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Frank stood with a wince. “Actually I’m the one who should apologize. Making this change in my business has cast a pall on my family. Unintended, but there it is all the same. Things have been difficult lately.” Shooting an inscrutable glance at his wife, Frank gestured to the chair Graham had abandoned earlier.
“Understood, and I apologize for my role in this difficult process. I had looked forward to meeting you, Mrs. Ullo, but I feel it would be better if I go ahead and take my leave.”
“Oh, don’t do that,” Mrs. Ullo said, trying on a smile. Something around her mouth trembled, making Graham wonder if there was more to Frank’s words than what had been revealed. “Call me Maggie. And please, have a little coffee. Maybe a cannoli?”
“I thank you, but no. I want to spend some extra time with my daughter today, and Monique’s not patient.”
“I find it odd you had a relationship with Monique Dryden,” Joseph said, setting his napkin beside his plate. “But Dad told us it’s one of the main reasons why he hired you.”
“Because of Monique?” Graham cast a searching look toward Frank.
“Not because you share a child and not because I’m trying to take a jab at her. She’s a talented woman if not a thorn in my paw. Monique’s smart.”
“That I can’t deny. She was always the brains behind the operation. I was merely the brawn who stumbled into her world and became enraptured with Mardi Gras and building the floats. For a while it was enough.”
Everyone at the table, the five-year-old included, watched him as if he’d dug up a rock, revealing what was beneath… and that was what his relationship with Monique had turned into—something crawly and dark. Something he didn’t like exposing to the light of day.
“So I’ll say goodbye. I wish you all a Happy Easter,” Graham said, wanting desperately to do much as Tess had—get the hell out of there.
A chorus of byes met his ears as he turned toward the exit. Frank joined him on his walk to the front door. Michael had disappeared and the heavy wood door stood cracked open, allowing daylight to slash inside the darkness.
“Look, Graham. I’m sorry about Tess. Her reaction, or rather her actions, have nothing to do with you. Wouldn’t matter who I had hired, the result would be the same. She’s young and doesn’t understand the ways of a man or the ways of the world.”
“Perhaps she doesn’t understand because you haven’t told her why you hired me,” Graham said, his voice falling like raindrops on a flat rock.
For a moment Frank stared at him. “You don’t know me or my daughter.”
“Perhaps not, but from the beginning you’ve mishandled this. You knew she thought she would be the next CEO of Frank Ullo, but you still proceeded to hire an outsider. That makes me wonder about your reasons.”
“Wonder away. I did what I thought best for the company and Tess,” Frank said, his heavy eyebrows drawn together. “If that’s mishandling, then so be it.”
“Just my opinion, but I daresay it’s one your family shares.” Graham paused for a moment, trying to find the words he needed to drive his point home. “Look, this job is my dream job—I can admit that. But I took it with the expectation you and I would work together for a few months, and then once I earned your full confidence, I could take the helm. My goal was clear—bring Frank Ullo back into focus with new technology and cutting-edge design. But I can’t do that if our relationship demands I measure my every word. I won’t always agree with you, and this matter is a personal one, but it’s also a situation that spills over. Your mishandling of Tess affects your employees and affects how they see me and deal with me.”
“My employees understand. Trust me.”
Graham sighed. “I’ve been there for four days and you’re wrong. They know you’re Frank Ullo, but their loyalty is to the company and Tess was part of that. Do you know how many times this week I’ve heard ‘Tess handles that’ or ‘Tess knows where the info on that account is’?”
“She’s worked there since she got out of college. It’s going to be hard to not have her, but we’ll manage. Change is hard, right? Never was going to be easy to do this.” Frank pulled open the door. Laughter filled the air and Graham caught sight of a teen running with a lacrosse stick and two girls about Emily’s age chasing him. He recognized one as the girl who had brought in the cannoli with Tess. Squeals and shrieks followed as a small boy chased the girls with a water gun. Frank watched with a hungry look on his face.
At that moment, something reverberated within Graham. And he knew, absolutely knew, what had been going on for the last month. A careful study of Frank’s face—the circles under his eyes, the sallowness of his skin, was all it took to get a clearer picture.
“Are you sick, Frank?”
The older man jerked back as if he’d been punched in the chest. His skin turned ashen. “What makes you ask?”
“I don’t know. Something.”
Frank glanced around as if making sure no one had overheard Graham’s question. “Let’s talk later.”
Graham nodded, understanding Frank hadn’t told his family about his condition.
A sweet longing to lift Emily into his arms and inhale her sweetness, the pure innocence of a seven-year-old untainted by the difficulty of living as an adult in a bitter world slammed into Graham. “Sure, but until then, no matter what your answer to my question is, I suggest you go to Tess and try to heal the hurt inside her. It’s not hard to say ‘I’m sorry.’”
Frank’s mouth set into an unyielding line. “I haven’t done anything wrong. I’m a businessman, something Tess forgets. This isn’t about loving your child. It’s about doing what is best for everyone concerned.”
Graham stepped outside. “Just think about it, Frank. Life’s too short, you know?”
Again, Frank’s expression reflected something and Graham knew things were bad for the man. The writing was on the wall. Frank Ullo was a very sick and scared man.
