There wasn’t any emotion on my father’s face when I mentioned his hometown. He didn’t raise his brow, didn’t frown, nothing. He was a fucking statue, acting like the town and Hal meant nothing to him. For all I knew, they didn’t.
I wrapped my fingers around the edge of my desk, my grip tightening with each passing second of silence.
“Nothing?” I challenged. “I go to your hometown, see Hal, and you can’t even ask how he’s doing, let alone what building I’m talking about?”
My father sneered. “You’re just like your mother. Always so fucking sensitive.” I’d lost count how many times I’d heard that one. “I know what building you’re talking about. It’s the same one I tried to buy from him years ago, but he wouldn’t sell. Whatever you have going on is your problem now. Fix it—and don’t come back until you do.”
He didn’t wait for my response before he stormed off. I heard his stomps well down the hallway. At least I got approval for working remotely as long as I needed. That was how I was choosing to interpret his words.
I loosened my grip on the desk, flexing my hand to work out the stiffness. Hal hadn’t sold to my dad but was considering selling to me? I shook my head, unsure how this was all fitting together.
As much as I wanted to forget about Golden Falls, the building was my chance at putting one of my ideas in motion. Showing my father that thiscouldwork. In the past when I’d tried to purchase property for one of my projects, the sellers either wanted my father involved or didn’t trust that Nelson Group would make what I was proposing about benefiting the community a reality given the company’s reputation.
Buying the building from Hal also meant closing a deal my father couldn’t. I’d be in charge and keep him out of the plans.
The various hoops I had to jump through to get the building were worth it. It was my opportunity to turn my career around and do something my father couldn’t—finally proving to him that I had what it took.
I had to see this through and had no intention of backing out, even if it meant I’d be spending the next few weeks side by side with Lily Richards.
Business. It was all just business.
Conversations with my father always drained me, but this one in particular I couldn’t shake, even as I left the office and madethe short drive to my apartment. Every time I reminded myself I wasn’t who he thought I was, his criticisms of me came flooding back. With our troubled relationship, I was constantly walking upstream, trying not to get knocked over by the rough water.
After parking my car in the garage, I grabbed my backpack and started to climb the three flights of stairs to my apartment. On the way up, I checked my phone to see if Liam had texted me back—no luck.
By the time I got to the top, I was breathless, nearly keeling over, and had a thin layer of sweat on my forehead. I wish I could say I did this regularly, but it was because the elevator was out of order.
I swiped the key fob against the door, the light turning green and beeping to let me in. When I pushed open the door, I got the answer as to why Liam hadn’t answered my text. He was asleep on my couch, the television playing some house-flipping show on HGTV, and Beans was curled up on his chest.
“Don’t like cats, my ass,” I muttered with an amused chuckle. Liam claimed he didn’t get along with Beans, that my cat was out to get him. I snapped a quick picture, fully intending on using this as proof that Liam was wrong.
I closed the door behind me, and Beans opened one eye to scope out the scene and then the other. He yawned, standing and stretching out his limbs before launching off Liam’s chest.
“I’m awake!” Liam called out, sitting up and using the back of his hand to wipe the side of his mouth. He cleared his throat, looking around and spotting me. “Oh, hey, you’re here. Yeah, right, I saw your text that you’d be stopping by today. We were, uh, hanging out.” Liam cautiously looked over at Beans, who blinked at him before trotting over to me.
“So I saw.” I shook my head with a smile. “Had to stop by to grab more clothes. Looks like I’ll be gone for longer than I thought.” I let out a heavy sigh and dropped my keys on thecounter. “Think you could watch Beans while I’m gone? I’m not sure how long it’ll be, and he doesn’t do well with long car rides. Plus, it seems like you two bonded this weekend.”
“I guess you could say that.” Liam stood, stretching his arms above his head. “And, yeah, I’m happy to. So, not a weekend trip, huh? Do you have a better idea of how long you’ll be gone?”
On my drive back to the city, I had called Liam to fill him in on how the meeting went. “Nope. Maybe through the end of the month? Slightly longer, potentially. I only really know what I told you.MaybeI’ll find out more on Monday, if I survive working with Lily.” I muttered the last part.
“Oh, yeah,” Liam said with a grin, far too amused. He walked toward the kitchen, opening one of the cabinets and pulling out a half-eaten bag of chips. “You’ll be working at the café and then helping her with the wish list. This’ll be good. Considering the amount of death stares you said you got on your first day, this will be a chance to have the town warm up to you. You can lay the charm on them.”
I raised my brow. That was more Liam’s specialty than mine. “And how do you suggest I do that?”
“Flex your muscles, smile, maintain eye contact. You know, the basics.” He shrugged, popping another chip into his mouth.
“I’m trying to close a business deal notflirtwith the women of Golden Falls.”
“Tomato, potato or whatever that saying is.” He waved his hand. “You can walk and eat at the same time.”
“Tomato, toh-mah-to. And it’s walk and talk.”
“Same difference, and actually, I like my version better.”
I couldn’t argue with him on that one. I leaned my forearms on the counter, reaching over for a handful of chips.
“I’ve told you this before, but it feels like a good time to offer you a reminder. You don’tneedto try to impress your father. He might be blood, but it’s okay if you distance yourself from him,or even cut him off entirely. I know that’s easier said than done, but you won’t be alone if you do that. You’ll always have me in your corner.”
