"Right. Of course." I didn’t want to push. I was afraid that I’d push her farther away from me.You could just let her work for Aria, a voice said. But I didn’t want to cave, not so easily at least. The ball was in my court, not hers.
I glanced at Evie again. Did my ego really matter when this was something my daughter clearly really wanted? Couldn’t I just put it all aside for her? I squeezed my eyes shut. Bloody hell. I was going to lose this war.
"The foundation…" I began. "Miss Kealoha's organization. We should discuss what kind of commitment…"
"I'm going. It’s what I want to do.” She was still staring out the window as she spoke to me.
"It’s not that simple. There are logistics to consider. Your summer schedule, your other activities…"
"I don't have other activities." She finally turned to look at me. I immediately wished she hadn’t. The accusation in her eyes was clear. She blamed me for everything. "I never have other activities. I have dance and violin lessons that you signed me up for. I’m not even good at those. This is somethingIwant to do."
My eyes widened for a second. Did she not enjoy those classes? I’d enjoyed my piano classes. I thought she would appreciate it just as much as I did.
"I'm not trying to stop you. I just want to make sure it's appropriate. That it's safe."
"Miss Kealoha is safe." Evie turned back to the window. "She's the only person today who actually helped me."
I opened my mouth. I closed it. What could I say? She was right. Aria was right, but I’d never say that out loud.
The car turned onto our street. We pulled into the private drive. The engine cut off. Evie had her door open before Stuart could come around. She was out and up the front steps in seconds, the front door swinging shut behind her. I heard herfootsteps on the stairs inside as she made what I believed was a beeline for her room.
I sat in the car for a long moment, staring at the closed door.
Stuart appeared at my window, his face carefully neutral. "Will there be anything else, Mr. Dubois?"
"No. Thank you."
I made myself move. My legs walked the same path Evie had, only slower. I kept replaying the entire interaction in my head, wondering what I would have done or said differently that would’ve changed Evie’s reaction.
I couldn’t think of anything.
The foyer was cool and dim after the heat outside. I glanced up at the chandelier that had hung in this same spot for eighty years as if it had the answers for me. When nothing changed, I glanced at the grandfather clock ticking in the corner, the same rhythm it had kept since I was a boy. Nothing.
Evie's footsteps had already faded. Somewhere above me, a door slammed shut. I stood in silence, listening to the clock tick.
I should go up and knock on her door, have the conversation that clearly needed to happen. Reinforce the fact that we didn’t slam doors in this household. And maybe if possible, Evie would finally tell me what really happened. I knew better than to believe her story about it just being an accident. Kids these days seem to forget that we also went to middle school once. I needed her to tell me the truth so I could punish the girl responsible.
But my feet wouldn't move. I turned toward the study instead.
The room was at the back of the house, overlooking the small garden that my mother had designed and Caroline had never touched. Funny that I never thought she wasn’t the nurturing type, right? Maybe I wanted so badly for our marriage to work.
Did we love each other? Yes, in our own way. Caroline loved me for what I represented. Stability and safety. And I lovedCaroline because… I let out a sigh as I rounded the corner. I had no idea why or if I ever loved her. I enjoyed her company, sure. I liked the fact that she trusted me, that I was a source of confidence for her.
Maybe I just liked that she needed me in a different way from my family. She hadn’t just needed me to fix messes, she’d needed me to be around.
I strolled into the study and crossed to the bar cart in the corner. I poured two fingers of whiskey into a glass. I watched the amber liquid catch the light. Took a long swallow. The burn helped. Gave me something to focus on other than the disaster of the afternoon.
I moved to the window. I looked out at the garden without seeing it.
Aria Kealoha.
The name kept circling back, like a song stuck on repeat. I hadn’t thought about her in a while. Sure, I’d seen her name on the news. If it wasn’t one charity event, then it was something about her parents conquering the business world.
Her father was a shark, I’d give him that. A man I actually envied. He’d purchased buildings right under my nose, made decisions I’d hesitated to take that always ended up paying off for him. He wasn’t afraid of taking a risk. Meanwhile, I always hesitated, cross-checked every little detail.
I took another sip of whiskey.Like father, like daughter. I guess that was one thing that irked me about her. I couldn’t understand how someone could go through life without an actual plan. She seemed to always jump into things headfirst without proper investigation.
I didn’t want Evie around that. I didn’t want her to think that was normal.
