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She’d distanced herself from Nina, Miles, and Koko to get back at her dad. She’d robbed them all of precious time together, thinking that it would hurt him, when in reality, Kenneth was incapable of feeling hurt about something that didn’t directly affect him. The only ones who’d suffered were her siblings.
And her.
It wasn’t until she began writing down her thoughts that London recognized the pain she’d caused herself by staying away.
She closed her journal. She needed some space between these thoughts and seeing Kenneth face-to-face. If he ever showed up.
Just as she was about to text her stepmom so that April could, in turn, text Kenneth, London spotted him coming up the sidewalk along Lavaca Street. He turned the corner and climbed the concrete steps of Halcyon coffee shop and lounge.
“Over here!” London waved from the table she’d commandeered on the busy outside patio that spanned the front and left side of the building. Kenneth acknowledged her with a nod and pointed to the front door. “Can I get you something?”
London held up her cup. “Another iced coffee. Medium roast with cream and two sugars.”
She drained the rest of what she’d purchased when she first arrived, and continued scrolling through her email as she waited for Kenneth. Her thumb arrested on the screen when an email popped up from the head of the fellowship committee at the hospital in Chicago.
Dear Dr. L. Kelley,
It is no secret that my interest in having you join our pediatric cardiothoracic surgical fellowship program remains strong. I would like to personally extend to you an invitation to explore our medical facility in person this coming week. My assistant is cc’d on this email. If you would provide her with the necessary information, she will take care of your flight and lodging arrangements. We have booked a suite at the famed Drake Hotel on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile in anticipation of your visit.
Please respond ASAP. As you know, the deadline for accepting the fellowship is quickly approaching, and if you have to unfortunately decline, we would like sufficient time to offer the spot to our next best candidate.
I look forward to meeting you this week in the city that I hope you will soon call home.
Sincerely,
Dr. Bruce Davidson.
“Holy fucking shit,” London said.
“Have you always had such a foul mouth?”
She jumped at the sound of her dad’s voice over her shoulder.
“Sorry,” London said, taking her coffee from him.
She closed out her email and set the phone facedown on the table. She was happy for the distraction meeting with Kenneth would provide. It prevented her from shooting off a quick acceptance of Dr. Davidson’s invitation. She needed to think long and hard about the perception it would give if she were to allow the hospital to go to the expense of flying her to Chicago and putting her up in a suite at a four-star hotel. It’s possible they would see it as a guarantee that she would accept the fellowship offer, when she was all but certain that she would turn it down.
“So,” Kenneth said as he unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat in the chair across from her. “I assume the apology is first.”
“Okay,” London said.
He stared at her.
She stared at him.
“Okay,” she repeated.
“Well, are you going to apologize?” he asked.
“Me? You wantmeto apologize toyou?”
“Your stepmother said that’s why you asked to meet with me today.”
What the fuck?
“I did not ask to meet with you.Youasked to meet up with me. At least that’s what April told me. She said you wanted to extend an olive branch.”
Kenneth sat back in his chair and folded his hands over his chest. Releasing a weary breath, he said, “Well, it would seem communications were crossed, or, more likely, that my wife is up to something.” Annoyance pinched his brows. “I have no intention of being the first to extend an olive branch of any kind. I amnotthe one at fault here. You were incredibly rude and disrespectful to me in my own home. And for no good reason.”
