“That’s fantastic,” Whitney said.
“Even more reason to celebrate,” William added.
“I forgive you for making me wait. That call was worth taking,” Mom cooed.
Dad leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
“They announce the awards in Arlington on June third. I’ve already booked all the rooms. There’s a special party for the finalist firms that afternoon before the winners will beannounced to the public at the evening festivities. Of course, I expect we’ll all be in attendance.”
“We wouldn’t miss it!” Heads nodded, because no one ever let Dad down on these command performances.
“We’ll head out that morning. I’ve got transportation arranged for the following day, coming home on the fourth. Block your calendars or reschedule things. This is too big not to enjoy as a family.”
The birthday dinner was perfect. Everyone ordered what they craved, and no one felt disappointed, not even Mom, who could be picky about such things.
Candles that ignited like sparklers glowed from the cake as they sang, and Dad had no problem blowing them out.
“Are you going to tell us your wish?” Whitney asked.
“You know it won’t come true if I do,” he said with a wink. They had the same conversation every year, since she could remember. Even these tiny tributes were a tradition that would never grow old.
Whitney’s phone dinged, and Dad gave her “the look.”
“Sorry.” She scrambled for her phone in her purse. “I could’ve sworn I turned this off.” As she turned the phone over to mute the sound, she saw a snippet of the message. “Things just got worse. Call me now.”
Whitney’s heart pounded. “Worse” was never a good thing to hear. She pushed the phone into her pocket, wondering how to make a graceful exit.
Dad was going on about something, and everyone else seemed to cling to the conversation, but she hadn’t heard a word. Her mind reeled. She sipped some water, pushing her wine glass away. No need to muddy her mind with libations.
“Whitney? Your father asked you a question.”
She sucked in a breath too quickly and choked. Reaching for her water, she recovered. “I’m sorry. I had this tickle, and I was trying not to cough. Which apparently backfired.”
Carina came to the rescue. “Your thoughts on the new artwork in the conference room.”
“Yes! I know. All the pieces are lovely. Huge, but really stunning.” Which was about all Whitney could say because she’d only seen the one. She hadn’t taken the time to seek them all out, although after seeing Matthew’s mural and having dinner with him the other night, she was curious to see them.
“You better love them,” her father said. “I spent your inheritance on them.”
Dad explained every big purchase as their inheritance, but they all knew there was no way he’d be able to squander his inheritance in his lifetime. According to Mom, he refused to touch a dime of what his father had left him, which was a tidy sum from his father’s father too.
Didn’t matter. Whitney wanted nothing from anyone. She could pay her own way and fully intended to.
She faked another cough. “I’m going to step out to the ladies’ room and see if I can’t chase this tickle away.” Not wasting a moment, she left the private room and race-walked down the hall and out into the lobby. She tucked away in a corner and pulled out her phone.
The message was from Olivia. She pressed the button to call her back. Olivia answered on the first ring.
“Whitney. I’m sorry, I know you’re doing birthday dinner with the family tonight, but I didn’t want you to get blindsided. You won’t believe it.”
Whitney plugged her finger in her other ear and turned to the wall. “What?”
“There was this little tease on the radio talking about people finding their soulmates after divorce.”
“Kally?”
“They didn’t say. It was a tease, and they didn’t mention you or the firm, but I’m worried. I didn’t catch when it’s supposed to air. It was an ad for their midday show.”
“Hopefully it doesn’t have near as many listeners as the morning and evening.”
