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No. He was here in Marietta to see his dad, visit with Mike and Annalise. He didn’t plan on staying long. And definitely didn’t plan on getting attached to anything, or anyone, for that matter.
A knock at his office door cut into his thoughts.
“Hey, bro. You got a minute?” Mike poked his head through the door.
Wes turned his chair toward his brother. “Of course. Please come in.”
Mike sat in the chair across from Wes’s desk.
“How is Annalise?”
“Better.”
Wes was relieved to hear it, but could see in the wrinkles that formed in his brother’s brow that his daughter’s emotional state was far from what he deemed acceptable.
“Being here has made a big difference.”
Mike had moved himself and Annalise to Montana right after Anna’s funeral. Said they needed a new start. New scenery. Everywhere he looked were memories of Anna. And Annalise refused to go to school, didn’t want Mike out of her sight.
“It’s helped to have her near dad, and around people who didn’t know Anna. Who don’t look at us with pity every time they see us.” Mike set his elbows on his knees, swiped one hand down his face. Mike’s brown eyes stood out against his dark hair and the stubble along his jaw. Their coloring was a complete contrast—Wes with sandy hair and blue eyes like their mother. However, people told them all the time it was obvious in their build and countenance that they were siblings.
Wes had to fight back a smirk at the thought of his dad being any help in the emotional stability department. A man of principles, an intense work ethic, and a drive for success that surpassed anything Wes had seen in his life; warm fuzzies weren’t the first thing that came to mind when anyone thought of Daniel St. Claire.
As if reading his mind, Mike said, “It’s true. He’s softened since…” His voice trailed off as he looked out the window then back at Wes.
Their father did come across a bit softer since their mother’s passing, but Wes still had his doubts.
“He even got Annalise to go to dance class. Someone’s renting the dance school now and has classes for kids. Adults too, I guess. Anyway, I had to stay the first few times Annalise tried it, but now she loves it. She all but worships her teacher.”
“I’m glad to hear it. I am.”
“But you can’t understand us moving here.”
“Not entirely, no.” Wes leaned forward in his chair, his elbows on his desk. He eyed his brother for a moment then turned his head toward the window. “You don’t find it hard to be here? After…everything?”
“I’ll admit, it was rough at first. My mind kept wandering to the funeral, the days when the house was filled only with the sound of beeping monitors, and the stench of…” Mike shook his head. “But it fades. It’s filling up again with a more positive vibe.”
“Annalise’s doing, I’m sure.” Wes looked back at his brother with a grin.
Mike’s face matched his, a smile lighting his eyes that a moment ago had been dim with thoughts of lost loved ones. “Yeah. She has a way of doing that.”
He’d admit to being biased, but his niece was without a doubt one of the cutest kids Wes had ever seen.
“I can’t imagine it would be Dad’s doing.”
“What couldn’t be Dad’s doing?”
Both men sat up in their chairs and faced the door of Wes’s office. Daniel St. Claire stood one step inside the doorway and yet still dominated the room with his presence. Both Wes and his brother sat up straighter, something they’d learned was always expected in their father’s presence.
In tan slacks and a crisp button-down shirt covered by a navy blue sweater, his father was dressed more casually than usual. Much like Wes, their daily uniform consisted of dark dress pants and a tailored button-down shirt. A coat and tie were a given, if there was a business meeting.
Wes heard the woman from Grey’s whisper in his head, “You’re dressed quite nice. Did you leave a black tie event to party with the boys or something?” He’d never before been asked by anyone, man or woman, why he was overdressed. Of course, when he’d moved and lived in New York, he wasn’t. Whether in a work or social situation, Wes was put together from head to toe. His father had taught them all that. Well, they’d all been taught. Wes was the only one who still abided by it, even though he was a grown man of thirty-five. But, his life called for it as well. The rest of his siblings, not so much.
However, in Montana or not, he’d never seen his dad so casual. Relaxed, even. Yes, there were more wrinkles around his eyes as well as around his mouth, but his dad didn’t look to be in his sixties. He’d held up well, the old man. But Wes guessed it would take an armada to ever knock his father down.
“We were just saying that Annalise brings a certain joy to the house,” Wes said, attempting to cover their conversation about their dad.
“Hmph,” was all his dad said, not buying it, but ignoring it just the same. “I agree. That little girl brings joy to any room she’s in.”
