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“But Cameron wasn’t going to give up control?”
That would’ve been the easy answer. I had told her Dad was a ranch manager growing up. Now he was a hired hand for whomever didn’t fire him. I hadn’t told her about that before. “I think he knew Dad was shit at running anything. The siblings paid Dad for his share, and Dad had sunk it into a place in Texas. Over seven hundred acres, a breathtaking vista, a lodge, and enough space for two boys to cause all sorts of trouble and not get caught.”
I had to stop. Delaney didn’t respond. Seven hundred acres had gotten reduced to an abandoned hunting cabin.
“I don’t like to drink beer because it reminds me of when he’d sit at the table, empty cans all over, and try to figure out the books. Then he’d stomp and yell, and he and Mama would argue.”
“He’s an alcoholic?” She was surprised but understanding.
“Truthfully, I don’t know. Eventually, we didn’t even have money for beer. And that’s all I can remember when I have a beer.”
“And that’s why you don’t really drink.”
“Probably.”
“You’re not like Cameron,” she said.
I needed to hear it, but the shitty feeling didn’t go away. “I cut Dad out of my life.” And I’d done it so I could do better. Just like his siblings had done to him.
“Sometimes you have to.”
But Delaney hadn’t. Cameron’s statement had hit home. Dad and Cheryl had a lot in common. They were stubborn and prideful and made ego-based decisions that hurt themselves and those they loved.
“You’re not like Cameron,” she said again, with more confidence than I felt. “You don’t make others feel like shit for what they don’t have, and you won’t destroy them to get what you want.”
And that was what had bothered me. “After he made sure I knew you’d dated my cousin, he pointed out all the land in the Barron family. He used Diamond UU as a comparison.”
“Oh,” she said like it was suddenly clear. “So he was more like Wilson, in that he couched his insults in supposedly helpful information.”
Only Cameron hadn’t been insulting me. He’d been subtly pointing out how the Grangers’ property fell short of anything Barron. From the oil wells on the land to the vast acreage to the age of the buildings and shops, Uncle Cameron hadn’t hidden his pride for all things Barron or his disdain for all things Granger.
The rest of what Delaney said got through my head. “What do you mean ‘like Wilson’?”
“Insults couched in info? Like when he said your company’s insurance will pay for breast augmentation in certain circumstances.”
“Why the fuck would he say that?” Wilson didn’t need to be paying any attention to my wife’s boobs.
“Same reason Briony would make the stylist comment. They didn’t think I was good enough for you, and they wanted to pick someone they could further control you with.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I dunno. Maybe I was afraid you wouldn’t see anything wrong with it, and I was a little ashamed they had to mention it in the first place.”
“You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. I like your style—and your tits.” If I didn’t want another eighteen months of her not talking to me, I had to listen, but she needed to be comfortable telling me. “Why would they want to control me?”
“So you won’t leave the company. You make them money.”
“Wanting me to work for them might be more about trust.”
“It’s about image with them. You have the looks. You have the brains. You bring in the dollars. I feel like that’s more important to them than who you are. Norville should be begging you to be partner. Unlike Wilson, you would’ve earned it.”
I could see her point. The Truitts were concerned about image.
Archer, you can’t meet a client selling a two-hundred-million-dollar piece of property in your used car. Seriously. Use our driver.Our cut of a two-hundred-million deal was significant. I couldn’t risk it on my pride.
Dallas was a big city, and the size of the land deals in Texas and surrounding states made it a competitive market. We had to stand out any way possible.
“In the weeks before I left,” she continued, “you were pushing me to drive something newer, to go for the management position when I couldn’t stand my job in the first place, and we only went to cocktail and martini bars. I didn’t think that was coming from you.”
I thought back to those days and the casual chats with my friends when we weren’t talking about work. I hated to think my friends had purposely been eroding my relationship. I couldn’t imagine what the reason would be.
Norville should be begging you to be partner.
“Maybe…” Her breath hitched like she wasn’t sure she should say what was coming next. “Maybe you need to ask yourself an honest question. Did you quit talking to your dad and your brother before or after you met Norville Truitt?”
“No, I’d already left home.” But my answer fit as well as a pair of overalls on a horse. I couldn’t hide from the answer to that question. I didn’t want to be like my uncle.
In my dark motel room, I took a stark look at myself. I didn’t talk to my dad. My brother wasn’t really in my life. My wife had left. A judgment I had once made toward Dad was turned around. There was a common denominator, and it was me.
