His eyes leave mine and fall on the frame, then he picks it up. A sad smile tilts his lips as he rubs his fingers across the surface.
Emotion builds in my chest and nearly chokes me.
His eyes snap to mine and he smiles, then drops the picture face down.
Still, the damage is already done.
I leave his side to pace off the pain in my chest. It takes minutes, but finally, I feel alright, like I can face him again without breaking down.
I turn in his direction and his patient eyes irritate me. “I’m here about—” My voice is rough. Fuck. I clear my throat and try again. “Ramsey has decided on a campaign. I want your opinion. It’s similar to the one he carried out while you were CEO but with minor adjustments he swears by. Just need your thoughts.”
He slips on his glasses then picks up the document and flips through casually. “Didn’t Maddie shut Ramsey down the other day?”
My heartbeat rams at the mention of her name but I manage to keep my tone neutral. “She did.”
He chuckles. “I wish I was there for that.” He closes the document and looks up. “How is she doing?”
“Just great.” I step forward. “If you look at page 3, you’d see some ideas he has about publicity. I don’t think that they will be very effective. But you may see the sense in it. I’ve been rejecting many of his ideas and I have to admit he has given this a lot of thought. I want to consider it. What do you think?”
Dad opens the page and squints. “What does Maddie think of it?”
“What does she—” I bite my tongue. “I didn’t show her.”
“But she worked in marketing before coming to the Island, yes?” He raises an eyebrow.
“Yes, but she is a PA right now.”
“She’s wasted as a PA, in my opinion.”
“Dad, that’s not the opinion I came here for.” I stare at his serene expression, exasperated. “Can we talk about the campaign?”
