“So you guys basically fought about nothing,” Emmy said.
“We did also fight about my work,” he confessed.
“What about it?” she asked.
“She said she doesn’t ever want to be like me, stuck in a job that I hate, that makes me angry—”
“And grumpy and irritable!” She cut him off, and he looked up at her. “She’s right about that too. Your job sucks. Even Grandma said that.”
“What did she say?” he asked. He was intrigued. He never really spoke to his mother about work.
“That guy came around to talk to her the one day when I was there,” she said.
“What guy?” he asked.
“That one with the gray hair, Mr. Redbach, or—”
“Rautenbach,” he said. “What did he want?”
“He wanted Grandma to talk to you about the mall or something. He said that the things you were doing were against everything Grandpa believed in for the company. And since Grandma also still has shares in the company, he wanted her to try and talk you out of it all.”
Ryan listened to her speak, and his mind started racing. “God, do you know absolutely everything that goes on around here?” he finally asked when she had finished talking.
“Basically,” she said with a smile.
“Shit.” He hung his head and then shook it hopelessly. “Everything is falling apart.”
“Language, Ryan,” she joked, and it made him smile.
“I think I’ve made two huge mistakes,” he finally said, after doing some more thinking.
“It happens. So, go and make them both right. Go and fix this work thing, and say sorry to Poppy.”
He shook his head. “I think the things I said and did are way beyond a simple sorry.”
“Nothing is beyond a sorry. You just have to make it a really, really, really good apology. Like in the Hollywood romcom movies. They are always doing these massive grand gestures at the end, after the guy has messed up and the girl has gone away.”
He looked up. “And how do I do that?”
“Well, you know her. You know what’s important to her, I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
He sat and thought for a while.
“Maybe she hasn’t left yet?” Emmy said. “Maybe she’s gone back to her apartment? Perhaps you should go find her and talk to her, that’s a good place to start.”
“Her place?” He looked up. He’d almost forgotten they were still paying rent for it. The landlord hadn’t allowed her to get out of her lease very easily and had made her give two months’ notice. Some of her furniture was still there. Maybe that’s where he would find her.
He looked up at his niece and smiled. “When the hell did you get so wise?”
She shrugged casually. “I’m thirteen, remember?”
“Fine, do you mind if I go quickly?”
“No. Go now!” She stood up and walked over to him. “You know what Mom would say if she was here?” she asked.
He nodded and chuckled. “Follow your heart. Stop thinking. Stop analyzing.”
“And she would also tell you to stop being a total idiot, and don’t let someone so perfect for you go.” She put her hands on his shoulders and squeezed. “Seriously, she would be dragging you out the door by now.”
