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With newfound strength, April faced each challenge head-on. She tackled every obstacle with a fire that burned hotter than ever before.
April truly understood the power of having a support system.
No matter how hard things got, she could always turn to someone else for help. She didn't have to do everything on her own.
In order to get through all of her problems, April had to focus on them one at a time. Her first order of business was figuring out what to do with Millie.
April felt a sense of betrayal that cut deep. She had trusted Millie and given her a chance, but she had taken advantage of her kindness. April knew she couldn't just let it slide. She had to confront Millie and let her know that her behavior was unacceptable.
April called Millie into her office and sat her down. "Millie, I have to talk to you about something. I have reason to believe that you've been stealing from me and our guests. Do you have anything to say about that?" April asked, her voice stern and unwavering.
Millie immediately began to shake, her face turning pale. She stammered as she tried to deny the accusation, "No! I would never do something like that. I respect you too much."
April could see her hands trembling and knew that Millie was hiding something. She had caught her culprit for sure.
Unable to meet April's gaze, Millie's hands shook as she crossed them in front of her.
"I just need you to be honest with me. You know that I can't have anything like that happening here. I trusted you, and you went behind my back and stole from me. The least you could do is own up to it." April's voice kept firm.
Millie's face finally fell. "I'm really sorry. I did take those things," she replied softly.
"This is exactly what's going to happen next," April began, tapping her fingers on her desk. "You're going to give back everything you took. Everything. Then you're not going to work here anymore. And I won't press charges."
She looked at April, wide eyed. "You're not going to press charges? Why?"
"Because I'm giving you a chance to find another job for yourself and never do this again. Consider yourself lucky," she said.
It took April a long time to decide that she wasn't going to involve the police. But ultimately the decision came down to whether or not it was worth it.
Sending Millie to jail would have only caused more trouble and stress for April. She wanted to focus on her business and move forward, not sit there doing more and more paperwork. Plus, she believed that everyone deserved a second chance.
That didn't mean that she was going to take that chance on her business. But she could send Millie off to at least try her luck with another job.
"I understand. I'm really sorry, April. I messed up big time," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. Millie left the room, her head hung low. April knew that she had made the right decision, even if it wasn't the easiest one.
After Millie left, April felt a sense of relief wash over her. She had taken care of one of her problems.
Now it was time for a big one. April called her father, listening to it ring three times before he picked up.
"Hey, is there any way you could come into the house?" She still wasn't sure where he was staying, but he needed to feel welcomed back in the house. It was her way of extending an olive branch for her wrong.
After a brief pause, Richard replied, "Sure. I'll come over now, if that's alright."
Before she could respond, the call ended. She took a deep breath. This was going to be the hardest conversation yet.
Her father walked into the room with a smile and took a seat in front of April's desk. She could feel her heartbeat quicken as she prepared for the worst.
"Dad, we have to talk," she said as she sat in her chair. "I want to apologize to you. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions and thought you were stealing from me."
Richard sat silently, staring at April with a snide look. She continued, "I was just so overwhelmed with everything going on, and I lashed out. But I know now that you would never do something like that to me."
"I accept your apology," her father said, arms crossed in front of him. "You really should have fact-checked before you blamed me for all your problems. I would never steal from you."
She nodded. "I know that now. I should have known that then. You're not a thief." He nodded with a satisfied smirk. April knew she was about to wipe it off his face. "And now I want an apology from you."
"What? For what?" His brows furrowed and he leaned forward, dropping his arms to his side.
"For taking advantage of my hospitality here. Before you left, you used me for everything. Your pillows, your groceries, a place to stay, someone to tell your stories to. I want to be there for you, to be your daughter. But that's not what you were doing, was it?"
