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She nodded. "Goodbye, Elizabeth."
When the coast was clear, Hope came into my office and excitedly sat down in the chair Mrs. Dunbar had just vacated.
"What did she want?" she asked, as she drew a long sip of her iced tea.
"Phin's father has cancer."
"Shit, what're you going to do?"
"I have no idea, but I need to talk to Phin."
From the stories I'd heard from Phin, I didn't pity his father and thought he was getting what he deserved. I was confused about how to feel about his mother. I'd never understood how she could have let that happen to Phin, but I understood the psychology of battered women. Considering all the money they'd spent over the years to find Phin, there must be a part of her that loved her son.
Now I had to do something that scared me to my core; tell Phin about his mom and talk him into seeing them sooner rather than later. Telling him wasn't easy for me because the last time he thought I'd butted into the family business and ran off. Even though he'd promised not to leave again, and we'd created such a close bond over the last six months, it was still a nagging concern. The idea of him going now made my heart sink; I couldn't cope if he left again. I couldn't keep this from him. Right now, I had to trust him and tell him.
"Elizabeth, do you need me to get you something to drink?" Hope could see the distress on my face.
"I think I will head home. I am never going to get anything done now."
"Go for it, boss, I'll hold down the fort."
The drive home went by in a blur of lights and noises; I am not sure how I made the journey without an accident. I couldn't hear anything or feel anything. He would know right away by the look on my face. When I turned the lock on the door, I inhaled and hoped for the best.
I was early, so I was surprised to see Phin sitting on the sofa working on his laptop and not cleaning the house, which was his normal routine. He looked up from the screen and he knew as soon as our eyes met, something wasn’t right. Suddenly, his eyes became an intense moss green with a furrowed brow. He was up and over to me in two long strides and took me into his arms. Giving me a long embrace, he whispered, "Lizzie, what's wrong?"
I didn't speak because I still wasn't sure how to tell him.
He pulled back to look at me to see if something was physically wrong but I was fine, just dumbstruck so he gave me a light shake.
"Lizzie, you are scaring the fuck out of me."
Finally, I was able to find my voice due to the sound of desperation in his own. I blinked a few times. "I'm fine. We need to sit down. I've got some stuff to tell you. We're will need a drink."
She saw his body release some tension, but his face was still full of concern.
"I'll get us something now."
Phin handed me a glass of my favorite wine, taking a large sip, the warmth of the wine gave me the courage I needed to tell Phin about his mother’s visit. "Now, what the fuck is going on. You are scaring me."
I took his hands in mine. "Phin, I need you to promise me that no matter what I tell you that you won't leave me. Promise me we'll work it out."
He held my hands even tighter. "Of course, I promise. Lizzie, sweetheart, I promised I wouldn't leave again, and I won't no matter what you tell me. Fucking tell me!"
Taking a deep breath and swallowing hard, I began to tell him news that would change his life.
"Phin, I saw your mom today."
