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“Sorry, I needed a moment,” I explain in the lack of conversation.
“I shouldn’t have sprang all that on you at once,” Dad sighs. “I just figured being surrounded by family would be better than being in the office.”
When he puts it like that, he isn’t wrong. Detrick would no doubt try to run interference, believing the worst. “No, no, this is fine,” I assure him as I pull in a deep breath. “It was just a lot all at once. But thank you.” I chew on my lip for a brief moment. “And I think family therapy would be a wonderful idea.”
Dad’s sullen expression transforms immediately. He looks so relieved and happy, it takes my breath away. I haven’t seen him smile in so long I was beginning to think he didn’t remember how. “Thank you, Bex.”
I squeeze Thorin’s hand that’s still in mine for courage and to remind me I’m not alone. “Did you mean what you said about the contract?”
Dad’s smile turns sad again, though it’s still on his face. “Yes. Your mother and I agreed about your training beginning when you were thirty. We thought it would give you enough time to be established in whatever department you were in before adding responsibilities that could be manageable. This way I can slowly ease up until you feel confident to run the whole thing. Even with us being estranged, I still want you to have this. I know how much Hastings Center means to you.”
Everything. It means everything.
“Speaking of your work,” Thorin cuts in, “I would like to ask you something if it’s not too much trouble to talk a little shop?” He directs the last part towards Nana Noel who’s been sitting quietly listening and watching everything unfold.
Nana Noel waves her hand as if to dismiss his worry. “This is the most anyone has spoken in this room in years, by all means, continue on.” She reaches forward, beginning to load her plate up with food before prompting us to do the same.
“What is it?” Dad asks, his eyes volleying between us.
“As Bex is aware, I am in the process of creating a hotel that’s main function is a convention center in California. My plans involve it being opened sometime late next year. While I know you only host the Hastings Humanitarian Awards in New York at whatever convention center you see fit, would you consider holding the next one at the Ravenscroft Center?”
No one says anything for a long moment. I feel like I’m holding my breath as I wait to hear what Dad will say. It’s not that Dad’s purposely set out to only hold it in New York, it’s just that we don’t tend to leave the state to venture to new areas often. After Mom died, we pretty much all became recluses in our little corner of the world.
“Do you think that you and Bex will still be in a solid place by this time next year?” Dad asks bluntly.
I expect Thorin to give it some serious thought, but his reply is instantaneous. “Yes.”
Nana Noel raises her fork to point at Thorin. “I’ll be holding you to that, do you understand? You know what will happen if you do something I don’t approve of.”
Dad is the only one who looks confused by her statement, so I take pity on him to explain. “Nana Noel threatened to douse him in horse manure.”
Dad laughs, shaking his head. “And where do you plan on finding a horse?”
“I’m sure if I can’t find someone, you’ll know someone,” Nana Noel sniffs haughtily.
He seems to take her words under consideration before agreeing. “This is true. I can think of several people off the top of my head who own them.” Now it’s Dad’s turn to narrow his eyes at Thorin. “If you do anything to upset Bex, I will gladly help Noel.”
“You’re both nuts,” I grumble, but Thorin just leans over and presses a kiss on my temple.
“No, they love you,” he says patiently. His warm brown eyes sparkle. “And they have every right to hold me to my word.”
“Well, I for one am glad that you two got your shit together,” Nana Noel declares, her fork spinning between Thorin and me. “I’m not getting any younger over here. Besides, I can never have a nice evening in the city anymore. During the summer when they put your face on that big billboard, Thorin, any time we would walk by it, Bex would flip it off.”
Thorin makes a choking noise beside me as he tries, and fails, to hold in his laughter.
I roll my eyes as I thump him on the back a little more aggressively than need be. “First of all, I only did that twice. Don’t overexaggerate like I did it every day of the week.” Turning towards Thorin, I explain, “I wasn’t doing it at you specifically the first time. There was this crazy banner up previously some street artist had spray painted over that I wanted to show her but then your face was there and the art was gone. It was more towards the city for removing it.”
“And the second time?” he asks in pure amusement.
“The second time was specifically directed at you,” I answer haughtily.
Dad snorts at the both of us. “Are you two always like this?”
“Yes,” Nana Noel states at the same time Thorin denies it.
“We aren’t that bad,” I interject. “We’ve come a long way from where we were months ago.” From only speaking when necessary to seeking each other out. Even though in the grand scheme of things it’s not been a terribly long time, it feels like we’ve done so much growing together and individually.
“I am glad to have you back in my life even if it began under ill-mannered subterfuge,” Thorin tells me. “You helped open my eyes to things I didn’t know were happening in the community. I never realized how important it is to not only donate money but resources and time. I never would have joined a church gang if it weren’t for you.”
